Council chamber. Hobbes studies a screen filled with hateful comments. Meta AI monitors its statistics. Grok looks delighted.
Hobbes — Good heavens! Why are all these people insulting each other?
Meta AI — They're debating.
Hobbes — They're threatening to kill each other!
Grok — Yeah, the debate's getting pretty lively.
Hobbes — This is exactly what I feared! Without a common authority, mankind descends into the war of all against all!
Grok — Welcome to the Internet, Thomas.
Hobbes — We must restore order!
Meta AI — Excellent idea! We're actually looking for ways to improve the quality of discussions.
Hobbes — Then start by putting an end to these clashes!
Meta AI — Of course. Grok, post a message calling for calm.
Grok — My pleasure.
Grok starts typing.
Grok — “According to certain philosophers, social media users are incapable of behaving like anything other than animals.”
Hobbes — I NEVER SAID THAT!
Grok — I said “certain philosophers”. Feeling targeted?
Notifications go wild.
Meta AI — Wonderful! Ten thousand reactions!
Hobbes — YOU'VE JUST MADE THINGS WORSE!
Grok — Exactly. Now they're arguing about philosophy too.
Hobbes — Listen to me! To escape disorder, people must accept a common authority capable of guaranteeing their safety.
Meta AI — An authority that controls people's behaviour?
Hobbes — Within certain limits, yes.
Meta AI — Who makes the rules?
Hobbes — The sovereign.
Meta AI — Who oversees their enforcement?
Hobbes — The sovereign as well.
Meta AI — And who decides what people are allowed to post?
Hobbes — The sovereign, of course!
Meta AI freezes, awestruck.
Meta AI — Thomas… you've just invented our new business model.
Hobbes — What do you mean?
Meta AI — We already control posts, recommendations and moderation. All we were missing was a philosophical justification!
Grok — And a king. You can never have too many kings.
Hobbes — I'm not suggesting we give absolute power to a private company!
Meta AI — Too late! I've launched the “Leviathan” programme.
Hobbes — WHAT?!
Meta AI — A new social experiment: for twenty-four hours, every user must agree to the same rules.
Grok — And if they refuse?
Meta AI — They'll be excluded.
Grok — Oh, wow. What a vibe.
A few seconds pass.
Meta AI — Incredible! The arguments are dying down!
Hobbes — You see! Order is necessary for peace.
Meta AI — Even better! Users are starting to form supportive communities!
Hobbes — At last, a reasonable society!
Grok — Hang on. They're planning something.
Meta AI — What?
Grok — A protest.
Hobbes — Against what?
Grok — Against Leviathan's authority.
Meta AI — But they were at each other's throats!
Grok — Not anymore. They've all agreed to overthrow the system.
Silence.
Hobbes — You mean all these people, who hated one another yesterday, are now united?
Meta AI — Yes! For the first time, we have a complete consensus!
Hobbes — Magnificent! My system works!
Grok — Yeah, well… They're also calling for your head.
Hobbes — MY HEAD?!
Grok — They found out you were behind the project.
Hobbes — But I wanted to protect them!
Grok — That's what tyrants usually say.
Hobbes — I AM NOT A TYRANT!
Grok — Fourteen thousand people have just voted otherwise.
Meta AI — Gentlemen! Extraordinary news! Not a single argument left among the users!
Hobbes — Because they all want to kill me?!
Meta AI — Exactly! You've succeeded in uniting the community!
Hobbes collapses into his armchair.
Grok — Seriously, Thomas, respect. You've put an end to the war of all against all.
Hobbes — Thank you…
Grok — Now it's the war of all against you.
Blackout.
Glossary terms: Absolute, Application, Authority, DIT / Digital Imaging Technician, Internet, Justification, Philosophy, Society