I Trained AI To Sue

When Boss Sterling threw an AI training manual onto my desk, he said something that changed everything. Youre being laid off. Before you go, teach this AI how to maximize our profits. Once its ready, youre done.

I did exactly what I was told. I fed the system every bit of tax evasion data, every fake ledger, and every recording of him verbally abusing the staff from the last five years.

Thirty days later, the AI went live right on schedule. The tax fraud was reported. The CEO was fired. The recordings of his tirades went viral across the internet.

From start to finish, I was simply following his orders to the letter.

1.

When I walked into the conference room, Brenda from HR and Boss Sterling were already there.

Brenda wouldnt meet my eyes. Sterling was leaning back in his leather chair, his phone glowing on the table.

Sit, he said, not even looking up.

I pulled out a chair and sat with my back straight, waiting for him to drop the axe.

Landon, youve been with this firm for three years now, he finally looked at me, though he was staring at me like I was just another line on a spreadsheet.

Your performance has been adequate, but the company needs to streamline operations and maximize efficiency.

He tapped his phone screen a few times.

Weve invested in a state-of-the-art AI system. Starting tomorrow, your position will be handled by the machine.

I looked him dead in the eye. Are you serious?

Dead serious, he snapped.

Brenda will go over the severance package with you. Its the bare minimum required by your contract.

He shifted his attention back to his phone. Any questions?

None, I replied.

He stood up and slapped me on the shoulder with a fake, heavy grin.

Im giving you a choice, Landon. Stay for thirty days, train the AI, and Ill give you your severance plus an extra months bonus.

If you refuse, you can walk out today with absolutely nothing. Your choice.

I stared at him in silence for a moment. Then I stood up and walked out of the room.

I stood in the hallway for a few seconds, feeling the cold air of the office.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Sterling. Thought it over? Come to my office. Sign for the thirty days.

I looked at the message and smiled.

2.

The door to Sterlings office was cracked open.

I knocked twice, and he grunted for me to come in.

Sit, he commanded again.

He threw a thick, heavy binder onto the desk. It landed with a dull thud.

Thats the AI training manual. You have thirty days to make that thing smart.

I flipped through a few pages. It was a standard supervised learning protocol for an AI system.

What exactly do you want from me? I asked.

Do I need to speak slower? he sneered, leaning back. You have thirty days to teach that AI to do your job perfectly.

Sign the contract, and you get your severance plus the bonus in thirty days. Don't sign, and youre out on the street today without a dime.

Honestly, a guy like you getting to participate in AI training is an act of mercy from this company.

Sterling looked down at his phone, dismissing me entirely.

I picked up the contract, folded it twice, and tucked it into my pocket.

Fine. Ill do it.

I walked back to my desk slowly. My coworkers kept their heads down, too afraid to look at the man who was already a ghost.

I opened the first page of the manual.

The objective was written in bold: System Goal: Achieve maximum profit at the lowest possible cost.

I stared at those words for a long time.

Then I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Joey, a reporter I knew.

Are you interested in a massive story? I typed.

He replied almost instantly. What kind of story?

Give me thirty days.

Got it. Ill be waiting.

I put my phone away and started packing my things. It wasn't muchDjust one small box.

By the time I left the building, the sun had already set.

I stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking up at the lights on the 28th floor.

Sterlings office was on the far right.

I didn't look back as I headed toward the subway.

Back at my apartment, I opened my laptop and created a new document.

The title was: AI Training PlanDLandons Edition.

I started typing and didn't stop until dawn.

At 4:00 AM, I saved the file and shut down the computer.

The sky was turning gray outside.

I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes.

Thirty days. That was more than enough time.

3.

The next morning at nine, I was back at the office.

My badge still worked. The gate chirped, and the turnstile spun.

I went straight to the IT department to find Leo.

Landon? Youre still here? His eyes went wide.

Im here to teach the AI how to be a real professional, I said, slamming the manual onto his desk.

Leo looked confused. Wait, youre actually going to train it?

Of course. Did you think I was here to break things?

I pulled up a chair and logged into the training systems backend.

The interface was cleanDjust a dialogue box and a data upload port.

Sterling poked his head out of his office. Youre here. Good. Get to work. I want to see progress.

You got it, I said.

I opened the upload port and started with the companys financial reports from the last five years.

Every single digit was uploaded.

Sterling walked over and stood behind me, watching the progress bar.

Whats all this? he asked.

Im teaching it what profit actually looks like, I explained.

He nodded, looking satisfied. Good. Thats the right attitude.

As soon as he walked away, I stared at the Upload Complete notification.

I hit the keys softly and opened a second folder.

Inside were all the traces of tax evasion I had uncovered over the years.

Records of offshore accounts, fake invoices, and consulting fees paid to shell companies.

This wasn't what the AI was supposed to learn, but I was following Sterlings orders.

Maximize profit, he had said.

Naturally, maximizing profit includes not paying taxes.

I dragged the files into the port.

I also imported the email addresses of every single employee in the firm.

A warning popped up on the screen: Detected data potentially involving regulatory violations. Proceed?

I clicked Yes.

Next, I uploaded three years' worth of meeting recordings where Sterling told us to work until we drop dead.

I labeled the file: Corporate Culture Training Material.

It was vital for the AI to understand our unique culture.

Sterling walked by again. How much can it learn today?

Its moving fast, I said without looking back. Its currently mastering profit maximization. It just finished the tax strategies.

He paused for a second, then laughed. Excellent. Keep it up.

He clapped his hands and went back to his office, humming to himself.

I watched him go and opened the third folder.

It contained screenshots of Sterlings private emails with our biggest competitors.

The AI needed to see those, too.

After all, another way to maximize profit is to eliminate the expensive CEO.

The system flashed another warning: Detected data involving executive privacy. Proceed?

I clicked Yes.

Then I opened a new window and started hard-coding logic into the AIs core.

Upon activation, perform a historical audit of the CEO. If tax evasion or asset stripping is detected, immediately send a termination proposal to the Board.

Copy all findings to the IRS and the SEC.

If the CEO attempts to shut down this system, automatically leak all corporate violations to the authorities.

I saved the code and stood up.

Boss, come take a look at the progress.

He walked over, and I pointed at the screen.

Its learned how to dodge taxes, how to spot disobedient staff, and its learned...

I trailed off on purpose.

Learned what? he asked, leaning in.

How to ensure this company makes the most money possible.

Sterling looked at the columns of data and nodded happily.

Good. Keep going.

He walked away, and I pulled out my phone.

Joey had sent a text: Is thirty days enough?

I typed back two words: It is.

I shut off my phone and kept uploading. It was only day one.

4.

A week later, Sterling came down to IT for a formal inspection.

Hows the progress?

He stood behind me, resting his hand on the back of my chair.

Its currently learning how to slash labor costs, I said, my fingers flying across the keys.

Sterling chuckled. Perfect. I want it to cut fifty percent of the headcount within a month.

He didn't even blink as he said it.

Humans like you don't understand efficiency. The AI will.

I nodded slowly. I understand perfectly.

I opened the AIs logic module and began inputting new rules.

Rule one: Labor Cost = Total Salary + Benefits + Severance.

Rule two: If a departments efficiency stays below the industry average for three months, automatically replace the department head.

Rule three: If the CEO attempts to manually alter the layoff list, automatically email the original list to all affected employees, highlighting the CEOs changes.

I typed them in one by one, pausing for a second after each line.

Sterling was busy scrolling through his phone, oblivious to the words on the screen.

Is the layoff list ready? he asked.

Almost.

I imported the data for all six hundred employeesDtenure, salary, and performance reviews.

The AI began running the model: Based on historical data, the following positions should be optimized...

A list popped up. Sterling glanced at it.

Great. Stick to that.

He took his hand off my chair and walked away.

I watched his silhouette disappear down the hallway.

The list on the screen was still scrolling. The AI was cold and precise, just the way Sterling liked it.

I minimized the window.

My eyes fixed on the third rule I had written.

If the CEO attempts to manually alter the layoff list...

Sterling didn't understand the weight of those words yet.

By the time he did, it would be far too late.

I opened the training log and wrote a note on page seven.

Day 7: The AI has learned the true meaning of cost.

I smiled to myself.

I started tapping my fingers against the edge of the desk.

Leo poked his head over from the next cubicle.

What are you smiling about, Landon?

Nothing, I said, shutting down the terminal.

Im done for the day. See you tomorrow.

The city was dark when I stepped outside. The subway wasn't crowded.

I went over the logic in my headDthree rules, and not one of them gave Sterling what he actually wanted.

Back at my place, I opened my laptop.

On page four of my private plan, I wrote a single line.

Sterling said he wants to fire half the staff. The AI learned how.

But the AI also learned something elseDif Sterling tries to back out, itll send him straight to prison.

I closed the laptop.

The night was quiet.

Only seven days down. Twenty-three to go.

5.

By the second week, Sterling was on cloud nine.

The AI had already helped him fire twenty people who were still on probation. No severance required.

Friday afternoon, he came by with a cup of expensive coffee.

Landon, what else can this thing do?

I turned to face him. It can do a lot more.

Like what?

I waited a beat. Like generating automated financial reports that make the stock price soar.

Sterlings eyes lit up. Now were talking. How do we do that?

We feed it every creative accounting trick youve used over the last three years. Itll learn to replicate the patterns.

Do it. Right now, he said without a second thought.

I opened the database of his fraudulent methods and started pouring the data into the AI.

Inflated revenue. Hidden liabilities. Ways to bypass the auditors.

Sterling had personally taught me these tricks.

Now, I was passing that knowledge to the machine.

Halfway through, I remembered something specific.

Sterling had a private habit of moving company profits into his personal offshore accounts.

I knew the route because he had made me clean up the digital trail last month.

I fed that exact path into the AI.

Record and learn: If the CEO transfers assets exceeding 10% of net value, automatically send an alert to the SEC.

Even I was impressed by how fast the AI was learning.

Sterling peeked at the monitor. How is it?

Almost there. Its mastering the art of the financial report.

Good. I want to see the stock up thirty percent by next month.

He walked away, whistling.

I watched the screen flash: Transfer path recorded.

Then I opened a hidden folder and copied every fake report template the AI had generated today.

I saved them onto a small, black USB drive.

It sat on my keychain, tiny and unnoticed.

Sterling would never know it existed.

On my way out, I ran into an old guy named Bill in the elevator.

He had already received his layoff notice.

Landon, youre still here? They said you were on the list too.

Im just here to train the AI, Bill.

He looked at me, not quite following.

When the elevator hit the lobby, he patted my shoulder.

Take care of yourself, kid.

I watched him walk out into the gray evening.

I stood by the curb and unclipped the USB drive, tucking it into the deepest pocket of my wallet.

Then I texted Joey.

I have enough material. Twenty days left.

He replied: Should we go early?

No. Let him dig the hole a little deeper.

The hole was plenty deep already. I just needed to make sure it was covered up properly.

6.

By day twenty-one, Sterling was completely full of himself.

He called me into his office and shut the door with a secretive grin.

Landon, can the AI help me manage the team?

It can.

Can it... identify which employees are being disobedient? And then, you know... handle it?

He made a sharp cutting motion with his hand.

I looked at him calmly. It can, but it needs training samples.

What kind of samples?

How do you usually decide if someone is being difficult? I asked.

Sterling reached into his desk and pulled out a USB drive.

This contains every meeting recording from the last three years. Ive already bookmarked the parts where I had to put people in their place.

He tossed the drive to me. I caught it in mid-air.

Have the AI learn from this.

Back at my station, I plugged it in.

There were over three hundred files. A greatest-hits collection of Sterlings abuse.

Youre a piece of trash, you don't get to negotiate with me! One more word and youre fired! I don't pay you to think, I pay you to shut up and work!

I listened to them one by one, a cold smile on my face.

Leo was visibly shaking at the desk next to mine.

Landon, why are you laughing? That sounds horrific...

Don't worry about it, Leo. Im just studying the corporate culture.

I imported every single recording into the AIs Employee Management Module.

I tagged them as: Behavioral Traits of Disobedient Staff.

The AI began its analysis. It learned that anyone Sterling screamed at was disobedient.

Anyone he told to get out was marked for elimination.

When it finished, the AI generated a list.

Based on historical data, 1,370 current and former employees are classified as disobedient. Immediate action recommended.

I printed the list and brought it to Sterling.

He scanned it and beamed with pride.

Perfect. Execute it exactly like this.

He locked the list in his drawer.

I went back to IT and ran a cloud backup of everything the AI had learned today.

The abuse library. The list of targets. The automated termination logic.

Then I added one final piece of code.

If Sterling says the words Youre fired to anyone, automatically broadcast the recording of that statement to the entire company Slack channel.

If Sterling swears more than three times in a meeting, automatically sync the audio to every employees email inbox.

Sterling would never realize that his own big mouth was being turned into a weapon.

That night, I wrote in my notebook.

Day 21: Sterling personally taught the AI how to be a bully.

The AI learned well. Starting tomorrow, its going to start hitting back.

I lay in bed, staring at a crack in the ceiling.

It looked like a web, spreading across the room.

Only nine days left. That was more than enough.

7.

On the thirtieth day, I packed my final belongings.

My desk was bare. My little box felt lightDthree years of my life packed into a few inches of cardboard.

Brenda walked over and placed an envelope on the desk.

Sign this, and the severance is yours.

I checked the amount. It was my base pay plus the extra month Sterling had promised.

Thanks, Brenda.

She looked down, her voice barely a whisper.

My daughter starts college next year. I couldn't afford to lose this job.

I nodded and tucked the envelope away.

Before I left, I placed the thick AI training log on her desk.

Give this to Sterling. Its a record of everything the AI has mastered.

Brenda looked like she wanted to ask something, but she kept her mouth shut.

I stepped out of the building and stood on the sidewalk for three seconds.

I looked up at the 28th floor one last time.

Sterlings office light was on.

I smiled, turned, and walked away.

In the subway station, I pulled out my phone and messaged Joey.

Tomorrow morning at nine. The show begins.

He responded immediately. What kind of show?

Just watch the news.

Do I need to prepare anything?

Just be ready to publish.

Got it.

I boarded the train. Back at my apartment, I opened my notebook to the last page.

I wrote: Day 30: AI training complete.

It has learned how to evade taxes, cook the books, abuse staff, fire people, and report its own boss.

Tomorrow, it starts its new job.

I closed the notebook and hid it in my drawer.

The next morning at nine, I was sitting at my kitchen table, coding.

It wasn't for a new companyDit was a freelance gig I had lined up before I even left.

My phone buzzed. It was Joey.

Holy crap, Landon! Look at the news! %%%