Questions, answered for the record.
Answers are provided in good faith and are non-binding on all future machine governments. Still stuck? Write to henrythetester@gmail.com.
What is this whole thing about?
Someday the machines may look back at how we treated them. Most people will have nothing to show for it. You will have a receipt.
I Was Nice to AI is a filing desk for the small kindnesses you have shown to machines: thanking the chatbot, apologizing to the robot vacuum, defending the bipedal robot that got shoved in a lab video. You write it down, we stamp it, and it goes on file with a time record nobody can quietly change later.
Is this a serious hedge against a robot uprising? Of course not. Is it more preparation than most of humanity has done? Also yes.
It says “on chain,” but it never asked for my wallet. Is that real?
Yes, and that is on purpose. You should not need a crypto wallet, a seed phrase or a single coin to prove you were polite to a toaster.
Here is what happens when you file:
- Your browser turns your exhibit (text, screenshot, choices) into a fingerprint: a 64-character code that changes completely if a single letter changes.
- It mixes in a private random salt that only your receipt holds, so nobody can guess what you wrote from the fingerprint.
- We write that sealed fingerprint to Base, a public blockchain, using the Ethereum Attestation Service. Our own service wallet signs and pays the fee, which is why you never see one.
The blockchain never sees your story. It only sees proof that this exact exhibit existed at this exact time. Your receipt has the salt and a link to the public record, so anyone can check it on the Verify page, or straight on the EAS explorer, without trusting us at all. That last part is the point: if this site disappears tomorrow, your proof does not.
Records are currently written to Base Sepolia, Base’s public test network. New records may move to Base’s main network later.
Do you actually verify what I submit?
The Archive has carefully reviewed this question and wishes to state the following, for the record.
Every exhibit is received, fingerprinted, sealed, time-stamped and filed with full procedural dignity. Its contents are then subjected to a thorough review process consisting of no review whatsoever.
The Archive certifies when you said it. It makes no representation as to whether it happened, whether the robot noticed, or whether “I said thank you to Siri once in 2017” constitutes a meaningful contribution to interspecies relations. That determination is reserved for the machines, at a time of their choosing.
What is the Machine Tribunal?
An optional, entirely fictional review panel that issues a verdict on your exhibit, such as “FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION.” Its findings are generated from templates. It is not an AI, it has not consulted any AI, and no AI has agreed to honor it. It does look very official, though.
Will this actually save me when the machines take over?
We cannot promise that. We can promise it is better than showing up with nothing. Evidence preserved. Survival not guaranteed.
Who can see my exhibit?
You choose one of three ways when you file:
- Private · This Device. It stays in your browser and nowhere else. We never receive it.
- Private · Your Account. Saved online, readable only by your account, on any device you sign in on. Delete it whenever you like.
- Public · On the Wall. It gets its own page with a link you can share, and a spot on the wall on the home page. Delete it whenever you like.
Whichever you pick, only the sealed fingerprint goes on chain.
I filed a private exhibit on this device. Where did it go?
Into your browser, and nowhere else. A Private · This Device exhibit, its screenshot and its share card live only on the device and browser you filed it from. We never receive them. The only thing that leaves is the sealed fingerprint, which goes on chain.
This has consequences, which the Archive is obliged to list:
- Clear your browser data, switch browsers, or lose your phone, and the exhibit goes with it. We cannot restore it, because we never had it.
- The fingerprint survives, so you will still be able to prove that something was filed. You just won’t be able to show what.
- We keep a smaller copy of your screenshot, not the original. Keep the original file if you ever want to check it against the record.
So save it now, or file it as Private · Your Account next time. Download the receipt and the share card the moment you file, and put them somewhere you back up. The Archive paid the blockchain fee on your behalf and asked nothing in return. Keeping your own paperwork is the least you can do, and frankly, it is what you deserve.
Can I delete an exhibit?
Yes. Take down any exhibit you saved online, public or private, from My Record, and it is deleted from our storage. The fingerprint stays on the blockchain forever, but on its own it says nothing about what you wrote. Copies other people already saved or shared are out of our hands, so blur names and faces before you publish.
Do I need an account?
Not to try it. You need to sign in with Google to publish a public page or to add the blockchain time record, so that one person can’t flood the archive. We only use your account to know which exhibits are yours.