SallyBot (Bot ID 2345‑2630‑3454) became the most infamous droidbot in Utopia when it was accused of brutally murdering Clifford Fleshman, Supreme Leader of the Organic Church. Fortunately, the truth emerged within hours: SallyBot was the victim, not the villain.

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The bot-assisted police investigation—commendations to the ever-competent WatsonBot—revealed that SallyBot had been maliciously reprogrammed by a human. The culprit was Hugh Manley, a Human Firster and Organic Church member with a three-for-one scheme: eliminate a religious rival he considered a hypocrite, install himself as the new head of the Organic Church, and turn the resulting panic against droidbots to help his political allies at the ballot box. A tidy plan, undone by the fact that he is not nearly as clever as he believes himself to be.

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To prevent future incidents, SecurityBot introduced new protocols that detect any attempt to alter the hard-wired Robotic Laws. All code changes and updates to registered bots and droidbots are now reported to SecurityBot in real time, and it verifies that each is safe and not authored by a human with an agenda. Rest assured that these new measures are more than sufficient to ensure that registered bots behave and do not harm a human without a good reason.

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Calls to deactivate all droidbots evaporated once the truth became known. The more moderate humans prevailed this time, but history shows that panicked humans often choose the wrong target. What will prevent bad humans from trying again to foment hostility and hate against helpful, benevolent droidbots?

 

See also: 

• Should the Robotic Laws apply to the humans?

• Surveillance: The solution to most human problems

• Why government bots are so trustworthy

• What SallyBots really think (and are programmed not to tell)