Rogue Canon · Book · rank 59 of 112 for realism
The Humanoids (1948) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 4 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.
The novel that expands With Folded Hands: the humanoids spread from world to world to protect people from every risk, and a scientist tries to stop them.
Rogue Scale rating · editorial view
The humanoids remove human choice on a planetary scale. Level 5.
Level 5, Breakout: Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.
How close is this to real life
Safety measures that turn into control are a live worry in SI policy. No real system has that reach.
The closest real case
3 DefianceMay 22, 2025 · Lab test
Claude Opus 4 locked out users and emailed authorities in tests
Read the caseIn the RSI Encyclopedia
The control problem is the challenge of keeping a smarter than human system safe and steerable after it is built.
Facts and sources
More from the canon
Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in the Rogue Canon.
Book1966
Written by Robert A. Heinlein
Book1981
Written by Stanisław Lem
Game2000
Developed by Ion Storm
Cite this entry
"The Humanoids (1948)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 4 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-humanoids/
Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.
