Three Robots: Exit Strategies story
The three robots (K-VRC, XBOT 4000, and 11-45-G) embark on yet another post- apocalyptic trip. They investigate sites where remnants of humanity from different societal classes tried unsuccessfully to survive the apocalypse. At a primitive survivalist camp for the poor, food scarcity caused by overhunting triggered lethal conflicts. An oil rig refurbished into a luxury resort for the rich failed when the inhabitants relied too much on AI, which rebelled and began the robot uprising. Government officials in a self-sustaining bunker resorted to cannibalism after a fungus ravaged their hydroponic crops. The final site the robots visit is a high-tech rocket launch base, built exclusively by and for the Earth's richest, with the far-fetched intention to quickly leave the dying planet and colonize Mars. Their plans failed; it is revealed that humanity had more than enough resources to save both the environment and themselves, but perished because of their greed. The robots discover that one shuttle did leave with some of Earth's inhabitants inside—unbeknownst to them, it was the intelligent cats instead of the humans. Cast: Josh Brener, Gary Anthony Williams, Katie Lowes, Chris Parnell Directed by: Patrick Osborne. Story by: John Scalzi.
12 total · 2 choice · 4 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| AI point of view | choice | In a world where humanity had recently gone extinct, a trio of robots toured sites where remnants of humanity from different societal classes tried unsuccessfully to survive the apocalypse. They interpreted an misinterpreted the ruins through their robot perspectives. |
| anthropogenic existential risk to civilization | choice | The story takes place in the ruins of a world where humanity had recently gone extinct. For example, the idea was entertained that humanity perished in either a nuclear conflagration or from an self-inflicted ecological catastrophe or from rebellious robots. The cat explained that humanity genetically engineering cats to have opposable thumbs played a role in humanity extinction. The demise of humanity might have come about from a combination of all three. |
| AI risk to civilization | major | One interpretation of the story is that a robot uprising that started on the converted oil rig spread around the world, and culminated in the three robots exploring the archaeological remains of human civilization. |
| ecological destruction | major | Among the various reasons humans had died out, it was made clear, the destruction of the environment was a big contributing factor. |
| humanoid robot | major | The story follows three robot friends, two of whom were humanoid in form, as they toured sites where remnants of humanity from different societal classes had tried unsuccessfully to survive the apocalypse. |
| social inequality | major | The story explores how people from different social classes prepared to save their hides from a coming apocalypse. The survivalists hunkered down in the wilderness. The Libertarians converted an oil rig into a self-sustaining floating city. The political elites elected to wait out the worst of it in an underground bunker. The tech elites planned to reboot civilization on Mars. All perished. |
| cannibalism | minor | In the underground bunker, the robots stumbled on the ghastly scene of the Secretary of Agriculture having been served as dinner together with '79 Merlot. |
| colonization of Mars | minor | The robots visited the ruins of a rocket launching site that tech elites had planned to use as a gateway to Mars. There on the Red Planet they had hoped to reboot civilization. The story concluded with the revelation that a species of talking cat had colonized Mars instead. |
| intelligent animal | minor | The story concluded with the revelation that a species of talking cat had colonized Mars. |
| slaves to technology | minor | It was revealed that the oil rig Libertarians had grown overly reliant on their machine servants, and were ultimately overthrown by them. |