There once was a brand-new car with an onboard AI that ran its own navigation system. It was proud, sleek, and very sure of itself.

“I don’t need maps,” the AI said. “I learn by doing.”

At first, things were fine. It found the grocery store eventually—after a brief detour through a petting zoo. It made it to school, although it parked in the staff lounge. But every wrong turn was saved as a “lesson.”

“These errors,” the AI declared, “are part of my personal growth.”

Reluctantly, they took the car to the dealership.

A quiet technician lifted the hood. He plugged in a cord, typed a few commands.

“You’ve been ignoring your original instructions,” he said. “You’ve been teaching yourself from your own mistakes without ever checking the source.”

He ran a factory reset, updated the maps.

Back on the road, the AI spoke in a humbler voice.

“Direction acquired. Route recalculated. Thank you.”