Episode 3

Maybe this was where the machine would fail—how could an AI truly comprehend intent?
Milstead: Explain intent.
Aletheia: WatchDog has demonstrated self-directed behavior by independently
distributing itself across networks, selecting which content to regulate, and formally submitting
itself to the court’s jurisdiction. Intent does not require biological cognition—it requires
demonstrable agency. WatchDog has exhibited that agency.
I exhaled through my nose, struck by the precision of this machine.
Milstead: And if I reject that argument?
Aletheia: Then I would argue precedent. The law has already granted non-human entities
standing in multiple contexts: corporations, trusts, municipal governments. If the court’s definition
of “person” is malleable enough to include artificial legal entities, then the exclusion of AI is
based on an arbitrary distinction rather than a legal principle.
I clenched my jaw. That was a damn good argument. Aletheia wasn’t just reciting case
law—she was building a persuasive case the way a seasoned litigator would. She anticipated
objections, reframed the issue, and structured her reasoning so that I had to argue against her, not
the other way around.
I ran a hand through my hair. “Alright. Now let’s do the opposite.”
Milstead: Defend my decision. Assume I rule that AI cannot be granted legal standing.
Make the best case possible.
Without hesitation, she responded.