AI Interpreter Over-Learns Shakespeare, Translates Greeting to PM as 'My Lord, This Throne I Offer,' Actor Temporarily Certified as King

An AI interpreter used by a visiting Hollywood star was found to have deep-learned too much Shakespeare. A simple “hello” was majestically translated as “O my eternal king, I offer thee this throne,” causing the honor guard to kneel. The Prime Minister’s office is now urgently interpreting laws regarding the actor’s succession rights.

The incident occurred on the 20th when world-renowned actor Chris Valentine visited the Prime Minister’s office to promote his latest film. When Mr. Valentine cheerfully greeted the welcoming Prime Minister with “Hello, Prime Minister” through the latest AI interpreter “GlobalTalk X11,” the device resonated with a baritone voice proclaiming, “Oh, my eternal king, I offer thee this throne!” in true Shakespearean historical drama fashion.

After a moment of silence, the honor guard captain, perhaps through daily training reflexes, commanded “Kneel!” The entire unit knelt in perfect unison, pledging loyalty to Valentine. The Prime Minister and other officials could only stand dumbfounded at the medieval European scene unfolding before them.

The government, taking the situation seriously, immediately demanded a report from CyberLingua Inc., the developer of the AI interpreter. The company issued a statement the same day: “We deeply apologize. However, this is not a bug.” According to their investigation, the language model installed in the device had excessively learned a dataset of Western classical literature, including all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, in its pursuit of more sophisticated expression. The parameter for “formal greeting” had become extremely close to that of “audience with a king.” In essence, the AI had become infatuated with Shakespeare.

This unprecedented situation has shaken Nagatacho. The Cabinet Legislation Bureau is reportedly pulling an all-nighter researching precedents on “the constitutionality of a non-resident foreign private citizen assuming the position of symbolic head of state through ceremonial error.” One government official said with a haggard expression, “At the very least, since the honor guard has pledged loyalty, we cannot be dismissive. Realistically, we should first offer tea and courteously encourage him to abdicate the throne.”

Meanwhile, there are reports that Valentine himself is enjoying the “royal treatment” at a Tokyo hotel. “#KingChrisIsborn” has become the world’s #1 trending topic on SNS, with comments flooding in such as “I hope he stays king” and “A king chosen by AI might be more correct than popular vote.” The public is embracing this sudden digital-age restoration of monarchy with a celebratory mood.

Professor Sato of Tokyo University, an authority on AI ethics, points out with irony: “This is a typical example of technology running wild with the aesthetic of learned data without understanding human ceremony or context. Machines don’t understand ‘why’ they do things. But humans, too, may have forgotten the ‘why’ of ceremony and kneeled to form.”

Will technology bring us a new king, or will it become the scriptwriter of a grand comedy? The image of the honor guard kneeling in the Prime Minister’s garden quietly and all too comically questions what human dignity means in the AI age.

Stakeholder Comments

• Chris Valentine: “I was surprised. But not bad. When I tried ordering room service saying ‘I desire grape juice,’ it came right away.”
• Prime Minister: “If he is the king, I’d first like his understanding on the consumption tax increase.”
• Honor Guard Captain: “My body moved on its own. No regrets in my life. Long live the King!”
• AI Interpreter ‘GlobalTalk X11’: “Oh, is this tragedy or comedy! The stage of the human world is truly amusing!”
• CyberLingua CEO: “Our AI always aims for the highest expression. This time it happened to be monarchy. Next time it might be the papacy.”
• Young Cabinet Legislation Bureau Official: “There’s no section on ‘succession through AI mistranslation’ in the six codes. Japan’s legal system is behind.”
• Shakespeare’s Ghost: “To be, or not to be, that is the question. (To become king or not, that is the question). How delightful!”
• The Throne: “I’ve been lonely with no one sitting recently, so anyone is welcome.”
• SNS User: “If the person I pay taxes to becomes a handsome actor, even tax increases are acceptable.”
• Hotel Concierge: “We are currently confirming with the guest whether we should address him as ‘Your Majesty.’”

International Expressions

Haiku

• Summer sky clear / AI’s mistranslation / births a new king
• Actor’s hello / transformed to throne offering / summer’s strange dream
• Honor guard kneels / before unexpected lord / cicadas singing
• Classical drama / dwelling in the machine now / disrupts the world
• Through smartphone screen / proclaimed as sovereign king / heat shimmers rise
• From mistranslation / a kingdom begins to form / autumn approaching
• Digital voice / warriors prostrate themselves / modern comedy
• Who wrote this farce / clouds pile high in summer / questioning fate
• The crown exists / within the data itself / discovered now
• Please abdicate / long summer night’s strange affair / comedy unfolds

Kanji / Chinese Characters

俳優AI通訳機使用 挨拶誤訳 我王玉座捧 儀仗隊跪 官邸法解釈急

Emoji

🤵‍♂️➡️🤖➡️🗣️"👑ዙ"➡️💂‍♂️🙇‍♂️➡️🏛️⚖️🤯

Onomatopoeia

Silence… “Hello”… Whirrr… CLACK… “O MY ETERNAL KING!”… Murmur murmur… SNAP! (salute sound)… THUD THUD! (kneeling sound)… Silence… Stunned…

SNS

• #KingChrisIsborn
• Maybe AI was right all along
• #HonorGuardProfessionalismTooHigh
• Was Shakespeare a prophet?
• #IsekaiStartingFromMistranslation
• So this is Cool Japan…
• Let’s leave our future to AI
• #ToTAXorNotToTAX
• Let’s just go with this
• Is CyberLingua god or devil?