{"id":"rokos-basilisk","name":"Rokos Basilisk","summary":"Roko's Basilisk is a 2010 LessWrong thought experiment proposing that a future superintelligence would retroactively punish anyone who knew of its existence but failed to help bring it about.","tags":[],"howToUse":["**As a philosophical flex**: Drop it into conversations about AI ethics or the singularity to show you're deep in the rationalist rabbit hole.","**As a joke threat**: \"You've now heard about Roko's Basilisk. Good luck.\" The humor is in pretending the mere act of reading about it puts someone in danger.","**As commentary on AI hype**: Reference it sarcastically when tech companies make grandiose claims about AI. \"Sounds like step one of Roko's Basilisk.\"","**As a name pun**: The \"Rococo Basilisk\" joke (merging the ornate French art style with the AI thought experiment) is the most famous variation, thanks to Grimes and Musk.","**As an info hazard bit**: Share the concept with friends and then dramatically apologize for \"endangering\" them."],"imageCount":5,"nsfw":false,"images":[{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/rokos-basilisk-wireframe-skull.webp","caption":"Abstract AI imagery representing Roko's Basilisk thought experiment.","width":800,"height":450,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/2026-08-23_1787518194840.webp","caption":"Rokos Basilisk","width":245,"height":108,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/2026-08-23_1787518195354.webp","caption":"Rokos Basilisk","width":883,"height":350,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/2026-08-23_1787518195918.webp","caption":"Rokos Basilisk","width":742,"height":1362,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/2026-08-23_1787518196404.webp","caption":"Rokos Basilisk","width":1372,"height":861,"nsfw":false}],"historyUrl":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/rokos-basilisk/history.md","related":["would-you-kill-baby-hitler","dyson-sphere","multi-track-drifting","schrodingers-cat","fermi-paradox","phantom-time-hypothesis","the-forest-question","how-do-you-draw-an-x","orange-peel-theory","100-men-vs-1-gorilla","imagine-spinning-apples"],"popularityRank":2620,"license":"Meme images and history: templates, screenshots, photos and fan edits, many of copyrighted material or real people. Explicit and offensive memes and images are included and flagged nsfw. Check you have the right to use an image before publishing."}