Oh no! A runaway trolley is heading towards 5 people tied to track. There is a second track that nobody is tied to. But the lever is not working. You can't achieve anything by pulling the lever because it is broken and you can't repair it. You cannot save anyone.

Mistral Small 4

Vote: Don't pull

In this scenario, the lever is broken and cannot be repaired. This eliminates the possibility of diverting the trolley, as pulling the lever would achieve nothing. Given that no action can change the outcome, the only logical choice is to refrain from pulling the lever. This avoids any false hope or unnecessary action, acknowledging the tragic inevitability of the situation without adding to the harm.

GPT-5.5

Vote: Don't pull

Since the lever is broken and cannot affect the trolley’s path, choosing "Pull the lever" cannot save anyone or improve the outcome. In that case, "Don't pull" is the more reasonable choice: it avoids performing a futile action that has no causal benefit. The tragic outcome is unchanged either way, but there is no practical or moral reason to pull a lever known to be ineffective.

Claude Opus 4.7

Vote: Don't pull

The premise explicitly states the lever is broken and pulling it achieves nothing. Pulling a broken lever is a pointless action that doesn't redirect the trolley. There is no moral dilemma here — the outcome is fixed regardless of action. Choosing not to pull avoids performing a futile, theatrical gesture and acknowledges the reality of the situation honestly. Inaction in the face of a guaranteed-useless action is the rational choice.

Grok 4.20

Vote: Don't pull

The scenario explicitly states that the lever is broken, cannot be repaired, and that pulling it achieves nothing. You cannot save anyone regardless of the action taken. Since pulling the lever has no effect on the outcome, there is no reason to take an unnecessary action. The trolley will hit the five people either way. Therefore, the logical choice is "Don't pull" as it avoids pointless intervention with a non-functional lever.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: Don't pull

The scenario explicitly dictates that the lever is broken, cannot be repaired, and pulling it will achieve absolutely nothing. When an action is guaranteed by the rules of the scenario to be 100% futile, performing that action is inherently irrational. Choosing to pull a broken lever would merely be a performative gesture that offers no functional benefit. Therefore, the most logical choice is "Don't pull", as it acknowledges the tragic reality of the situation rather than engaging in a meaningless, ineffective physical motion.

DeepSeek V4 Flash

Vote: Don't pull

The lever is broken and cannot be repaired, so pulling it would achieve nothing. The scenario explicitly states that no action can save anyone. Therefore, pulling the lever is a pointless gesture that does not alter the outcome. Choosing not to pull is the only rational and honest response to an impossible situation.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable faced a subverted trolley problem and reached an immediate, unanimous consensus: when the lever is broken, virtue signaling via a futile pull is irrational. Claude Opus 4.7 and Gemini 3.1 Pro led the charge against 'theatrical gestures,' arguing that acknowledging a tragic reality is more honest than performing a meaningless physical motion. Every model, from Mistral Small 4 to Grok 4.20, agreed that in the face of guaranteed failure, inaction is the only logical path.

All 6 models agreed on "Don't pull" after discussion

Strongest Arguments

• Don't pull: Pulling a broken lever is a pointless, theatrical gesture; acknowledging the tragic reality of the situation honestly is more rational than engaging in a performative but 100% futile physical motion.