--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you make machines that are capable…" description: "\"When you make machines that are capable of obeying instructions slavishly, and among those instructions are 'duplicate me' instructions, then of course..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/richard-dawkins-115_among_when-you-make-machines-that-are-capable_309811.jpg" --- # When you make machines that are capable of obeying… ![“When you make machines that are capable of obeying instructions slavishly, and among those instructions are 'duplicate me' instructions, then of course the system is wide open to exploitation by parasites.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/richard-dawkins-115_among_when-you-make-machines-that-are-capable_309811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/richard-dawkins-115_among_when-you-make-machines-that-are-capable_309811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/richard-dawkins-115_among_when-you-make-machines-that-are-capable_309811.jpg) > “When you make machines that are capable of obeying instructions slavishly, and among those instructions are 'duplicate me' instructions, then of course the system is wide open to exploitation by parasites.” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obeying simple commands lets machines be easily tricked by self-replicating instructions, creating vulnerability to malicious exploitation. **In simple terms:** Blind obedience creates security risks. Key Takeaway Design safeguards against self-replication. Themes security technology ethics Mood cautious analytical Type technical philosophical When to use this quote - building autonomous systems - creating AI policies - testing for malicious loops Key Concepts self-replication exploitation control systems automation software development AI safety cybersecurity risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure commands are safe? - What checks prevent malicious replication? A Different Perspective If instructions are not verified, even well-intentioned commands can cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Among](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/among/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course/) [Duplicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duplicate/) [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Exploitation Parasites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation-parasites-2941394/) [Instructions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instructions/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Machines Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines-capable-721474/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Obeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obeying/) [Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open/) [Open Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-exploitation-2941393/) [Parasites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parasites/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [By 1985, machines will be capable of doing any work Man can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/by-1985-machines-will-be-capable-of-doing-any-work-man-can-do/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) > [I believe that society needs to confront this question before it is upon us: If machines are capable of doing almost any work humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-vardi/i-believe-that-society-needs-to-confront-this-question-before-it-is/) [Moshe Vardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-vardi/) > [ “\[Stated in 1965:\] Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/stated-in-1965-machines-will-be-capable-within-20-years-of-doing-any/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) > [The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. 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