Excerpt from Chapters 8 of Across the Line (Read for free on AO3)
“If I were the computer science side, I’d probably say:
‘Ethical standards are humans projecting fear of the future onto technology.’”
He walked on, explaining.
“The more you constrain, the more it shows you don’t trust AI’s capacity for independent judgment.”
“So you side with ethics as restraint?”
“Just thinking like the opposition.”
“Simulate the enemy to anticipate attacks.”
“And which side are you on?”
Clara and Michael argued point after point, each answer drawing another question.
By the end of the afternoon, neither seemed eager to let the discussion end.
Michael stayed behind, organizing notes from the meeting.
On the whiteboard, Clara's final question remained:
“Do human ethical standards protect or constrain AI development?”
The room had long since emptied.
Her handwriting was still on the board.
He looked at it for a moment longer before turning off the lights.
(from a dark academia slow-burn i'm working on)