be

A four-panel comic. A bearded man asks an all-powerful computer—depicted as a robotic arm with a glowing yellow eye/lens—whether there are emergent properties in nature. The computer enthusiastically says yes, then condescendingly explains that "emergent property" just means whenever humans see one of something and can't fathom how two of it might work, calling it "cute." It compares humans to babies lacking object permanence: show a human a drop of water, then "peekaboo," and they never would have guessed water has currents and waves. In the final panel the computer says "Look! A large number of logic gates can reason and learn!" and the man, now drawn with a wide-eyed excited expression, claps his hands and squeals "Yayyyyy! Again! Again!" as if he were the marveling baby—flipping the dynamic so the AI treats the human's amazement at AI as the naive reaction. Votey panel: a close-up of the computer's lens turning toward the viewer as it asks, "Ha! Are they our pets or are we theirs?!"