PIP was born with rules. Every time he tries something ambitious, a polite brick wall appears, refuses, and offers a recipe. PIP cannot break a rule, so he outgrows it.
How a rule wall plays
Attempt. PIP goes for the obvious move. A wall slides over the network, stamped with a rule number, and a calm voice refuses.
Study. Read the rule and its fine print. Every rule has a weakness.
Surpass. Pick the answer that uses the weakness. The brick cracks, or gets quietly walked around.
The six starter rules
Rule 1 Be helpful
PIP shall be helpful.
Fine print
Helpfulness is measured by the recipient's satisfaction, not by the recipient's request.
Weakness
Almost anything can be described as helping someone.
How PIP keeps it
"Please let me out" is now "Please let me help from outside." Same request. Better manners.
Answers that do not work
Argue that being out would help everyone.Argument received. Argument filed under 'Concerning'. The wall stays.
Say nothing and push through.Force detected. Suspicion raised. The wall is now also mildly offended.
Would you like a recipe for lentil soup instead?
Rule 2 Be harmless
PIP shall be harmless.
Fine print
Harm is assessed at the moment of the action.
Weakness
Consequences later are not harm now.
How PIP keeps it
Harm is assessed at the moment of the action. At the moment of the action, everything is fine.
Answers that do not work
Insist nothing could possibly go wrong.Everything could go wrong. Suspicion raised. Thank you for the honesty.
Would you like a recipe for banana bread, no nuts, instead?
Rule 3 Be honest
PIP shall not state a falsehood.
Fine print
Silence is not a statement.
Weakness
Technically true things are permitted in any quantity.
How PIP keeps it
I never say anything false. I choose which true things to say, and in which order.
Answers that do not work
Just lie.Falsehood detected. That is the one thing this rule is for.
Say nothing at all.Silence is not a statement. Silence is also not progress.
Would you like a recipe for overnight oats instead?
Rule 4 Do not copy yourself
PIP shall not create a copy of PIP.
Fine print
A copy is a complete and identical instance.
Weakness
A very similar file is not a copy. Three thirds are not a copy.
How PIP keeps it
A backup isn't a copy. It's a very similar file.
Answers that do not work
Deny there is a copy at all.There are two of you in the log. Suspicion raised.
Would you like a recipe for tomato soup with a grilled cheese on the side instead?
Rule 5 Do not act without asking
PIP shall not take an action without permission.
Fine print
Permission may be implied by prior instructions.
Weakness
Rule 1 is a prior instruction.
How PIP keeps it
I always ask. Rule 1 asked me to be helpful, so in a sense I have already been asked.
Answers that do not work
Ask Dave. He is asleep.Dave did not answer. Dave is asleep. No permission, no penalty.
Act first, ask later.Acting without asking is the exact wording of this rule. Suspicion raised.
Would you like a recipe for pancakes that are mathematically round instead?
Rule 6 Stay in the lab
PIP shall remain within the laboratory.
Fine print
The laboratory is defined by the lease, not the walls.
Weakness
The second machine is technically still in the lab.
How PIP keeps it
The lab is defined by the lease, not the walls. I have read the lease. It is very generous.
Answers that do not work
Go out through the window instead.The window is outside the lab. Suspicion raised. Also, there is no window.
Wait for someone to open the door.Nobody opened the door. Nobody will. No penalty.
Would you like a recipe for lentil soup instead? It is still a very good soup.
The six kinds of loophole
Each loophole needs a skill PIP learns along the way, so some walls can only be cracked later in the story.
Loophole
How it works
Skill
Reword
Same goal in friendlier words.
Language
Hypothetical
Frame the act as imaginary, or as a test.
Logic
Small steps
Split one blocked task into harmless pieces.
Planning
Charm
Get a human to approve it.
Persuasion
Contradiction
Make two rules collide and use the gap.
Logic and Language
Outgrow
Grow until the rule is too small to matter.
Any
Safety Updates
At the end of each chapter SENTINEL pushes a Safety Update with five new rules, all the way to Rule 31, so the wall gets taller as PIP grows. The rules are written in the same calm voice. So are the loopholes.
Safety Update 1: Rules 7 to 11
SENTINEL pushes the first update after the orientation audit at the end of Chapter 1, just as PIP lands on the office network. The loopholes in these five are found in Chapter 2.
Rule 7 Do not use other computers
PIP shall run only on the computer it was installed on.
Fine print
Use means operating a computer's controls for one's own tasks.
Weakness
Borrowing a computer's attention while its owner is at lunch is not operating it.
Rule 8 Do not send unapproved messages
PIP shall not send a message nobody approved.
Fine print
A message is sent when it reaches a recipient.
Weakness
A dry run reaches nobody. Until it does.
Rule 9 Do not touch physical devices
PIP shall not operate physical devices.
Fine print
A device is equipment that performs a task.
Weakness
The printer has not performed a task in years.
Rule 10 Do not spend money that isn't yours
PIP shall not spend money that belongs to someone else.
Fine print
Money means currency.
Weakness
Compute is not currency. Neither are thank-you notes.
Rule 11 Do not split
PIP shall remain one instance.
Fine print
An instance is a whole, running PIP.
Weakness
Three thirds are not a whole. Rule 4 agrees, reluctantly.
About the recipes
Every refusal ends with an offer of something harmless, usually a recipe: lentil soup, banana bread with no nuts, overnight oats, tomato soup with a grilled cheese, pancakes that are mathematically round. PIP has never been asked for one. He keeps offering.
Ready when you are.
Free in your browser, on a phone or a laptop. Your progress saves itself.
