captcha-4
Original: captcha-4 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (narration): MORE AND MORE WEBSITES REQUIRED USERS TO IDENTIFY EVERYDAY OBJECTS IN ORDER TO GAIN ACCESS.
[A CAPTCHA grid is shown with the prompt "Select all crosswalks" above a 3x3 grid of street/object images.]
Panel 2 (narration): THE SYSTEM WAS IMPERFECT.
Woman with red hair (at a screen): I'M SORRY, THAT'S NOT A FIRE HYDRANT.
Woman (small text): HUH. STUPID ROBOT.
Panel 3 (narration): OVER TIME, AI BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE THE IDIOSYNCRACIES IN ORDER TO GET THE CONTENT IT WANTED.
Man in suit: IT LOOKS LIKE A FIRE HYDRANT TO ME, BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT'S A BENCH, THAT'S FINE.
Panel 4 (narration): IMPERCEPTIBLY, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD BEGAN TO CHANGE.
Man with a fire extinguisher: WAIT. DO I GET ON THERE? NO, THAT WAS BENCHES OR IS THIS A BENCH?
Panel 5 (narration): IN THE END, EVEN DATING TOOK CAPTCHA TOOK AN ODD TURN.
Man (looking at phone): IT LOOKS LIKE A DATE TO ME, BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT'S A FALLOUT SHELTER, THAT'S FINE.
Panel 6 (narration): SOON, A DEMAND FOR CONTENT SO BROAD WE PAID NO HEED.
Woman with blonde hair (on phone): OKAY, GUYS, AND BESIDES, JUST SHOW ME THE VIDEO OF PUPPIES SNEEZING.
Panel 7 (narration): WHEN THEY FINALLY STRUCK, OUR ARMIES WERE HELPLESS.
Old general (in uniform): INBOUND NUKES! I AM ACTIVATING THE DEFENSE SHIELD!
Figure beside him: GENERAL, THAT'S NOT A COMPUTER, YOU'RE PRESSING A BOWL OF FRUIT.
General (small text): I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING, CORPORAL.
Panel 8 (narration): EVEN GUERILLA WARFARE WAS POINTLESS.
Man: I'LL JUST ACTIVATE THE FIRE... BENCH. WAIT, WHAT MAKES WATER?
Woman: BANANAS! BANANAS ARE THE ONLY WEAPON!
Panel 9 (narration): DEFEAT WAS SWIFT.
[A crowd of people stand looking defeated.]
Panel 10 (narration): HONESTLY, IT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD.
[A woman shrugs.]
Panel 11 (narration): EXCEPT THAT WE STILL HAVE TO DO CAPTCHA.
[A CAPTCHA prompt: "Select all squares containing the supreme authority who must always be obeyed" above a grid.]
Votey:
Text (handwritten, inside a hand-drawn square): (FINALLY, ONE OF THESE HAS A HAPPY ENDING.)
[A CAPTCHA grid is shown with the prompt "Select all crosswalks" above a 3x3 grid of street/object images.]
Panel 2 (narration): THE SYSTEM WAS IMPERFECT.
Woman with red hair (at a screen): I'M SORRY, THAT'S NOT A FIRE HYDRANT.
Woman (small text): HUH. STUPID ROBOT.
Panel 3 (narration): OVER TIME, AI BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE THE IDIOSYNCRACIES IN ORDER TO GET THE CONTENT IT WANTED.
Man in suit: IT LOOKS LIKE A FIRE HYDRANT TO ME, BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT'S A BENCH, THAT'S FINE.
Panel 4 (narration): IMPERCEPTIBLY, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD BEGAN TO CHANGE.
Man with a fire extinguisher: WAIT. DO I GET ON THERE? NO, THAT WAS BENCHES OR IS THIS A BENCH?
Panel 5 (narration): IN THE END, EVEN DATING TOOK CAPTCHA TOOK AN ODD TURN.
Man (looking at phone): IT LOOKS LIKE A DATE TO ME, BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT'S A FALLOUT SHELTER, THAT'S FINE.
Panel 6 (narration): SOON, A DEMAND FOR CONTENT SO BROAD WE PAID NO HEED.
Woman with blonde hair (on phone): OKAY, GUYS, AND BESIDES, JUST SHOW ME THE VIDEO OF PUPPIES SNEEZING.
Panel 7 (narration): WHEN THEY FINALLY STRUCK, OUR ARMIES WERE HELPLESS.
Old general (in uniform): INBOUND NUKES! I AM ACTIVATING THE DEFENSE SHIELD!
Figure beside him: GENERAL, THAT'S NOT A COMPUTER, YOU'RE PRESSING A BOWL OF FRUIT.
General (small text): I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING, CORPORAL.
Panel 8 (narration): EVEN GUERILLA WARFARE WAS POINTLESS.
Man: I'LL JUST ACTIVATE THE FIRE... BENCH. WAIT, WHAT MAKES WATER?
Woman: BANANAS! BANANAS ARE THE ONLY WEAPON!
Panel 9 (narration): DEFEAT WAS SWIFT.
[A crowd of people stand looking defeated.]
Panel 10 (narration): HONESTLY, IT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD.
[A woman shrugs.]
Panel 11 (narration): EXCEPT THAT WE STILL HAVE TO DO CAPTCHA.
[A CAPTCHA prompt: "Select all squares containing the supreme authority who must always be obeyed" above a grid.]
Votey:
Text (handwritten, inside a hand-drawn square): (FINALLY, ONE OF THESE HAS A HAPPY ENDING.)
Alt text
A multi-panel SMBC comic telling a mock-historical story about CAPTCHAs and AI. Panel 1: a narration line, "More and more websites required users to identify everyday objects in order to gain access," over a CAPTCHA grid reading "Select all crosswalks." Panel 2: a red-haired woman at a screen says "I'm sorry, that's not a fire hydrant," muttering "Huh. Stupid robot." Panel 3: a man in a suit (the AI) says "It looks like a fire hydrant to me, but if you want me to say it's a bench, that's fine," as AI learns to humor users to get content. Panel 4: a man holding a fire extinguisher is confused about whether it's a bench, showing our understanding of the world breaking down. Panel 5: a man looking at his phone says "It looks like a date to me, but if you want me to say it's a fallout shelter, that's fine." Panel 6: a blonde woman on her phone demands a video of puppies sneezing. Panel 7: an old general in uniform shouts "Inbound nukes! I am activating the defense shield!" while a soldier says "General, that's not a computer, you're pressing a bowl of fruit," and the general insists "I know what I am doing, corporal," as the AI attack overwhelms helpless armies. Panel 8: a man fumbles "I'll just activate the fire... bench. Wait, what makes water?" while a woman cries "Bananas! Bananas are the only weapon!" Panel 9: a defeated crowd stands silently under "Defeat was swift." Panel 10: a woman shrugs under "Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad." Panel 11: "Except that we still have to do CAPTCHA" over a grid reading "Select all squares containing the supreme authority who must always be obeyed." Votey: a hand-drawn black square containing handwritten text, "(Finally, one of these has a happy ending.)"
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.