When a Reddit user named Lycerius revealed he’s been playing the same game of Civilization for the last 10 years, little did he know his post would go viral, generating (at last count) more than 500 comments. “Man Plays Civilisation II For 10 Years, World Disintegrates into ‘Nightmare of Suffering'” was the title over at Huffington Post U.K. And grim it is in the world of 3991 A.D. The planet has been ravaged repeatedly by nuclear wars, starvation is rampant, the polar ice caps have melted (as a result of those wars). For some, the message is that nuclear weapons are bad. But for others (including myself): Nuclear weapons are bad in the hands of others.
Perhaps you can trust yourself not to fire an ICBM in the direction of an adversary. (I once launched a tactical nuke from a submarine—I was just curious.) But can you honestly trust the artificial intelligence to do the same? The answer is no. In Lycerius’s world, three main powers exist: The Americans, the Vikings, and the Celts (which he plays). And they’ve been in a constant struggle for the last 1,700 years. “Every time a cease fire is signed,” he writes, “the Vikings will surprise attack me or the Americans the very next turn, often with nuclear weapons. Even when the U.N forces a peace treaty.” Unbelievable!
