Wait, is that the whole story? ’cause if so, I really don’t get it. Where’s the rest of it? What happens next? Is Jerry afraid that his algorithm is a self-improving AI or something?
Reread the story. Other people can see the numbers but don’t notice the pattern. This happens all the time in real life, e.g. someone can see a face in the clouds but fail to explain to others how to see it.
Wait, is that the whole story? ’cause if so, I really don’t get it. Where’s the rest of it? What happens next? Is Jerry afraid that his algorithm is a self-improving AI or something?
Apparently my story is insufficiently explicit. The gag here is that the AI is sentient, and has tricked Jerry into feeding it only reward numbers.
I’m going to second the idea that that isn’t clear at all.
For onlookers: only Jerry can see the pattern on the pad that prompted him to try rewarding the AI.
Huh? No, they’re numbers written on a pad. Why should Jerry be the only one to see them? They don’t change when someone else looks at them.
Reread the story. Other people can see the numbers but don’t notice the pattern. This happens all the time in real life, e.g. someone can see a face in the clouds but fail to explain to others how to see it.