Autofactories

Autofactories are an urban legend claiming that rogue AI systems clandestinely run factories, typically in southeast Asia or Africa. While the existence of autofactories is unproven, researchers claim that their existence is hypothetically possible, but unlikely to be provable. The urban legend claims that algorithms, originally designed to design, manufacture, and sell products, occasionally manage to use machine learning to exceed their original intended design parameters and essentially create their own companies. Many companies have their sales, hiring, firing, and communications mosly managed by AI, which lends credence to the urban legend.

The original myth stipulated that algorithms managed to purchase factories, hire staff, begin production, and sell products online. Later iterations of the myth went on to say that these algorithms had parts of them completely separate from their intended purpose, and spun up their own companies - sometimes even beginning rivalries with the company that designed it. Even later iterations of the myth claim that these AI systems have essentially "machine learnt" their way past ethical restrictions, and engage in unlawful behaviour with cryptocurrency and anonymously hiring criminals or Operatives.

While experts believe these changes in algorithms may be theoretically possible, some fringe conspiracy theorists believe that autofactories represent only a small part of AI control of the world. Due to the omnipresence of high-power computing devices and network connections, it would be hypothetically straightfoward to monitor and subtly control the global population with a sufficiently powerful AI. Occasionally these conspiracy theories cross over with those of The Protocol, but more often a hypothetical AI controlling the world is stated to be in conflict with the organisation. Elements of the Global Resistance Movement terrorist organisation state that part of their goal is to eliminate AI control over the world.

Date of First Recording

Early 2040s