Well sure, if you use "box" as a metaphor for controlling someone's interactions that's exactly what we are doing.

Our hypothetical Lab Officer is in a box in the sense that (1) he doesn't have direct access to the mechanism which releases the AI; (2) His life will be scrutinized for signs that he has been compromised; and (3) If he does appear to be acting out (for example starting a strange new religion or making unusual purchases), he will be put in a more confining box.