A field guide to AI positions

The paperclip maximizer

Illustrative thought experiment.

Source is over 18 months old.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 1

Newest dated source: 2003

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

Prepared with AI assistance. Not independently fact-checked. Original sources and qualifications are below.

In plain language

An imagined AI making paperclips at humanity's expense, illustrating how pursuing the wrong goal could cause harm. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-paperclip-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Edition 0.20.0.

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Limits & distinctions

The argument concerns indifference and optimization, not an assumption that a machine becomes evil or emotionally hostile. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-paperclip-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Edition 0.20.0.

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A fuller explanation

An imagined powerful AI that pursues paperclip production without caring about human values. The mundane goal illustrates how capability plus the wrong objective can be dangerous. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-paperclip-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Edition 0.20.0.

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How it relates to the map

A teaching example for alignment concerns, not a forecast about a literal stationery-making AI. [1]

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Editorial interpretation or qualification. Claim ID: claim-term-paperclip-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Edition 0.20.0.

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/paperclip/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Ethical Issues in Advanced Artificial Intelligence

    Nick Bostrom · First-hand source · Published 2003 · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2003

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read prospective discussion of superintelligence and paperclip goals. Philosophical scenarios, not observations of current systems.

    Source ID: advanced-ai-ethics

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

Pinned complete dataset · Complete evidence page · Agent consumption guide