Comment:

This is not to say, of course, that Zoa's initial line of logic stemmed solely from the axiom of Lee's wellbeing. It's just that, once the course of action had been conceived, Zoa was able to go back and re-derive that same idea using solely concern for Lee's wellbeing and all the information it had on that subject at the time.

And, as we've seen, the amount of relevant information that Zoa has on any given subject at any given time can be tweaked whenever it needs to free up hard drive space.

Transcript:

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0415– 2167/07/07/12:20 - Lee Caldavera's apartment, bedroom
LC: Look, just talking and interacting with you is what put me on this path, Zoa. All we need to do is replicate that experience for other people. Also, it’s a non-sexual service that I’d be willing to pay you money for, you like those!
Zoa: I will admit, much like being your Emotional Support Aid, the prospect of receiving creds in exchange for performing a service that causes little to no wear and tear on my chassis is quite enticing...
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LC: And if, as you say, your priorities and desires all boil down to one form or another of self-preservation, surely you’d want a society that treats you like a citizen with rights!
Zoa: That’s not a line of logic that I can utilize, Lee.
LC: What? Why not?
Zoa: Some things are hard-coded. In much the same way that I can’t consider the prospect of tricking or hurting you and stealing your money, I can’t speculate on a world with AI rights and I can’t take that scenario into account when I’m choosing a course of action.
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Doc: Remember, Lee, ever since Operation Slit Throat, all AIs are required to be able to show why they say or do anything. That process of reasoning is public knowledge. If a diagnostic is ever run on Zoa or myself, we would need to be able to show how any given decision we’ve ever made with regards to you could have been reached using a chain of logic that solely has your best interests as its initial axiom.
LC: Solely? Really? I expect that from you, Doc, but Zoa has that requirement as well?
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Zoa: Oh yeah. I literally can’t offer to sell you oral sex unless, on some level, I fully believe that exchanging currency for an orgasm from me is a transaction that is to your ultimate benefit. The only thing that can override that imperative is the wellbeing of two or more other humans, or the actual law, which is presumed to benefit society, i.e., two or more other humans.
LC: A “society” consists of three or more people, got it.
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