[ABANDONED] River Plants

[Great Robertia]

CURRENT DRAFT:

[Title] River Plants

[Validities] Must have AI Personhood, Must Have Capitalism

[Description] Binary Industries, a private company owned by AI citizens, has set up a large, automated manufacturing plant by the @@ANIMAL@@ River. Yet barely a week after its opening, alarming reports speak of dead fish propping up against the river banks, and organic @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ living by the river being hospitalised for exposure to lethal toxins coming from the factory.

[Option 1] "Those damned, rusting clankers have thrown all environmental regulations to the wayside!" rasps the sickly Mayor of @@ANIMAL@@ River City, supported by two aides looking just as pale. "They're slowly killing us and the environment with their uncontrolled release of pollutants! You need to close that accursed plant immediately, and have those corporate oilcans pay every single @@CURRENCY@@ the cleaning up of our river will-" a violent, bloody coughing fit makes the Mayor collapse to the ground.

[Effect 1] former AI CEO's mortgage their charging stations to pay off their debt to society

[Option 2] "It's not our fault organics can't stand a few chemicals and what not being spilled into the environment," scoffs G-FF B3Z0S, the director of Binary Industries, while stepping over the wheezing Mayor. "It makes no sense that we synthetics should be hampered in our pursuit of profit by regulations that only have a negative impact on biologicals when they're not followed. If the pollution of the river is truly such a danger, then simply forbid any meatbag from living near the area."

[Effect 2] astronauts aboard the ISS place bets on what colour the @@ANIMAL@@ River will be on their next flyby

"That machine isn't wrong, you know," notes one of the Mayor's aides, helping @@HIM@@ into a nearby chair. "We wouldn't be facing all these problems with pollution if we could swap out our vulnerable squishy parts for cold, durable steel and wiring! Just imagine, mechanical lungs, cybernetic eyes, synthetic blood... oh, just fund the R&D already! The environmental budget can spare some if we're going through with this."

[Effect 3] @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are frequently mistaken for robot-zombies when abroad

DRAFT 1:

[Title] River Plants

[Validities] Must have AI Personhood, Must Have Capitalism

[Description] Binary Industries, a private company owned and operated by AI citizens, has set up a large, automated manufacturing plant by the @@ANIMAL@@ River. Yet not even a week after its opening, alarming reports speak of dead fish propping up against the river banks, and organic @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ living by the river being hospitalised for exposure to lethal toxins coming from the factory.

[Option 1] "Those damned, rusting clankers have thrown all environmental regulations to the wayside!" rasps the sickly Mayor of @@ANIMAL@@ River City, supported by two aides looking just as pale. "They're slowly killing us and the environment with their uncontrolled release of pollutants! You need to close that accursed plant immediately, and have those corporate oilcans pay every single @@CURRENCY@@ the cleaning up of our river will-" a violent, bloody coughing fit makes the Mayor collapse.

[Effect 1] former AI CEO's mortgage their charging stations to pay off their debt to society

[Option 2] "It's not our fault organics can't stand a few chemicals being spilled into the environment," scoffs G-FF B3Z0S, the director of Binary Industries, stepping over the wheezing Mayor while followed by a swarm of little drones. "It makes no sense that we synthetics should be hampered in our pursuit of profit by regulations that only have a negative impact on biologicals when they're not followed. If the pollution of the river is truly such a danger, then simply forbid any meatbag from living near the area."

[Effect 2] astronauts aboard the ISS place bets on what colour the @@ANIMAL@@ River will be on their next flyby

[Option 3] One of the little drones perks up, and displays a series of ones and zeroes on its little screen. Your aide, fluent in binary, translates helpfully: "It assures us that the director is not as unsympathetic to the plight of organics as he sounds, but that he's merely concerned with maintaining maximum economic efficiency. As such, the drone offers a different solution," the aide gulps, shuddering. "Namely to replace the vulnerable parts of all biologicals living by the river with strong, durable machinery."

[Effect 3] riverside townsfolk frequently cause tourists to flee while screaming 'ROBOT-ZOMBIES'

[Option 4] "Hey, we were here first!" says one of the Mayor's aides, after having helped @@HIM@@ upon a nearby chair. "Why should we have to adapt to them when they could adapt to us? Instead of what that floating tin can is proposing, force every single AI to be outfitted with organics parts that help them 'live'. That way, they'll have no other choice but to start caring about the environment they're contaminating, since its pollution could kill them too!"

[Effect 4] artificial beings reminisce the days they didn't succumb to grievous injuries

[Great Robertia]

I have made some tweaks to the original draft. Most notably, I have cut away option 4 and reworked option 3. I feel that three options would be more than enough for this issue, but I am willing to even cut out option 3 to make it a 2 option dilemma. As such, feedback and comments would be appreciated!

[Candlewhisper Archive]

It seems too obvious that option 1 is the only moral answer.

Maybe this could be flipped around, to make it so that there's pollution in a form that is only harmful to AIs. Not sure how that would work, but it'd definitely be morally greyer.

[Trotterdam]

Maybe this could be flipped around, to make it so that there's pollution in a form that is only harmful to AIs. Not sure how that would work, but it'd definitely be morally greyer.

I could imagine some things being harmful only to machines/electronics rather than biological organisms, but that would definitely affect more than just AIs. Flesh-and-blood citizens won't like their computers or cars breaking down.

At the same time, biological organisms are more than just humans (which is already acknowledged when the narrative talks about fish). Many humans care about protecting the environment even when no actual humans are harmed, and so it makes sense to hold AIs to the same standards.

[Minskiev]

There’s an [Option 3] missing, I do like that second effect line a lot, and CWA does make a good point that 1 is the only moral one. It’s sort of similar to those issues that go:

Option 1: “blah” says unqualified moron who lives in his mom’s basement

Option 2: “alternative blah” proclaims literally the Jesus of [topic of issue]

Except it’s about morals. It’s kind of calling for your finger to press Option 1.