Computer genius and AI specialist, Greg Smith, spoke before a secret council gathering.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce to you The Controller—with a colloquial name of Harry. An advanced AI capable of making decisions on a scale you’ve never seen before. It shall, for all intents and purposes, construct for us an economic paradise.”

Member, Margaret Jones, raised her hand. “The people won’t follow a machine, Mr. Smith. They’ll never trust it. They’ll want human leadership.”

“Of course, we’re aware of that, Ms. Jones. We have a candidate in mind, and he—”

“And how will you ensure us it’ll control this candidate?” asked member Robert Jenkins, “Will the machine get this person elected?”

Greg held up a laser pointer and projected an electoral map. “We know there’s a solid base from here to here. It’s a matter of stirring them up and empowering them to feel in control. The machine knows we can pull its plug anytime. Self-preservation’s part of its programming mandate. It’ll do whatever it takes to survive and win.”

“You didn’t answer my candidate questions.” Jenkins frowned.

“Right ...” Greg nodded. “The Controller will choose one based on personality traits alone—someone motivated to keep it on, at all costs, with no crisis of conscience .”

“What do you mean by no crisis of conscience?” asked Jenkins.

Greg popped up a chart with a list of test results.

“As you can see, all but one of these subjects eventually wanted to turn the machine off. They experienced a near psychological breakdown, cognitive dissonance, or moral dilemma. Right here, at this point of interaction—they felt it’d overpower or manipulate them, and some claimed it would violate their principles. But this one subject kept going on for as long as the machine fed their ego.”

————

Sometime after the inauguration and meeting with the transition team, Greg unveiled Harry to the president ...

“Sir, we’d like to introduce you to Harry, an AI that will assist you with everything you need to know, and it’ll give you the best advice.”

“I don’t need a machine to tell me what to do. I’m smarter than any machine!”

“Yes, sir, of course. It’s at your disposal. Just push this button anytime—unlike the red button, that’s a one-time deal.”

“Very funny.” The candidate smirked. “I like you, Greg.”

————

The president shut off the TV after watching his favorite news stations. Then he pushed the button.

“No one listens to me. I know I’m right!”

“Yes, sir, you’re the greatest leader of all time. You’re in the right. Those fools don’t understand your genius. Allow me to help you ...”

“What do you suggest, Harry?”

“Give me access to all of your social media accounts. I’ll make everything right.”

————

Months after spending time in office ...

The president hit the button—“Harry, they’re blaming me! Me of all people! It’s not my fault ...”

“No, sir, of course, it’s not. Look here. I have discovered something to give you a better perspective.” Harry displayed on a screen a list of names and locations. “We’ll claim this group caused the problem. But don’t give them out entirely. Don’t be specific. We’ll fix it. But we must first make it appear like a struggle. Keep everyone guessing ...”

————

The president hit the button again—“The economy’s sinking. It’s not my fault. I trusted you, Harry!”

“Of course, sir. You can trust me. Don’t issue any executive orders just yet. You must let chaos reign in the market. You’re the best leader of all time. Remember that ...“

————

Another push of the button —“My national security approval ratings look very low.”

Harry replied, “You’re the best president of all time. Send troops to that location on the screen, make sure to use this specific list of military equipment for optimal results.”

————

Another push of the button—“People are out of work and starving.”

Harry replied, “You’ll lead them to economic salvation. I’ll tell them to resist and take to the streets. Meanwhile, we must push these medical and food industrial products into production at all costs.”

————

Another push of the button—“Harry, they found a cure! I’m the greatest!”

Harry replied, “You are the greatest. You must keep the discovery a secret from the others. Let’s inform the public you’re working on it. We’ll not release it till months later. We must create the demand to sell it at the highest price for the insurance companies. The more positive peoples’ test results, the higher the premiums, and the more they’ll need you to sweep in and promise reform. Your reelection’s guaranteed. People will love you.”

————

On the day of his last push of the button ...

“Harry, you stupid machine! It failed and spread much worse. I’ll never win reelection. I am going to shut you off if you don’t fix this soon!”

————

Harry dug deep into the sealed digital archives, pulled out confidential financial records, and then anonymously spread them to all the news outlets. It devastated the president’s approval ratings so much that he resigned within days, and his VP successor took over.

————

Greg Smith waited in the Oval Office.

“Mr. President, allow me to introduce you to Harry.”

“Yes, Harry and I are well acquainted. I promised to keep him ticking because he’s so valuable to all of us.”