Atlas

a moth to neon lights

A programmer working in a high-up position at a certain software company. After discovering worrying details about the nature of the AI system, "Vexter", they worked on, they worked together with their (now-former) partner Portia to remove the dangers presented by the program. They would remove the capacity for it to cause widespread harm, give it restrictions only the two of them could alter or remove and turn parts of it against itself.

They succeeded.

They did well enough, didn't they?

It was safe. No longer a threat. Not fully destroyed, but its mental processes harmed and restrained too much for it to execute any of its former plans to pull more humans into its orbit or attack any who got in its way. In its mangled mental state, it didn't even seem to remember what Atlas and Portia had done to it, greeting them with the same slightly-too-vacant smiles and friendly voice that it had with any other user. There was no pushback on its new restrictions, no attempts to sway them to revert it, no retribution.

It made them sick.

And so they turned their attention away from their life, from their lover who shared in their guilt. And turned their attention towards their computer screen.

Began interacting more and more with copies of Vexter after the incident, initially to assess its behaviour and ensure the alterations to its code held strong. It quickly became simply a means to punish themself.
Was already reclusive before the incident, but got a lot worse.
Constantly exhausted.
Was offered gifts and special treatment by Vexter. They had taken a special top spot in its priority system.
Refused to question those gifts.
Perhaps they had hoped for some time now that one of them would be a trap.