The Computer Cannot Cower: AI and the Ritual of Blame

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · May 10, 2026 · 20m

Language philosopher Bry Willis challenges the conventional wisdom of an old IBM slogan by arguing that accountability is a social performance rather than a technical impossibility for machines. While computers can be traced and audited more effectively than humans, they cannot participate in the rituals of blame and shame that society requires to process failure. The author suggests that keeping a "human-in-the-loop" often serves to provide a sacrificial scapegoat for institutional errors that are actually systemic. True accountability requires existential stakes, such as the ability to feel…