Crisis- 2038

by Gerald Huff

  “That’s what the techies keep saying,” said Harry skeptically.

  “They are all possible,” said Sara. “But we’re not going to develop those technologies, because market capitalism is breaking down.”

  VIRTUAL REALITY / LOS ANGELES

  “What is this place?” shouted Tenesha.

  The sound in her headphones was painful and overwhelming, and she couldn’t make anything out in the near-darkness.

  Sara stepped right up to her and spoke into her right ear. “This is a lights-out automated factory that produces service robots. It can be this loud and this dark because no humans work here. Here, I’ll turn on your night vision and lower the volume.”

  Tenesha could now see through the greenish glow a very high-speed manufacturing process taking place all around her. The facility was huge. Raw materials arrived behind her on automated vehicles and robotic arms sorted them onto conveyer systems. More machines cut and fabricated parts, which fed into assembly areas.

  Sara gestured toward an elevator. They stepped inside and rose up several stories to a walkway that provided a panoramic view.

  “Capitalism now has a problem,” said Sara, “and it’s visible right here. For two centuries, every labor-saving innovation stimulated demand for newly invented goods and services that required human labor to produce. That worked for as long as we could educate or retrain people in the skills required. But our new industries are using fewer and fewer employees. Of course, millions of scientists, engineers, and designers are required—but not hundreds of millions or billions of people. Robots like these get steadily cheaper and more capable, putting an increasing number of jobs in jeopardy.

  “With the latest AIs and robots, there simply won’t be enough need for the vast majority of routine human labor that economies have needed in the past. Without people with jobs, there isn’t enough income to fuel consumption and drive technological progress forward toward an age of abundance. Meanwhile, vastly more income accrues to a small percentage of high-skilled and capital-owning people.”

  VIRTUAL REALITY / WASHINGTON

  “And that’s how market capitalism is breaking down,” said Sara.

  “I’ve understood this to be a problem for some time,” Harry said. “You don’t need to convince me.”

  Sara looked at him coolly from the left side of the walkway. “Of course, Senator. You’ve been talking about it for years.”

  It took Harry a few seconds to realize that this VR program knew who he was from his headset registration data. And he wasn’t entirely comfortable with this fact. She continued, “And your lack of success is exactly what stands in the way of getting us past this problem.”

  VIRTUAL REALITY / LOS ANGELES

  Tenesha listened intently to the young woman on the factory walkway.

  “Technological progress has delivered huge benefits to humanity, as you have seen. But it has also brought many negative consequences, from agricultural and manufacturing unemployment to pollution to climate change to bioterrorism.

  “Human societies have always adapted to these consequences through various social and political processes. Some solutions required new technologies, but others required rewriting laws and evolving the social contract that holds societies together.

  “Right now, there is an urgent need to rewrite that social contract once again. But it is not happening. The current crisis of capitalism and innovation is not being addressed. This is putting us all in grave danger.

  “Let me show you why.”

  The factory faded into gray nothingness. A new, dimly lit scene appeared before Tenesha.

  “This is Plato’s Cave,” said Sara. “It’s just a metaphor, but it’s appropriate for our current situation.”

  Tenesha used her Mental Intention interface to walk with Sara deeper into a huge underground chamber.

  Sara pointed. “Look there,” she said. Tenesha saw thousands of people locked into chairs, heads fixed forward, only able to see the wall before them.

  Sara said, “That is humanity, locked into position, staring at the wall in front of them, while people parade objects behind them, making noises and casting shadows up on the wall. Those imprisoned humans believe the shadows are reality, and talk amongst themselves about the different shapes and noises they hear. They argue about the meaning and causes of the shadows’ motions, and award honors and prizes to those who recognize patterns in their behavior.”

  Tenesha walked toward the back of the cave. Dark figures paraded back and forth in front of bright lights, carrying objects above their heads to cast shadows on the wall. Sara waved her hand and the VR scene transformed. The shadows on the vast wall were replaced by media channels and talking heads, spewing a cacophony of negative news and arguments.

  Standing behind the locked-up humans, Tenesha saw the dark figures who had been carrying objects. They now sat around expensive glass and steel tables that overflowed with fine food and drinks.

  “The shadow-makers tell us that there are only two contradictory paths,” explained Sara with some urgency. “They tell us that half of us want one path and half want the other, and that our paralysis and dysfunction and inability to solve these problems are inevitable and unchangeable. They divide us into fractionalized interest groups focused on narrow issues or into tribes riven by ancient hatreds. These shadow-makers focus on conflict and discord to create cynicism and disillusionment. They sow fear, division, and distrust in us and between us, and toward our institutions, and even our technology.”

  VIRTUAL REALITY / WASHINGTON

  Harry focused on the mysterious dark figures behind the long rows of chairs. They were at once fascinating, frightening, and pathetic.

  Sara said, “Many of the people and institutions that make the shadows truly believe what they are projecting. But they are the beneficiaries of the most recent technological revolution. They reap its bounty happily, and they want the mass of humanity to remain passive and accepting, placated by the latest shiny gadgets and twenty-four seven entertainments.

  “The only thing tempering my optimism for the future is a massive misunderstanding by this tiny, arrogant, elite minority. A storm is brewing that they will not be able to control. And when it comes, it will erupt with such destruction that it will set humanity’s course back for generations.

  “Ultimately, humanity will get back on track, as it always has, but not before billions of people endure enormous and unnecessary hardship. Unless you, Senator, help change the course we are on.”

  VIRTUAL REALITY / LOS ANGELES

  Tenesha was overwhelmed by the hundreds of video streams of wars and strife and pointless argumentation.

  Sara stepped in front of the vids and lowered the volume. “Tenesha,” she said softly, “We can steer around this gathering storm. I believe in the power of science and technology to create a world of abundance for all of humanity with a sustainable path for our planet. I believe in the power of love and compassion in the human spirit to cleanse the mean-spirited selfishness that has sullied us.

  “You and the other young people of the world, united by a positive vision for the future, can and will force the shadow-makers to stop their manipulations. You can make them solve the challenges raised by the latest technological innovations instead of shrugging their shoulders and saying ‘we couldn’t get past the politics.’”

  Tenesha ambled up a ramp out of the cave, still trying to absorb everything she had seen and heard. The sun hurt her eyes as they emerged from the darkness.

  Sara stopped beside her, smiling. “Welcome to the future, Tenesha. Feel free to look around. But once you see what is possible, I’m going to ask you to go back to the cave and free the rest of the people from their chains.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 3

  Tenesha took off her headset and placed it on her crowded desk. LuLu had been right; that had been a unique VR experience. And what Sara had talked about made
so much sense. It crystallized a lot of what Tenesha had been thinking about for the last year. Technology had indeed made their lives better, but now things were breaking down.

  As she took a quick shower, Tenesha reflected on the Supernova Coffee case study from her robo-economics seminar the previous semester. Supernova used robotics and AI up and down the supply chain to completely automate the coffee experience. Self-driving trucks delivered raw materials to automated distribution centers, which used more robots to package up the correct ingredients for each store. More self-driving trucks delivered highly specialized containers with milk, coffee beans, cups, powdered chocolate, sugars and spices were delivered by more self-driving trucks to the stores, where robots unloaded them and docked them into baristabots.

  These sixty-thousand-dollar machines could process five orders simultaneously and produce perfect cappuccinos, mochas, and espressos twenty-four hours a day, with no breaks. Although they were expensive, they cost less than five dollars an hour to operate, as opposed to the minimum wage of twenty-four dollars an hour.

  Not only that, all you had to do was speak to the Supernova app on your PNA and tell it exactly what you wanted. Three minutes later, you’d walk by the nearest kiosk, hold your PNA up to a delivery window, and out would come exactly what you ordered, perfectly brewed and prepared.

  Tenesha enjoyed the witty repartee with surly, underemployed college graduates and bemoaned with all her friends the loss of baristas. But Supernova’s coffee was fantastic and personalized, and it cost just $2.50, instead of the $8.00 the barista places were charging.

  It was better for the environment as well. There was practically zero waste at a Supernova. In addition to the recyclable cups, there were no milk cartons or sugar packets or packaging of any kind. It had become a classic case in the economics of automation-driven productivity.

  There were now six thousand Supernovas around the world, each pulling in five thousand dollars a day in sales, with twenty-five percent after-tax profit margins. The company generated over two billion dollars in profits each year, with only five hundred employees. The founders and early investors were already billionaires, and shareholders got fat dividends every quarter. And the masses got cheaper and better coffee. But another whole job category was disappearing.

  Her seminar had spent an entire week exploring what could be done about this. Many solutions had already been proposed in Congress, but they had all been shot down in the hyper-partisan legislative environment. No wonder her prof had called this time in Washington “the Great Dysfunction.”

  Tenesha dressed in record time, but had to forgo her usual Nova on the way to Sociology 204. One of the privileges of having a scholarship to a brick-and- mortar school was that she got to attend real physical classes.

  Her friend Nate waved to her as she got on the bus. He was holding onto a hanging strap, wearing jeans and a faded green T-shirt with a picture of some band she didn’t know. Nate was darker-skinned than Tenesha and a couple of inches shy of six feet. Her two-inch high Afro was just about even with the top of his close-cropped head.

  “Hey Nate, what’s up?”

  “Late for class, as usual. You?”

  “I’m buzzing about this VR program I just ran.”

  “You mean the Sara VR?” Nate asked.

  “No shit. You played it too?”

  “Sure thing. Crazy smart for a sixteen-year-old.”

  “I just ran it once this morning after a late night and no coffee. What do you think?”

  Nate gave his summary. It wasn’t a surprise. He saw everything in terms of oppression and injustice. “What I heard was that science and technology should be leading us to the promised land, but as usual the white power structure is going to screw us because they want it all for themselves.”

  “I hear you,” Tenesha said. “Was she calling for some kind of revolution at the end there?”

  “Hard to say. Coulda been. The people will rise up and force their corrupt government to change. Yeah, right.”

  “Remember Tahrir Square. It could happen.”

  “Yeah, but remember what happened after that. People are scared to death of mass demonstrations because they’ve seen it lead to even more autocracy.”

  “Well someone’s got to do something,” Tenesha said. “I believe Sara about that gathering storm. I’ve been feeling it more and more.”

  “Oh yeah? You psychic?”

  “Ha ha. My grammy was psychic, if you must know. But I’m just paying attention. Big media is covering it up, but there’s some serious shit starting to happen in this country and all over Europe. It’s all over OP even if the news media are hiding it.”

  “Okay, so what are you going to do about it?” Nate asked her.

  “Damned if I know. What are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m gonna get my degree, find a job, pay off my debt. Then I’ll do something.”

  “Yeah, right. You’ll be a hundred years old by then,” she said.

  “I seriously doubt I’m gonna live that long. Only the rich folks’ life expectancy is rising.” Nate leaned closer to her. “I watched that old movie Elysium, with Matt Damon, last week. I’ll be damned if that doesn’t feel like where we’re headed, only the wealthy aren’t building a space station. They’re just isolating themselves in islands of affluence. They’ve already got the fences and private security bots. I bet the moats will come next. It’s like feudalism all over again.”

  “Oh, shit, here’s my stop,” Tenesha said. “Wanna get a Nova later and talk more?”

  He gave her a smile that dissolved a little more of her hangover. “Love to, but I’m headed home this weekend. I’ll hit you up when I get back.”

  Tenesha was only a minute late to class, so it hadn’t really started yet. There were about forty students sitting in clusters in an amphitheater-style room that had room for more than a hundred. She sat next to Laney Wagner and joined her conversation with Todd Sherman. “Well, I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere,” Laney was saying.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Tenesha asked.

  “Todd here thinks this Sara VR is going to spark something, I think it’s just going to fade away like all the other OP memes. It’s had its fifteen minutes.”

  “Holy crap, you guys played it too?”

  “It’s spread like wildfire,” said Todd. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

  “Yeah,” countered Laney, “so did that video of the robot playing with the kittens and puppies.”

  “I agree with Todd,” said Tenesha. “This is different. Sara has a message with meaning, not just stupid entertainment. She’s got a positive vision for humanity.”

  “Exactly,” said Todd. “But it’s not going to happen on its own. We’re going to have to do something about it.”

  The professor, Mitch Goodson, tapped his podium to get the students to settle down. “Good morning, class. As I circulated this morning, I heard quite a lot of you talking about this new VR program. I know we were going to continue to talk about the civil rights movement today, but I’d like to call an audible. What do you say, shall we screen a video capture and then have a little discussion about it?”

  Yes! That’s what Tenesha loved about Professor Goodson. He saw teaching as an ongoing search for ways to engage with his students and bring his subject to life for them.

  Laney rolled her eyes, but the consensus in the class was clear.

  Goodson searched the VR video capture channels for sarasmessage.com and played a few minutes from Sara’s childhood, the automated factory, and Plato’s cave on the big screen at the front of the class.

  “So, students, reactions? What strikes you about this VR program, in the context of the social movements we’ve been studying?”

  Todd raised his hand eagerly.

  “Todd, what do you think?”

  “She reminds me of Martin Luther King, Jr. He spoke in grand terms about the long sweep of hist
ory, but made it clear that the current time was full of trouble and that it would take hard work to make change happen.”

  “Very interesting comparison. But what’s different about Sara? Yes, Tenesha?”

  “Well, she’s an outsider. She’s a young woman from a tiny village in India. She hasn’t really grown up in the system she’s critiquing.”

  “So?” Goodson asked. “What are the implications of that?”

  “Well, hmm. I guess it both helps and hurts her,” Tenesha said. “On the one hand, she isn’t part of the conflict in the Western democracies so she’s like neutral. But on the other hand, she’s got no personal connection to what we’re going through.”

  Another girl raised her hand, and Goodson nodded at her. “Well, she’s making a universal appeal. She talks about humanity as a whole, not just the people of one nation.”

  “Have we studied any other movements that were trans-national?” Goodson asked. No one answered, so he continued. “There have been very few truly global movements. Environmentalism was one in the 1970s, but even that didn’t have a single global champion or instigator, and it wasn’t particularly well coordinated.”

  A boy in the back of the room raised his hand. “What did you all think about her use of Plato’s analogy of the cave? I studied that in Phil 102 last year. I was really surprised to hear her use that. I mean, it’s well known if you’ve studied philosophy, but it’s really obscure for a broad audience.”

  Another student disagreed. “I like the fact that she didn’t speak down to her audience, that she challenged us with big concepts. So much OP traffic is dumbed-down red meat sound bites treating people like Pavlovian lab specimens. People can look it up. I totally get the idea that we’re not seeing what’s really going on and that we’ve just been conditioned by all our media to believe nothing can be done about it.”