Person of Interest (TV Series)

A House Divided (2014)

John Nolan: John Greer

Quotes 

• John Greer : Have you ever seen a newborn foal trying to stand for the first time? Those trembling legs trying to balance, shaking until the moment it finds itself on all fours. Seeing a child walk for the first time is something extraordinary. But you watched your child stand and then you hobbled it.

  Harold Finch : You could never understand. You're a destroyer, not a creator.

• Harold Finch : The machine it started developing abilities I never expected, things I hadn't yet programmed it to do. And there wasn't an algorithm in the world that could control its exponential growth. And by the time I figured one out myself it would've been too late.

  John Greer : Too late for what?

  Harold Finch : Isn't that just the question? Having built something significantly smarter than myself, how could I possibly anticipate its evolution?

  John Greer : Hmm. Uncertainty. Your personal abyss.

  Harold Finch : I built the machine to save lives, but how could I be certain that it wouldn't one day determine that all of humanity was irrelevant? Please, you cannot allow Samaritan to go online. The consequences of an open system will be devastating.

  John Greer : "The father became fearful of his son, so he wounded him". A tale told time and again. I don't think of Samaritan as a child. I'm not that presumptuous. But I plan to celebrate its brilliance not muzzle it.

  Harold Finch : It's pure hubris to think that you can control something so powerful.

  John Greer : Whoever said I wanted to control it?

• John Greer : The era of the nation-state is over, Mr. Finch. There are no more borders. Or hadn't you noticed?

  Harold Finch : I think you're overestimating the power of artificial intelligence.

  John Greer : We both know that that is impossible. How often alliances shift in times of war. Not that those alliances ever truly exist. They're an illusion. Like seeing a sunset in a sky of flames.

  Harold Finch : What is it you expect from Samaritan?

  John Greer : I want to live under a more just rule. Samaritan will never sleep with its secretary, or embezzle money from its campaign fund. Its decisions will be based on pure logic. Now that's a leader deserving of our vote.

• John Greer : Samaritan is not for sale, Senator. Decima will retain ownership. We will provide you the critical information.

  Senator Ross Garrison : You want me to give a private corporation access to the government feeds, to 300 million Americans; just so you can sell the information back to us?

  John Greer : Samaritan is far superior to your last endeavor. It'll answer all your questions, it won't create riddles. There'll be no numbers to sort through. No uncertainties about culpability. Just pure unfettered information.

  Senator Ross Garrison : Why would we agree to that? If we don't own the system, what exactly do we get?

  John Greer : Plausible deniability. Samaritan is privately owned by a third party, one that can shoulder the blame for your next civil liberties scandal.

  Senator Ross Garrison : And if I say no?

  John Greer : Those are my terms, Senator. You must ask yourself this. Do you wanna prevent acts of terror or do you wanna stay in the dark and watch your country burn?

• John Greer : I always think of my youth when the power goes out. Blackouts were a everyday occurrence.

  Harold Finch : The blitz.

  John Greer : German air raids lasted nine months. Felt like years.

  Harold Finch : You must've been very young.

  John Greer : My mother and I used to sleep in the tube along with many other families. One night we were late getting to the station. And I saw the sunset for the first time in months. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. But it wasn't a sunset at all. The sky was on fire.

• John Greer : Quite the winter we're having.

  Senator Ross Garrison : I don't suppose you're here to sell me on global climate change.

  John Greer : Hmm. It would be nice if we could prepare for the future instead of trying to clean up after the past.

  Senator Ross Garrison : I'm meeting with the president's intelligence adviser today.

  John Greer : Use the beta test results to convince them. Samaritan is a sleeping giant. We need those feeds to awaken it.

• John Greer : It's truly a pleasure to put a face to the name, Mr. Finch. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now.

  Harold Finch : What is it that you want, Mr. Greer?

  John Greer : I want to talk about the future. And who more qualified for that conversation than the father of artificial intelligence?

  Harold Finch : An unintended side effect of an altruistic goal.

  John Greer : Altruism? Funny. I'd always imagined it was about the power of creation. I've felt it myself.

  Harold Finch : Your endeavor to bring Samaritan online is a grave error in judgment.

  John Greer : You must've known this moment would come. Or did you think nobody else could accomplish what you did, that you were unique? I must admit you played everyone very well right up until this moment. And now your God has disappeared, operating on its own accord. Children can be so disappointing.

  [pause] 

  John Greer : The world needs structure, Mr. Finch and Samaritan will provide that.

  Harold Finch : I'd beware of false idols, Mr. Greer. If you were so confident that Samaritan was functional, why did you go to such great lengths to find me?

  John Greer : To keep an eye on you. As the father of AI, you're the only man in the world who can destroy it.

  Harold Finch : Where does that leave us then?

  John Greer : Right here. Until the moment Samaritan opens its eyes. And then the world will no longer need you.