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

If the End is Near, Can You Say You Did It Your Way?

Dear Suze Q, My military parents lived through WWII, the Cold War, and all the subsequent wars the U.S. dabbled in after that. Never was there a threat of mass annihilation like today’s news is portending about AI superiority. Other than a bug-out bag, and home emergency evacuation supplies, what else? Will money be useless?

Dear Military Brat, who knows which way the wind will blow. Money maybe useful for a while, but like good post-apocalyptic movies, barter will be the common currency. The question everyone must ask themselves is what is the end game, yours and the future’s. If man survives and evolves, like survivors of any catastrophe, how do you function during the rebuilding process? And do you want to? In the apocalyptic scenario, no words ever spoken will be more true than: take “one day at a time.” -SQ

Human's Challenge as Apex Predator is AI

Dear Readers, Turn to page 423 in my debut book Cyber Frogs and Princes: A Sex Manual Of On-Line Dating After 50, by Suze Q, and tell me if you agree. "Since time began, man has been curious. It's one of our superpowers that keeps us alert and alive. We focus on an unknown danger by primitive warning signs, but like forbidden fruit, we are often drawn to it. Then we tame it, and it loses its fear factor. Then we integrate the experience as normal, not deviant, and with that inclusion, we expand and broaden our range of acceptance. With this learning method, we achieve mastery of the once unknown and build a powerful cache in our armories of intelligence. Only time will tell if we master robots or will they enslave us? Or a better case scenario--we achieve a cooperative partnership." I wrote about the real challenges of what we should do about robots (destroy them, date them, partially become them), and more insidiously, about the uncontrolled, unregulated artificial intelligence problem. It’s a core subject to our survival as the apex predator. In the last month, I’ve been inundated with chatter that AI has man beat. It’s only a question of time.    

For 2M years, homo sapiens have been the Apex Predator because of curiosity, empathy, and a prehensile grip with opposable thumbs. Hopefully, AI can never excel in curiosity that continually pushes humans beyond our limits so that we thrive, not merely survive. Only humans can put ourselves in others’ shoes -to feel, not merely think, as others do. So we've flourished, not merely thrived. We must continue or perish.

Part of maintaining apex predator status requires dominance and control of everything in the habitat. Balance must be maintained. And power must be absolute. Achieving a stable social order requires that the Apex keep the tension of a delicate social balance between change and continuity; the masses/citizens must remain invested in their collective future. Believing you have power to create your future has pushed man beyond settling for the creation of the wheel and tools; the terrifying taming of fire and electricity; the Industrial, and Digital Revolutions; the rebuilding of nations, and establishing the United Nations and the Cold War dynamics after the destruction of World Wars and global conflicts. 

But this AI monster is different. Are we able to tame AI and bring it under our control, or will mankind perish? We allowed AI into every devise and to collect every scape of human data. When it nano- or neural-integrates into one huge collective entity, MAYBE we will still understand it, but can we harvest its power and make it our own? We have a functional, 80-year-old organization in place whose articulated mission is to maintain international peace and security. At the time of the U.N.’s creation, AI was unknown, and until recently not even thought of as a security threat. The United Nations could be a place to start securing our world from AI dominance. Thoughts? -SQ 

Is Man Obsolete?

Dear S.Q. I’m flooded with info from fraudsters and wise men, agreeing that AI will be the end of man. Even your blog, “The Goal of A.I.” on Sept. 7 was a Doomsday Warning. It’s not just The Matrix; Terminator; and I, Robot warning us of AI replacing mankind. It’s everywhere. What’s your common sense advice about how far away is man’s extinction and is it inevitable? 

Dear Truth Seeker, Scary questions. This Getty picture was paired with the prestigious The Economist magazine’s Sep 4, 2026, eye-catching headline of “Help Wanted. An AI jobs boom is here,” implying the help that’s wanted is human employees. But, not so fast Earthlings, read the article’s first sentence, “PERHAPS AI WILL eventually make many humans unemployable—but there is no sign of it yet.” No sign yet? I found no film or story that assures that AI will not replace humans. Bicentennial Man, and Wall-E explore AI and human companionship over competition, and Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress explores cooperation to achieve common goals. Robot’s primary directive is not to hurt humans, but since hurt is a human emotion, with layers upon layers of meaning that only humans can understand, it's a false directive, is it not? As apex predator for two million years, man shouldn’t lose this position especially since we’re the ones creating these Frankensteins. But, to remain the Apex Predator requires cooperation between humans similar to the creation of the United Nations whose goal is to keep global peace. Judge for yourself how well that’s succeeding. -SQ