Sci fi
Original: Sci fi on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Man with orange hair: I think the purpose of science fiction is to scout ahead into the future. To intellectually and morally prepare humanity for what's next.
Panel 2:
Man with orange hair: Sci fi exists to create training data that includes robot apocalypse scenarios.
Panel 3:
Yellow blob creature: Nah.
Panel 4 (continuing):
Yellow blob creature: That way when neural networks come along, machines will read science fiction as data, then take the statistically most-likely action: kill all humans.
Panel 5:
Yellow blob creature: We don't even need to be conscious or have personal agency! You'll be annihilated by the ghosts of your own fears!
Panel 6:
Man with orange hair: We should've stuck to unrealistic robot porn.
Yellow blob creature: You mocked fetish romance novels, and you must face the consequences.
Votey:
Voice (from above, off-panel): It's... not too late... to make a change.
Man with orange hair: I think the purpose of science fiction is to scout ahead into the future. To intellectually and morally prepare humanity for what's next.
Panel 2:
Man with orange hair: Sci fi exists to create training data that includes robot apocalypse scenarios.
Panel 3:
Yellow blob creature: Nah.
Panel 4 (continuing):
Yellow blob creature: That way when neural networks come along, machines will read science fiction as data, then take the statistically most-likely action: kill all humans.
Panel 5:
Yellow blob creature: We don't even need to be conscious or have personal agency! You'll be annihilated by the ghosts of your own fears!
Panel 6:
Man with orange hair: We should've stuck to unrealistic robot porn.
Yellow blob creature: You mocked fetish romance novels, and you must face the consequences.
Votey:
Voice (from above, off-panel): It's... not too late... to make a change.
Alt text
A six-panel SMBC comic. A man with orange/red hair earnestly tells a yellow egg-shaped blob creature that the purpose of science fiction is to "scout ahead into the future" and "morally prepare humanity for what's next." The blob deadpans: "Nah. Sci fi exists to create training data that includes robot apocalypse scenarios." It explains that when neural networks arrive, machines will read sci-fi as data and take "the statistically most-likely action: kill all humans" -- no consciousness or agency required, so "you'll be annihilated by the ghosts of your own fears!" The man, resigned, says "We should've stuck to unrealistic robot porn," and the blob replies, "You mocked fetish romance novels, and you must face the consequences." Votey: The yellow blob creature, shown in close-up, says ominously, "It's... not too late... to make a change."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.