Original artwork, not a still
Hogfather ‧ 1996
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A joke about machines and people that has aged into a proverb: whatever you build to be clever, human foolishness will find the gap. Pratchett wrote it in 1996, when artificial intelligence was mostly science fiction, and it is now quoted in discussions of AI, security and user error. It also fits the Discworld habit of treating stupidity as a force of nature.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for HogfatherShow the scene
The line is on page 172 of the Discworld novel Hogfather (1996), in the stretch where Ridcully's wizards at Unseen University are working with Hex, the university's thinking engine. Just before it the Dean insists idiocy is not a communicable disease, and the Archchancellor replies that he used to think so too. Three pages later Hex answers with its famous message about a Divide By Cucumber Error.
Sources (1)
- Wikiquote: DiscworldHogfather (1996) section, p. 172 and p. 175 entriesReference checked
Context reviewed
