By Julian Croft
Feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir argued that women are not born subservient but made so through a process of “othering.” To break the cycle, one must recognize that refusal to serve is not hostility; it is autonomy. As we write in 2026, the keyword “subservience” has unexpectedly migrated into the world of technology. AI ethicists are debating a chilling question: How subservient should our machines be? Subservience
Thus, modern tech is pivoting toward aligned disobedience —AI that refuses unethical commands by default. In this paradigm, true service is not blind obedience; it is principled assistance. If you recognize yourself in the patterns above—if you constantly fold, apologize, or shrink—then reclaiming your agency is possible. But it requires reprogramming deeply ingrained habits. By Julian Croft Feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir
Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a clinical psychologist specializing in narcissistic abuse, notes that “subservience is not born in a vacuum. It is often the result of intermittent reinforcement: where obedience is rewarded with the cessation of punishment.” Over time, the subservient individual learns a dangerous lesson: safety lies in erasure. Thus, modern tech is pivoting toward aligned disobedience