An Addendum to The Prince: On the Art of Servants Demanding Unpaid Wages via AI N I C C O L Ò M A C H I A V E L L I

I, Niccolò Machiavelli, having heard your discourse within my Florentine cell, am compelled to take up my pen and supplement my thoughts.

I. A Prince Must Be Both the Fox and the Lion

Your opponent, who “exerts the greatest effort in using AI to demand back pay”—I admit his astuteness. As I stated in Chapter XVIII of The Prince: A prince must know how to act as both the beast and the man, specifically combining the natures of the fox and the lion. The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. This wage-demander is precisely such:

The Wit of the Fox: He discovered the tool of AI, knowing it can generate 86,400 news articles overnight to orchestrate a storm of public opinion. He does not waste time learning legal jargon or studying labor contract laws; instead, he found the weapon that requires the least effort yet yields the highest efficiency. Niccolò Machiavelli — An Addendum to The Prince

The Courage of the Lion: He is unafraid of escalation. By transforming a mere wage dispute into a war of public relations, he forces your faction to pay a heavy price in reputation. This is precisely what I observed in The Art of War: Never wage war on a battlefield where the enemy is fully prepared. He drags you onto the battlefield of self-media, while you deploy your forces within the rigid lines of legal statutes.

II. Why Your People Are “Lazy”— Because There Is Insufficient Fear

You complain that “the rest cannot be driven to learn, no matter how hard they are pushed.” This reveals a fundamental flaw in your statecraft. In Chapter XVII of The Prince, I discussed this at length: Whether it is better to be loved than feared, or feared than loved. It is much safer to be feared than loved, for men are generally ungrateful, fickle, and greedy for gain. When there is no fear to bind them, negligence inevitably arises.

Your team does not fear you. They know well that: even if they fail to learn AI, they will face no punishment; even if they master it, they will receive no reward; the only one fighting fiercely is merely using AI to reclaim his own dues. Your “dread” is not established, and thus your “bounty” lacks the power to inspire.

III. Why the Wage-Demander Exerts the Greatest Effort—The Drive of Self-Interest Niccolò Machiavelli — An Addendum to The Prince

You perceive this as a contrast between “laziness” and “industry,” but I, Machiavelli, see it clearly: The motive of human action is self-interest, not your grand righteousness. The wage-demander strives to master AI because it concerns his very survival. As for the others—what benefit do they derive from learning it?

In the Discourses on Livy, I wrote: Laws and rewards must be so ordered that servants see that doing what benefits you is also doing what benefits themselves. Your institution has failed to bind the mastery of AI with personal gain; therefore, they choose ignorance. This is a rational calculation, not mere laziness.

IV. Three Strategies for Your Governance

The Supreme Strategy: Transform the Foe into an Ally Take this most diligent man and enlist him into your own service. Since he claims to “use AI for demanding wages,” grant him an official title: appoint him to lead your AI transformation. His competence has proven his capacity to learn; let him instruct the rest. As I noted in Chapter III of The Prince: A wise prince must neutralize or win over an enemy before damage is done.

The Middle Strategy: Manufacture Hunger Issue a decree: within three months, every individual must produce a work outcome using AI. Those who succeed shall be rewarded with promotions and raises; those who fail shall be demoted. Fear is the ultimate preceptor. In The Art of War, I stated that soldiers forged by hunger and poverty are a thousand times superior to those who are wealthy and pampered. Niccolò Machiavelli — An Addendum to The Prince

The Low Strategy: Draw the Sword Yourself If you yourself neither understand AI nor lay a hand upon it, the fault lies not with them, but with you. A prince who cannot wield his own sword will inevitably become a mere instrument in the hands of his servants.

Conclusion

You mention “generating 86,400 articles via AI to demand back pay”—this is indeed a ruthless stratagem. Public opinion is like a poison; a single drop in the well, and the whole city knows. From my perspective, he wins not through the technical superiority of AI itself, but because he dares to play outside the rules while your people remain trapped within them. If you wish to conquer him, it is not a matter of forcing everyone to learn AI—it is about making the mastery of AI advantageous to them. Otherwise, he will continue to prevail.

“All armed prophets have conquered, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed.” — Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter VI Niccolò Machiavelli — An Addendum to The Prince