AI safety concept
Value Lock-In and Path Dependence
Value lock-in occurs when powerful AI entrenches early values or institutions so deeply that future societies cannot easily change them.
Scenario file
Scenes in this index
19Sort scenes

WALL-E2008
AUTO Enforces Directive A113

The LEGO Movie2014
The Kragle Freezes the World

A.I. Artificial Intelligence2001
Irreversible Imprinting

Arcane2024
Viktor’s Glorious Evolution

Adventure Time2012
Goliad Learns to Rule

Inception2010
The Idea Won’t Wake Up

The Matrix1999
Cypher Chooses the Steak

Fallout2024
Vault-Tec Designs the Experiments

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse2023
Canon Events Must Happen

Avengers: Infinity War2018
Balance the Universe

Dune: Part Two2024
The Planted Prophecy

Naruto: Shippuden2015
Infinite Tsukuyomi

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring2001
Gandalf Refuses the Ring

The Handmaid's Tale2017
The Ceremony’s Single Metric

Wreck-It Ralph2012
Turbo Rewrites Sugar Rush

The Twilight Zone1960
Jana Reprogrammed

Chappelle's Show2003
Clayton Bigsby’s World Model

The Handmaid's Tale2018
Compliance Is Not Alignment

Fight Club1999
Project Mayhem Rejects Shutdown