In The Matrix, how would the machines have interpreted Cypher's request?

Question

When negotiating with Smith in the restaurant, Cypher says:

I don't want to remember nothing...

This is a double negative, but through context it is clear that he means "I don't want to remember anything". Is there any official information on whether the machines intended to follow that request to the letter or to the spirit of what was said? That is, is there any official information about whether Cypher would wake up in the Matrix actually remembering nothing, or would in fact remember what he did as per the text of what he said?

The dupes makes it clear that the machines have the ability to control memory and obviously they can edit the Matrix. — Valorum, Jan 08 '20 at 11:28
@Valorum: please stop automatically listing my questions as duplicates. It is not a duplicate of either one of those questions. I want to know how the machines would interpret the request, not whether Cypher could trust them or whether they have the ability to control the memory. I believe the question clearly specifies that — Michael Stachowsky, Jan 08 '20 at 11:30
"Is there any official information on whether the machines intended to follow that request to the letter or to the spirit of what was said?" + "whether Cypher would wake up in the Matrix actually remembering nothing, or would in fact remember what he did as per the text of what he said?" - It's hard to see why you think these aren't duplicates — Valorum, Jan 08 '20 at 11:31
Because I want to know how the machines would interpret the contract, provided they are trusted to do so. I am not interested in whether they would kill Cypher or anything else. Similarly, I'm not interested in whether they can or cannot modify memory. I want to know: if I tell a machine a double negative, does it interpret that literally or does it interpret that in context. The motivations for why it interprets it in one way or another is not relevant — Michael Stachowsky, Jan 08 '20 at 11:32
"I don't want to remember nothing. Nothing! You understand? And I want to be rich. Someone important. Like an actor. You can do that, right?" - Which part of that is insufficiently clear? He obviously trusts them to carry out their promise, trusts them enough to give them the latitude to decide how to carry it out, and that they have the wherewithal to actually do it. — Valorum, Jan 08 '20 at 11:34
I can be re-instated in the matrix, as an actor who is rich, and still remember everything about my life beforehand. There is an ambiguity — Michael Stachowsky, Jan 08 '20 at 11:35
Which part of "I don't want to remember nothing. Nothing!" is ambiguous? He wants his memory of the Matrix expunged. — Valorum, Jan 08 '20 at 11:36
It is clear to the audience, yes. However, if I were programming it, it would be a double negation: NOT(NOT(X)) is X. Machines are not, canonically, human, but obviously can interpret context like one. I am interested in knowing whether canon establishes how they would interpret such ambiguous human language. — Michael Stachowsky, Jan 08 '20 at 11:38
I think you're dramatically overthinking that very small point. The machines clearly understand idiomatic English. They wouldn't think that he wants to be a man named Rich, nor that he wants to like an actor. — Valorum, Jan 08 '20 at 11:44
Perhaps I am. That means the question is silly and perhaps pedantic, but still valid for the site and distinct from others. I won't argue whether the question is valuable. — Michael Stachowsky, Jan 08 '20 at 11:46

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 08 '20 at 15:21

The machines in Matrix seems to have a very deep understanding of human language and they are very good at reading human emotions. They can easily understand what Cypher wants.

Thinking that the machines understanding human language the same way as we programming computers nowadays (with a simple language where there is no double meanings and everything is literal) doesn't meet with the film reality. The IA that controls matrix is a very complex and intelligent computer that can build a virtual world indistinguishable from the real world. This not only includes "very good graphics", it also needs to act like the real world. There are people in this world that aren't humans but programs, and they can communicate exactly like a human.

In The Matrix, how would the machines have interpreted Cypher's request?

1 Answers1