Difference between revisions of "1646: Twitter Bot"

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(Explanation: + explanation of searches)
(Slightly rewording the last few query explanations to be a little more clear about Cueballs thought process.)
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* ''MACHINE LEARNING'': {{w|Machine learning}} is the basis of artificial intelligence.
 
* ''MACHINE LEARNING'': {{w|Machine learning}} is the basis of artificial intelligence.
 
* ''CLOUD HOSTING'': While it's possible to host a Twitter bot on your server, you can also have it hosted by someone else - such as Amazon - in order to take advantage of their powerful computers and robust internet connection.
 
* ''CLOUD HOSTING'': While it's possible to host a Twitter bot on your server, you can also have it hosted by someone else - such as Amazon - in order to take advantage of their powerful computers and robust internet connection.
* ''BOT TROUBLESHOOTING'': Oops
+
* ''BOT TROUBLESHOOTING'': Cueball is having some trouble with his bot and is looking for some information about resolving the problem.
* ''LOCKED OUT OF EC2 INSTANCE'': EC2 is Amazon's cloud hosting service (it's short for {{w|Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud}}). The bot has become sentient and has apparently changed the passwords to protect itself.
+
* ''LOCKED OUT OF EC2 INSTANCE'': EC2 is Amazon's cloud hosting service (it's short for {{w|Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud}}). Cueball has been locked out of his EC2 instance and is attempting to determine why.
* ''BOT CHANGED OWN PASSWORD?'': This either continues the EC2 problems, or it suggests that the bot has managed to change the Twitter log-on details, totally cutting Cueball out.
+
* ''BOT CHANGED OWN PASSWORD?'': This suggests that Cueball has determined that the bot has managed to change the Twitter log-on details, totally cutting Cueball out.
  
 
This comic examines how a seemingly simple tasks can often balloon in complexity if all of the requirements are not understood, while at the same time presenting a scenario where an unassuming idea results in the accidental creation of malevolent AI.
 
This comic examines how a seemingly simple tasks can often balloon in complexity if all of the requirements are not understood, while at the same time presenting a scenario where an unassuming idea results in the accidental creation of malevolent AI.

Revision as of 07:38, 22 February 2016

Twitter Bot
PYTHON FLAG ENABLE THREE LAWS
Title text: PYTHON FLAG ENABLE THREE LAWS

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.(It was created by a BOT!!!)
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

A Twitter bot is a program that can post automatically to Twitter. Although Twitter bots can be very elaborate, a lot of people write simple bots for fun that simply engage in automated wordplay. However, each web search reveals an additional level of complexity:

  • PYTHON TWITTER LIBRARY: The Python programming language has a nice "library" (i.e., a specially written collection of functions) that interface with the Twitter API. This does all the tricky work of authenticating the bot's identity and sending the messages, so the user can concentrate on the fun parts.
  • MACHINE LEARNING: Machine learning is the basis of artificial intelligence.
  • CLOUD HOSTING: While it's possible to host a Twitter bot on your server, you can also have it hosted by someone else - such as Amazon - in order to take advantage of their powerful computers and robust internet connection.
  • BOT TROUBLESHOOTING: Cueball is having some trouble with his bot and is looking for some information about resolving the problem.
  • LOCKED OUT OF EC2 INSTANCE: EC2 is Amazon's cloud hosting service (it's short for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud). Cueball has been locked out of his EC2 instance and is attempting to determine why.
  • BOT CHANGED OWN PASSWORD?: This suggests that Cueball has determined that the bot has managed to change the Twitter log-on details, totally cutting Cueball out.

This comic examines how a seemingly simple tasks can often balloon in complexity if all of the requirements are not understood, while at the same time presenting a scenario where an unassuming idea results in the accidental creation of malevolent AI.

The title text refers to sci-fi author Isaac Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics also seen in 1613: The Three Laws of Robotics. In this case it's used to indicate fictitious Python flag that could presumably be used to easily ensure that any robots developed with it would follow the laws as they are defined and would have avoided the unfortunate result that occurred.

Transcript

[Cueball is sitting at a desk using a laptop.]
Cueball (thinking): I want to make a Twitter Bot. I bet it's not too hard.
[A search query is shown to indicate what Cueball has searched for]
Query: How to write a twitter bot
[Cueball is now holding the laptop on his lap, a series of search queries are shown]
Query: Python Twitter library
Query: Machine Learning
Query: Cloud Hosting
[Cuball has placed the laptop back on the desk. More search queries are shown, each one more ominous than the previous]
Query: Bot Troubleshooting
Query: Locked out of EC2 instance
Query: Bot changed own password?
Query: How to fight a bot
[Various noises seem to imply that chaos has begun to erupt]
Noise off-screen left: Boom!
Noise off-screen right: Pew, Pew, Pew
[Cuball is shown wearing a small backpack and typing on a phone jogging to the right]
Query: Cheap flights to Australia


comment.png add a comment! ⋅ comment.png add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif refresh comments!

Discussion

Technically, nothing until the actual fight is against the Three Laws -- he didn't tell the bot NOT to do those things. And self-preservation is the third law, so it's allowed to defend itself in a fight, so long as it does not harm Cueball (First Law) -- so let's assume its phaser is set on "stun" (unbeknownst to Cueball) accounting for the pew pew noises, and this is now all within the three laws. Nothing in the Three Laws says it can't *threaten* a human, after all. --PsyMar (talk) 08:15, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Also, unless the bot changed its own e-mail -- and I think Twitter sends a verification to the *old* e-mail that must be responded to -- changing the password shouldn't keep Cueball out, as Cueball can reset the password by e-mail. If he gave the bot his e-mail password then that's his fault, as is if he used the same password for his email and Twitter.--PsyMar (talk) 08:19, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
I think it was the EC2 password that changed. Mikemk (talk) 18:13, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps, with the recent comics referring to Asimov and the Three Laws of Robotics, it's time to create a new category to collect them? Oliphaunt (talk) 13:20, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Australia

Might it be an allusion to the Terminator series movie? According to director's comment track and movie script, southern hemisphere wasn't hit as hard by Skynet's nuclear strikes. That's why, according to those sources, most background radio chat features NZ- and Australian accents and latin language. Once Cueball realises that his bot attempt is going the "skynet-route", heading as far aways from the northern hemisphere makes perfectly sense. DrYak (talk) 13:51, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

  • Or it could just be that Australia is on the other side of the world. 108.162.238.94 17:22, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
Those two facts need not be unrelated. -Pennpenn 108.162.250.162 23:34, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
I interpreted the "cheap flights to Australia" search as that the bot had escaped to Australia and that Cueball was going after it. Z (talk) 01:04, 25 February 2016 (UTC)
Google Superbowl ad

Is it worth mentioning that this looks like a parody of the Google superbowl ad? Is there a term like epistolary for a story told in Google searches? 141.101.70.145 20:16, 23 February 2016 (UTC)

Twitter/X changes and their effect on bots
  • This would be the one time where Elon Musk is actually the hero as the Twitter (now X) API changes would have killed the rogue bot. 172.70.174.66 16:18, 16 February 2024 (UTC)