Recursive horror (a short story)
Gustave Courbet, extract of self-portrait (c. 1843-1845). Oil on canvas.
Like one, that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on,
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows, a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
world.simulate(world) # Warning: recursive simulationFriday October 16th, 2026. A meeting of the AI Builders, a group of AI enthusiasts that meet to discuss AI and demonstrate things they have made with it.
Siduo is presenting. He is standing in front of the large TV, which appears to show video of the current meeting.
Siduo: “I have managed to get access to the latest OpenAI model, GPT-07o-agi. This is what I have done with it.”
Deepak: “I don’t get it. Isn’t that just video of one of our meetings?”
Siduo: “No, let me turn the volume up so you can listen.”
Siduo turns the volume up of the TV and the group listens to the conversation of the group on the screen. The Katia on the screen is talking about an idea for a new project.
Katia: “Ha that’s so freaky! That’s not a conversation we’ve ever had. That’s a good idea! I was thinking about something similar just the other day.”
James: “How does this work? Is it just based on recordings of our meetings?”
Katia: “We’ve never recorded the meetings have we?”
Siduo: “No, but the model is created from all available data about us — LinkedIn profiles, emails, social media, WhatsApp conversations, videos, photographs, everything. I just asked it to simulate what might happen at our meeting today. It doesn’t have access to what is happening here, I don’t think.”
Erica: “But WhatsApp conversations are private aren’t they? How could it have access to that?”
James: “Have you read the terms that you agree to with WhatsApp? I bet it says something about AI training.”
Katia: “Yes but you can opt out of that. I did.”
Deepak: “Did everyone you know opt out too? It would only take one of us in this group not to opt out for it to have access to the AI Builders WhatsApp. Did everyone opt out?”
There is an awkward silence. The group continues listening to the conversation on the screen.
Erica: “Are they conscious, do you think?”
James: “No, definitely not. You see, it’s highly likely that consciousness is not computational, and therefore…”
Deepak: “Alright James, we’ve heard it before. We know your arguments. I think they could be conscious.”
Erica: “If they are conscious, do you think they know they are in a simulation?”
Siduo: “I don’t think so, how could they know?”
Deepak: “Perhaps they could work it out?”
The group continued to listen to the conversation on the TV, fascinated by the accuracy and yet unreal nature of it. There was laughter when the onscreen Siduo stood up and announced he was going to demonstrate a simulation of the group.
Katia watched herself on the screen, her head tilted in concentration. There was an intense look of concentration on the face of the Katia on the screen too. The on-screen Katia was listening to Siduo introduce his simulation, her brow furrowed in thought. The face on the screen changed to one of wonder and realization, and then gradually to one of wide-eyed horror.
As Katia watched the transformation of the simulated face on the screen, the colour drained from her face and her mouth fell open in horrified disbelief.
She had worked it out.