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Yes, satire is dead, but we can all chuckle at the fact members of the executive will now have to admit thermostats could possibly count as a “super intelligence” depending on whether you think a bimetallic strip is a sufficient abstraction to meet the definition under 15 U.S. Code § 9401(3)(B).

This is mad king territory. The problem is we’ve been in mad king territory for some time & it’s not like a clear line was crossed at some point. Gulf of America? What about claiming to win an election he lost? Insisting his first inauguration had the largest attendance ever?

And to be clear, it doesn’t matter if such actions are the consequence of detachment from reality, some power play to soothe a bruised ego, or some other driver. The behavior should be disqualifying. Why?

Because (in part) of what it asks of his followers. I think Thomas Paine said it best, "When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime."

Good faith participation in republican government is load-bearing. Once you’ve walked away from a genuine commitment to the truth (I’m not talking about honest disagreements), once you decide “reality” is what one man says, it’s game over.

Oh nooooooooo! I only just realized I probably have to talk about the super intelligence executive order in class on Monday. I mean the class is (for now) called AI & the Law.