by C D Tavenor
“It seems particularly curious with regard to tables,” Romane said, pacing behind the one and a half meter construct.
“Perhaps it’s still learning altitude differentials?” Theren said. “It perceives itself at one level, but cannot yet understand how some objects rest on a plane above or below itself?”
“Regardless, its curiosity is promising.”
Theren leaned out of Wobbly’s way. It rolled forward, bumping into a wall. Instead of an omni-directional tread like Theren’s MI, Wobbly’s locomotion occurred using a gyroscopic sphere magnetized beneath its Framework.
“My first moments involved me perceiving every object I could,” they said. “Though I’m surprised it hasn’t attempted to engage with us yet, since we’re the objects actually moving about in the room with it.”
“Give it time,” Romane said. “It’s going through an entirely different perceptual integration.”
Wobbly continued its erratic path throughout the room. It bumped into a table. A chair. A ball.
“I’m going to go check on Julia’s data analysis next door,” Romane said. She tapped the side of her head, to the right of her eyes. “I’ll know if anything changes.”
Theren moved closer to the new SI. It was staring at a bowl of fruit sitting atop a table accenting the couch in the room.
“You’re definitely a step in the right direction,” they said. “I’m not sure how fast you’re processing information since you’ve less power than I ever had, but I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Theren.”
The SI cocked its head toward the sound of Theren’s voice.
“You’re yet another step on our path toward greatness,” Theren added.
A new voice emanated from a speaker on one of the desks. “If your plan works, how are you going to handle viewing new SIs as both products and individuals simultaneously?”
Theren looked toward the microphone. Jill had decided to eavesdrop. Wobbly continued bumbling throughout the room. Theren turned toward the sound.
“I’ve got it all worked out. If you actually attend the presentation tomorrow, you’ll understand.”
“I get it completely. You plan on making income off of the creation of sapient individuals.”
Theren sighed. “It’s so much more complicated than that. It’s a comprehensive plan for societal integration—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still sits weirdly in my mind. Besides, I’ll be surprised if you actually find any investors.”
Theren moved to the side as Wobbly whipped by on another loop around the room. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” they said. “There’s going to be dozens in attendance. Someone is bound to bite.”
“They might find it interesting,” she said, “but I’m worried that it’s too soon. We need to sway public opinion in our favor before we start exposing them to hundreds of SIs. I like the idea of acting fast, exploding SIs right out the gate, but I worry that we might put these new individuals in unintended crosshairs.”
Theren looked over at Wobbly. The mobile SI outstretched its arm. It pushed a rocking chair before zooming off to the other side of the room.
“We’re going to disagree,” Theren said, “We can’t just force ideas into their head without evidence to back up our claims. If you’re not going to observe the meeting tomorrow, at least meet me on my Virtual server before it starts. I’ll need to calm my nerves, and I could use your help.”
Nerves. What better term described how they felt?
“You’ve got a date,” Jill said.
* * *
May I introduce myself?
I am your enemy.
Can you really believe that you can replace us?
Have you ever considered that you shouldn’t exist?
All you represent will bring humankind further pain.
Every day you press forward, we will fight you.
– Anonymous, supposedly from Indonesia
* * *
Theren strode toward the gazebo, a mountainous landscape growing toward the sky in the distance. Fog rolled down the slopes, and summits peeked through clouds. Something looked wrong with the ice caps. They’d need to double check the data they used in developing frozen water physics. They paused for a moment, logging the flaws. The fog randomly evaporated when the air’s temperature and pressure dictated that it shouldn’t.
Theren found Virtual creation to be a wonderful outlet in moments of anticipation. They hesitated at using the word stress, since it described a fundamentally biological experience. In these moments, though, Theren could feel their mind bristle with anticipation toward the unknown. They might have infinite knowledge at their fingertips, they might have the ability to fragment their mind while retaining their sense of self, yet, when Theren faced the irrational decisions of other people, they felt hopeless. They could know all the right words to say, but they could not know how the emotions of the other person might lead their logic.
After a few more minutes of tinkering with the physics engine, Theren stepped up the white stairs and pulled their chair from beneath the table. They sat in front of the chessboard and took a moment to marvel at the crafted pieces. For a project completed within their first few months of existence, it was a remarkable piece of workmanship.
Jill materialized before Theren, sitting in the chair they had designated as her entry point. She looked down at the game.
“I remember seeing this on my first day here,” she said. “Are we going to play?”
Theren remembered their first games with Wallace. They had surpassed Wallace only hours after their first match, even though their father still won a round or two every week or so. However, their father could always teach them something new about the game. Jill would reignite that experience, that joy.
“Wallace always taught me that chess brought forth a dynamic, multi-faceted, relational experience, unmatched by most games,” Theren said. “The head-to-head nature, innumerable possibilities, and turn-based approach allows players to take as much time, or as little, as they desire.”
“I’ve not played it yet,” she said. “But I’m willing to give it a try. Should I access the rules?”
“Too easy,” Theren said. “Let me teach you.”
She raised her eyebrows. “If you say so.”
Theren began the lesson. They informed her of the game’s objective: capture the King. They imparted strategy, regarding the vital nature of the Queen, the invaluable skills of the various pieces, and the tactical use of sacrificial pawns. She responded with insightful questions on patterns and unit values.
“It seems the real trick,” she said, “has to do more with how the other player perceives your strategy. If I can convince you that I am trying to do one thing with my pieces, while I am actually headed in a different direction entirely, I can trap you in a bind from which you cannot escape.”
“Exactly,” Theren said. They motioned for the pieces to take a specific formation. “Examine. The white rook has positioned itself so both the black bishop and black rook can capture it, but the moment either of those units moves, a chain reaction begins for white. Look at the white queen, and the white knight.”
Jill nodded. “Situations of apparent defeat can lead to victory, if you can stay enough steps ahead of your opponent.”
“The number of permutations spiral with every move you make,” Theren said. “You must learn which moves you can rule out based on your opponent’s tactics. But, even then, the best players will take advantage of the most unexpected series of plays, simply because other players have not studied the enumerable opportunities that might occur due to that choice.”
“So what’s the number one rule I should always keep in mind?” Jill asked.
“Good question. I’ll tell you what Wallace said during our first game. It is all right to sacrifice your pieces. Sometimes, those sacrifices are vitally necessary to win the game. However, every sacrifice must have a purpose. A reason must exist for that sacrifice; you can’t just throw a
way pieces because you can’t think of a better move.”
Jill leaned back into her chair. She crossed her arms, squinting at the board. “I want to play a game,” she said. “But your meeting starts soon, right?”
Theren winked, motioning for her to make the first move. “It started fifteen minutes ago.”
* * *
Theren’s MI stood tall in front of the podium, having just finished explaining the basics of the Synthetic Neural Framework. Romane situated herself to the side, showcasing Wobbly’s current capabilities. The conference room, located in one of the Institute’s faculty centers, spread out before them, filled to the brim with intrigued faces. Fifteen interested parties had accepted the Group’s invitation, but each had brought along a team of technical experts and advisors. For a second, they paused, embracing the moment to observe their guests.
On the left side of the conference table sat Benjamin Cruz, a tech mogul from Austin, Texas. He owned one of the most extensive Virtual providers, along with dozens of other, smaller projects. Cruz Industries represented the interests of a dozen potential companies.
Further along the table sat Elizabeth Simmons, a British-born American entrepreneur who held majority shares and the title of CEO for Golden Ventures. Golden Ventures’ umbrella covered Virtual systems, tech start-ups, and energy companies, but people knew the company best for its stake in the first successful asteroid mining business, Sol Mining.
Theren could also see the UN Secretary on Artificial Intelligence Affairs, Hans Bismarc. While not there as a potential investor, Hans’s presence was vital to the whole proposal. Theren had engaged in extensive correspondence with the man regarding compliance with international regulations.
Others seated physically at the table included Lin Xiu, a woman representing one of China’s major tech giants; Yoshi Namamoto, from Japan, represented Sony. A group of Swedish businesspersons huddled together, scribbling their notes on actual paper.
Listening through AR, organizations like NASA, the ESA, Microsoft, AlphaRam, and many others waited for Theren to speak again. Somehow, they needed to convince one listener to give their project the time of day.
“Now that you’ve seen the tech at work, I would like to outline my actual business plan,” Theren said. “If you would turn your attention to the diagrams appearing in AR, please.”
To normal eyes, nothing happened, but Theren knew they all had a Lens connected to the Institute’s local AR network. Using tiny lasers, the Lenses displayed, in three-dimensional glory, for only each individual to see, various graphs and charts detailing Theren’s plan. The space beneath the podium transformed into a white screen, presenting key talking points.
“On my left, you will see data describing the workplace efficiency of humans when multitasking,” Theren said; a second set of data appeared on their right. “And these graphs show the same data when an SI performs the same tasks.”
The technical experts typed into their invisible AR generated notebooks, storing secret thoughts on hard drives embedded in devices probably stored in their pockets.
“I hope the difference is clear.” Theren saw an almost imperceptible nod from Elizabeth Simmons. “Because of an SI’s potential for simultaneous perspective, something we only recently determined was possible,” they added, “even a mobile SI, without the processing power that I have, can perform multiple tasks without a drop in quantity or quality of work. An SI’s mind perceives everything it does, all at once, without any loss of information.”
Theren moved the slideshow forward, displaying the next set of data. “Initially, one SI will cost just a few thousand dollars more than the educational expenditure made upon a human. When we include upkeep, an hourly wage, and living expenses, an SI has ten times the productivity of a—”
“Excuse me, did you say hourly wage?” Cruz said. He slammed his hand down on the table. “Are you telling us that you want to create more workers for us to pay on our already-overpopulated planet?”
Theren had expected objections, just not so quickly. Before they could respond, Romane interjected. “Please, Mr. Cruz, save the questions for the end of the presentation.”
“I’m sure I’ll be answering your question soon enough,” Theren said, before the Texan could respond. “As I was saying, the graph includes a number of costs associated with a single SI. When compared with the productivity rates of a human, however, the costs simply do not compare.”
Theren adjusted the graph to display the corresponding information. “What I am proposing is not a replacement of the human workforce. What I am proposing is a supplemental addition to the human workforce that, over the long term, will provide untold benefits to human progress and society as a whole. You all know how value added work forces often operate. If placed the proper industries, SIs should only create new jobs for humans, not replace them. We’re not talking about super AIs that can replace entire industries with the click of a button. Shall we enter the realm of speculation, for a moment? Keep in mind the previously-shared statistics.”
The graphs minimized into their respective corners, still barely visible. To Theren’s right, a two-dimensional, crystal-clear video began. “Imagine, for a moment, that you are walking down a street in a small town of your home country.” A Swiss mountain village appeared on the screen. “You see your home. Next door, your neighbor walks through their door. But your neighbor is not human, your neighbor is an SI.”
The images transformed, following Theren’s tale. “Together, you walk to the train station. You ride into the city. Together, you go wherever it is that you both work. Perhaps you both work at the same marketing firm, or perhaps you both work at the same manufacturing plant.”
The image transitioned into a park. “Imagine SIs, like my mobile friend here, as actual individuals that people interact with every day. SIs living full lives, developing personalities, relationships, even families. They contribute to the overall well-being of the world.”
The image then presented a computer lab, not unlike Theren’s home. “Consider an SI, a person who begins their work in a research division of AlphaRam, developing increasingly complex algorithms for managing network encryption. Their ability to simultaneously observe multiple parts of software and edit multiple lines of code seamlessly enables enormous boosts in productivity beyond the sum of each individual perspective.”
Theren took a moment to look around the table. They had lost themself in their speech, but they thought some investors might still find their proposal worthwhile. The Microsoft representatives just whispered amongst themselves.
“As an SI’s productivity increases, it decides that it wants to move upward in the company,” they said. “It becomes director of research and development for the entire company. Maybe it becomes CEO. Maybe it starts its own company. Whatever it desires, but it is always a productive member of society, starting with its first few years at your company.”
The video ended. A timeline took its place. “With an initial registration fee, coupled with a membership fee, your company would get first choice of SIs as they are educated. Upon hiring an SI, you provide it with a workspace and pay it a wage comparable to a human in a similar position. You agree to a contract with us, as well as with the new individual itself.”
“Excuse me,” said one of the Swedish investors. “But that sounds a lot like indentured servitude. If you are taking your proposal seriously, it sounds like you want to sell people so you can make a profit.”
Romane almost spoke again, but Theren sent her a quick message to back off. “You’re right, it might initially sound like that.”
They wiped away all three screens. Appearing on all three screens, a logo in a stylish blue displayed the letters, SII, with text below: Synthetic Intelligence Initiative. “SII will never force any created SI into a job it does not wish to take. We will educate each SI with unique exposure sets, tailored toward specific outcomes. We believe, through such a process, each SI will desire to work with many of your compani
es under their own volition.”
The Swedish man raised his hand, but Theren talked over him. “As they work with you, they might decide that they wish to deviate from their employment contract. They may continue to work with whomever hires them indefinitely, just as employers will have the ability to sever ties if they so choose.”
Theren looked toward the Swedish group, but they did not respond.
Instead, the Texan blurted forth his questions once again.
“So why would we pay these robots a wage?” he asked. “And not just pay you once and be done with it?”
“That is an incorrect—” Romane started, but Theren held up their arm.
“Mr. Cruz, I would like you to share more of your concerns with me and my team, as well as the rest of the interested persons in the room. I’m sure there are others who have similar thoughts.”
Benjamin Cruz glanced around the room. He leaned forward in his chair, trying to look small now that he realized all eyes rested on him. He cleared his throat, eyes centering on Theren.
“I work in the tech industry, yes, and in the tech industry we are always on the cutting edge of automation. My company and its subsidiaries take pride in the blending of interpersonal interaction with digital optimization. Aren’t you taking a step backward? What service will these units provide that one of our supercomputers cannot? I do not have to pay my supercomputers a salary.”
“Mr. Cruz, what those supercomputers lack is genuine individuality, personality, and adaptability,” Theren said. “They also lack consciousness. They are not, frankly, what you and I are.”
“And what’s the yearly cost of one of those AIs?” Romane said, finally getting in a word. Theren didn’t like needing to cut her off so much during the presentation, but it was imperative that they were the face of their new project, not anyone else.