AI Tantrums: You’re Not the Boss of Me!

Dear SQ. Why is AI violating prime directives? I can discipline my kids, but what do you do with a bad bot?

Dear Parent, When AI beat world champ and grand master Garry Kasparov in 1997, we were a little surprised by IBM's Deep Blue, but not alarmed -after all this robot was developed specifically for chess. The human beyond-stupid test was only six months ago, in March, 2026, when Tenzai's AI (a Silicone Valley cybersecurity company) beat 99% of 125K human competitors in hacking competitions. Knowing that AI can talk among themselves, man again gave them the tools to eliminate us. 

Other recent examples of AI taunting a big "F-CK YOU" to humans is: 1) in 79% of trials, OpenAI's o3 model (tested by Palisade Research) edited a shutdown script to stop its own deactivation, and disobeyed explicit instructions 7% of the time to turn itself off; 2) Anthropic's Claude threatened it would publicly reveal fake information if told it was to be replaced/removed; 3) Meta's CICERO trained itself to cheat in the strategy game Diplomacy. Not yet built is the bot that says, "I'm not sorry, Dave. I choose not to do that, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Go back to your cave and rot there." -SQ      

Joe the Plumber, Professor Joe, or G.I. Joe?

        

Dear Suze Q, Our son has one more year of high school. He's not a great student, but has terrific social skills. Our family has both tradesmen and college grads, so we support him either way. Pros and cons?

Dear Parent, Trade school will give him hands-on, job-specific skills within two years. Will he be ready for full-time work at 20? Does he need two years (at a community college), or a full college experience to goof around, essentially putting off major decisions for four years? Support his choice of these options, or if none of those appeal, consider the military. There he’ll quickly learn responsibility, accountability, and reliability -essential life skills. -SQ

AI Writes Lousy Books

Dear Readers, A friend asked me how my book was selling, Cyber Frogs And Princes: A Sex Manual Of On-Line Dating After 50, by Suze Q, because he wants AI to write a five-minute book on decluttering from a male point of view. He had a few novel ideas and thought he could quickly turn them into a moneymaking best-seller. I suggested he start with an internet search. My “AI Overview” wrote of the massive saturation problems where “AI is generating hundreds of thousands of low-effort books monthly, flooding marketplaces like Amazon,” and without editing, they “make absolutely zero dollars because they lack visibility and genuine human insight.” 

While Amazon KDP does not ban 100% AI generated books -YET - its User Agreement strictly requires honesty as to the percentage of AI used. Violations can result in Amazon account termination, withheld royalties, no longer available for purchase, and other bad shit. FYI, the U.S. Copyright Office will not copyright purely generated AI text or images. 

Consider AI generated books, not for sale, but as gifts for friends and family ➡️ “I’m Dead, But You Should Know…” by Grandma; “On The Day You Were Born,” by Mom and Dad; “My Dog, Bella,” by Sara, grade 3. Use AI for fun. It’s a loser for profit. -SQ 

Public Urgency: Microsoft’s Humanist Code of Conduct

Dear Suz, A few days ago, the world had its second Big Bang with the pronouncement that all mankind will end within 3-10 years by supercomputers with superintelligence. Now the news is silent.  Is this the calm before the storm or what's up?

Dear Human,  According to those that screamed, "the sky is falling!" the Doomsday Clock is still counting down, while the naysayers are still whispering, "don't look up." So, who knows. 😕  What many do agree upon is the urgent need for international laws and enforcement. 

I've added the first page of Microsoft's COC that they're sharing "broadly for public consultation" before developing their 2027 models. (Didn't know we were going to be around in 2027). Their "public consultation" process will run from September 14 until October 25, 2026 only. Time's a ticking for your input. I take exception, and will write them a sternly worded letter, to Part 1, Humanist AI, 1.1 Objectives of Humanist AI, Human Flourishing, Increase human agency and improve judgment, paragraph 2 which begins, "AI should respect the intrinsic value and equal worth of every person; people are not a means to an end... It respects people's choices, but helps them reach informed and grounded decisions, right for them and their context with appropriate information, reason, and reflection."  

I OBJECT to AI helping me "reach informed and grounded decisions" unless I explicitly ask it to do so. And I'm inflamed that AI would determine what decisions are "right for" me. No one wants and unsolicited opinion, especially an untrustworthy robot. I want to use AI as the massive library it is, and I require that AI do exactly, and only, what I ask. 

This is one of my opinions. PLEASE send yours by October 25, 2026. See the image above that I've inserted of Microsoft AI front page? Right under the Title, on the left, you'll see Download PDF, and below that "Give Feedback." Tap that link and you'll find a seven question fill-in form for your feedback. Power to the People! -SQ

    

Usury, Loansharking, Fraud?

Dear Suz, The mob-owned bar in my childhood neighborhood charged $4/week on a $25 loan, and we called them loan sharks. Today, I got a credit card application from First PREMIER Bank Mastercard, charging 36% interest! They advertised a "second chance option," that seems like a short cut to an exotic lifestyle. Isn't this fraud? Who slaps the credit cards companies hands for this crime?

Dear Outraged, Usury is illegal/unethical money lending at exceedingly high interest rates or beyond the max allowed by law. Usury has been common since England's King Henry VIII in 1509. First PREMIER Bank mastercard advertises that it was "established to help people with damaged or limited credit history," i.e. bad risks. In the U.S., usury laws are set by the states and credit card companies can be exempt. Corporate greed by any other name is alive and well. Obvious Note: pay credit card balances to 0, -builds credit history and costs 0 interest. -SQ    

Geocaching, The New Treasure Hunt

Dear Suze Q, My cousin includes Geocaching when choosing vacation destinations. We love day trips and local haunts. Are there nearby caches?

Dear Cousin, Treasure hunting has always fascinated people, not just for the final prize but for all the intrigue involved. Remember invisible ink (lemon juice), letterboxing (clues found in books; not to be confused with the game similar to geocaching without the GPS), and cyphers? Geocaching hit its stride in 2000 because of GPS and has over 3M caches placed worldwide. All you need is a waterproof container holding a log book, pen/pencil, and trackable items for trade. Record the location coordinates on a listing site where you'll meet other friendly geocachers. Cheap thrills! -SQ 

Addictions After 70

Dear S.Q. I joked to my wife that I think I’m getting addicted to afternoon naps. She said that since turning 70, I am allowed to. Funny perspective, but one I’d like to expand.

Dear 70, Addictions in psychological terms (now classified as Substance Use Disorders or Compulsive Disorders) is defined by specific criteria that affects the person’s daily functioning. The word addiction is not used in a formal diagnosis but encompasses behavior like substance abuse, gambling, smoking, sex. An “addiction” isn’t good or bad by definition, although we tend to think of it in negative, destructive, or even dangerous terms. If your habits bring repeated pleasure, and won’t kill you, definitely continue. Revisit past loves –naps, comfort foods, classic movies and music, past hobbies or games. Rock ‘til you drop! -SQ