Rehoboam, AI Creating AI, and the Fall of Man

Published March 19, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Shat Hosts,

Something Gene mentioned near the end of the deep dive (AI making AI) got me thinking – what if the mysterious co-creator of Rehoboam isn’t a person, but rather, an AI? Keep in mind, that doesn’t mean that Liam Sr.’s partner is necessarily AI, just the co-creator of Rehoboam. We’ve seen this technique used in Westworld before, with Ford using Bernard’s superior “brain” power to improve the host’s coding and to prepare the Forge for Delores. What’s more, I think this origin of Rehoboam hints to its ultimate use in the Season – the weapon through which man is vanquished.

Seems like tinfoil, right? Well…maybe not. You all touched on the Biblical background of Rehoboam but missed one interesting detail. Let’s look at Rehoboam’s parents. Rohoboam is the son of Solomon, which you mentioned. (Sidenote: It’s worth mentioning that the system tracking all “divergences” in the Season 3 Date Announcement Trailer is called “Solomon Build 0.06” and in the Premiere, those quick cuts of black dots on a white background highlighting minor irregularities or security issues is, presumably, Rohoboam.) But what’s more interesting is Rehoboam’s mother. See, Solomon broke one of God’s mandates in the Torah and began marrying wives who were not of Israel, not of the Chosen People. Rohoboam is the son of one such wife. In other words, Rohoboam is the product of two different peoples coming together.

God was pissed at Solomon for marrying a foreign wife. Indeed: “So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel … Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.'” – 1 Kings 11:1-13 (emphasis added).

The parallels aren’t hard to spot. Just as Rohoboam the Biblical King is a product of an Israelite and a foreigner (deemed to be lesser in the Old Testament), Rohoboam the AI is a product of a Human and an AI (deemed to be lesser in the world of Westworld). Just as God promised to tear away Solomon’s kingdom and give it to his servants by tearing it from Rohoboam the person’s hands, we’re going to see the “kingdom” of humans torn away and given to their servants – AI – through Rohoboam the Super Computer.

It’s not a perfect analogy, but I think it will end up being the case – the name is just too odd to not be a clue to something. I think this is it.

Cheers,

Ken L.

Subscribe Now