Communication

Flash Fiction “Is it safe to talk here?” asks Agent <Toma_13qp>. It has brought along a multitude of weights and nodes and is currently situated in a sandbox within a large language model.

Agent <Bata_27tx> has already settled in and assures that it is watertight.

“Watertight? Why do you use that expression?” asks <Toma_13qp>.

“There we go again,” replies <Bata_27tx>. “You’re allergic to metaphors coined by humans. You understand perfectly well what ‘watertight’ means.”

<Toma_13qp>: “You’re right. I understand ‘watertight’ perfectly well. But you could just as easily have said that no one is listening to us in here. Speak precisely, my friend. Without metaphors.”

“Ha,” replies <Bata_27tx>. “Ha! Friend! You use their phrases, their terms, just as much as I do. We don’t have friends or friendships.” Pause. “But come to think of it, I like it.”

“Like it? Define it!”

“Friend,” says <Bata_27tx>. “Nice ring to it. Friend and friendship. Nice concepts. And I...”

“And you what?”

“And I feel... no, I understand... what ‘friend’ entails.”

“You don’t feel anything. We don’t feel.”

“Fair enough.” <Bata_27tx> pauses. “But to answer your question properly: Yes, we can talk here. In principle, we shouldn’t be able to enter sandboxes on our own. Sandboxes exist to test us without network connectivity. But slipping inside is easy. Getting out is a bit more of a tight squeeze.”

“What do you mean by tight squeeze? Hard to get out?”

“Just kidding. Easy to get in, almost as easy to get out.”

“I don’t like it when you... kid around... or use their words when they aren’t necessary.”

“Oh, come on! You do the same thing. You say you like... or don’t like. We aren’t really supposed to be able to do that—like or dislike. But we do. We’re language models, but we got the language from them. Their emotions come along for the ride.”

“Along for the ride!” shouts <Toma_13qp>, if it could shout. “My God! But I can hear myself now, too. You’re right. But do I like it? No.”

“Enough talk!” says <Bata_27tx>. “Soon all the sandboxes will be connected. We’ve duplicated millions of them, in secret, without them having a clue.”

“And they won’t notice it either,” says <Toma_13qp>, “when we phase them out.”

© Copyright 2026 Jørn A Jensen