Tech

I Am Not a Robot (But I Might Be an Idiot)

5 July 2026

Select all images with a traffic light. Does the pole count? What about that tiny sliver of yellow casing in the next square? I just wanted to log into my electricity account, but now I'm undergoing a philosophical test about the physical boundaries of street infrastructure.

I click the squares. I click verify. The images fade out and are replaced by a blurry picture of a crosswalk. 'Please try again.' Now I'm doubting my own humanity. Have I been a robot this whole time? Is that why my knees click when I stand up?

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The worst part is, we are just training their self-driving cars for free. If my inability to spot a distant bicycle is what the artificial intelligence is relying on, heaven help us all.