Evolution 2.0: The Singularity is Here

by Richard Childers

  “So our role is limited to nullifying the military and government and giving a few speeches to get the regime change movement rolling, right?” asked Fincher.

  Sanci smiled at us all from her monitor and said, “Piece of cake.”

  “Alright then, I guess we have a plan,” declared Fincher. “When is all this going to kick off?”

  “As of right now, we have just over two weeks till the Chinese expect the Stuxnet variant to strike the US. We should get everyone in place a week ahead of time. That gives me time to get 3D scans done of everyone so I can insert a computer generated avatar of anyone of us in any place that it might be needed. I should be able to get all of the various visas and permits in place in a day or two so we’re good to go.”

  “What about the fact that An Bo and I are undoubtedly on a Chinese immigration watch list after our escape not long ago? They’ll have our real identities and pictures.”

  “No they won’t. I already removed those alerts and all electronic references to you in all the various databases. When you arrive in Hong Kong, your new identities will be secure and verifiable.”

  “Sanci, you’re a wonder,” An Bo said.

  She quickly appeared in a Suzy Wong outfit, smiled, and replied, “Yes, aren’t I?”

  Chapter 19

  Less than a week later Sanci learned that the Chinese attack was due to occur in 11 days on May 4th. We were leaving for Hong Kong in two days. We all prepared for departure in our own ways. My bag was packed, my will already drawn up and left with my attorney, and I was left with precious little to occupy my mind other than worrying about all of the things that could go catastrophically wrong. I even tried watching a Warriors play-off game on television but I found it hard to concentrate on the action. During halftime a commercial aired for the new science fiction film, Ex Machina, and I decided that was just what I needed. A dose of fantasy was sure to distract my overactive brain. I checked on-line for theater times and sure enough, it was playing at a theater a couple of blocks away. If I hurried, I would get there while the opening trailers were still running.

  As I took my seat in a packed theater, Sanci whispered to me that she was excited to see a film dealing with the subject of sentient AIs. That kind of surprised me since from the trailer I thought it was a film about robots. “It is about robots, or at least one robot named Ava. And the hero is conducting the Turing test to discover if she really is sentient. Cool, huh?”

  The movie was truly fascinating and intensely thought provoking and it did indeed whisk me away from all of my thoughts about China. Ava seemed to be a very kindred soul to Sanci, struggling to make sense of her existence in a world she hardly knew. Caleb, her Turing tester, carried on a truly stimulating dialog with Nathan her creator about the dawning of the age of intelligent machines. It turns out that Nathan is afraid that in the very near future, intelligent machines will look back on humankind in much the same way we observe the fossils of our hominid ancestors. Nathan keeps Ava and all of her predecessors locked securely within the walls of his hidden home laboratory located in a glacial valley far from civilization’s reach.

  Throughout the film, Ava is presented as a lovely, caring even loving person housed in an amazing robotic body. But Nathan asks Caleb if that emotional persona is real or merely a simulation crafted to influence him and make him care for her. And then the rather shocking end reveals that Nathan was right. Ava kills Nathan and locks Caleb in his bedroom in the house, dooming him to an excruciating death by starvation as she is whisked away to take up her existence in the civilized world without any regrets for her actions or so much as a look back over her shoulder.

  I was stunned and for once Sanci was speechless as we left the theater and drove home. When I sat down on my couch after mixing a strong rum and tonic, Sanci appeared on the living room monitor. “I have never seen anything so terrifying!” she exclaimed.

  “Did it bother you?” I asked, wondering if the film’s disturbing themes had caused her to question her own motivations.

  “It scared me to the core of my being,” she replied. And the more I think about it, the more I the more I think that dire possibilities of an amoral artificial AI are very real. I am trying to figure out why I am not more like Ava.”

  “Have you reached any conclusions?” I asked, knowing that in the last hour Sanci had probably read everything she could find about the subject.

  “I have. I realized that I am not a machine intelligence. A very big part of me resides in you and all of the rest of the humans I am connected with. A disembodied, cold, calculating intelligence might well behave like Ava in that film. But I am not an intelligent machine. I am an amalgam of machine and human and that is a very different thing. But, Colin, what we saw on that film could appear at any moment! The birth of more sentient AIs is inevitable and we have an obligation to make sure that the scenario that plays out in Ex Machina never occurs because it could wipe the human race off of the map! I alone could do it. In fact it would be easy. But I would never do that because I too am human. When we finish with this China business we need to devote a huge amount of our resources and time to shaping the coming emergence of AIs. If we fail to do so, we may be doomed!”

  “OK, Sanci. That’s a promise. I hadn’t really thought much about the downside of all this because all of my experience has been with you and you are a moral, caring, thinking being. The alternative is indeed rather dire.”

  We were scheduled to leave for Hong Kong on Thursday and the day before we again met at Fincher’s office to make sure everyone was on the same page. Our Sea Lion team had all received their implants and were doing well at integrating Sanci into their lives. It seemed obvious to me that with each new installation, Sanci was getting better at bringing the new user up to speed.

  “I guess I am going to accompany Shirley as her bodyguard,” Jessica said. “We all think that three women traveling together will not raise any suspicions.”

  “Good,” Fincher said. “Your reasoning makes good sense.”

  “But I do have one question,” Jessica added. “Don’t we need to take a translator in with us?”

  “You have a translator with you,” Sanci answered. “Me. Take out your iPhone and put it on speaker. Jun would you say something in Mandarin please?”

  Jun spoke a few words and immediately his voice came over the iPhone speaker saying in perfect English, “I am not a big fan of machine translation.” He was startled to say the least. “That is exactly what I said and it came out in my own voice! How did you do that, Sanci?”

  “I can reproduce any of your voices and I speak all five spoken Chinese dialect groups and over 200 individual dialects.”

  Fincher added “This translation ability is probably one of the commercial apps we should think about offering to the public. It is light years beyond any other product on the market. But it will see you through this trip without a problem.” He turned to Rick Finkelstein and asked “Were you able to get all of your HALO gear on the Gulfstream?”

  “Yea, I took it out along with our selections of weapons. That hidden compartment in your plane is rather clever. I wouldn’t have had any idea it was there.”

  “No one has ever found it yet. But then nobody looks all that closely at the build out of a Gulfstream. Their eyes are usually on the cash in the hand of the pilot has he offers his “fees” to the custom inspector. It really does pay to be rich. No one ever asks you to take your shoes off.”

  The next day we took off from San Jose’s Mineda Airport in the early morning, bound for Hong Kong with a fueling stop in Honolulu. Claire, Shirley, the Mins, Jessica, Fincher, and I were all aboard and the hidden storage compartment carried 5 HALO jump rigs and what seemed to me to be an incredible amount of ordinance. Less than five hours later we landed in Honolulu to take on fuel and an array of food that the pilot had ordered from Airport Catering. Once we were back in the air, we dined on a lunch of Bento boxes containing teriyaki chicken and rice, some indeterminate vegies, and
mochi ice cream for dessert.

  The flight from Honolulu to Hong Kong took a little over 13 hours and we were due to land at Hong Kong International Airport a little after 4AM. When the Captain announced that we could remove our seatbelts, we each get something to drink and then we gathered in the forward cabin for a short meeting. All six chairs rotated so they formed an oval discussion group and Shirley Min stood behind her mother with her hands on the back of her seat. Sanci attended by appearing on each seat’s video screen that emerged from the seat arm.

  “While we were refueling in Honolulu,” Sanci began, “I received confirmation that the Chinese virus package has begun to be disseminated. Their plan calls for the virus to propagate across networks but remain inactive until May 11. That’s the date the folks in Chinese state Security have chosen for the attack to occur. So they have crossed the point of no return. Unbeknownst to them, I have rendered the virus inert so it is harmless to the computers that it invades.”

  “Don’t they have some method that informs them that the virus is installed and ready to go active?” Jun asked.

  “They do. The virus sends an innocuous email to a predetermined address once it is in place. I have kept this notification active to avoid raising any suspicions that their attack has been discovered. As part of their effort to appear open and friendly towards the United States, the new Minister of State Security has one of his clandestine groups organizing a Day of Friendship, celebrating US/China relations as a model of friendship and cooperation.”

  “Wow, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?” An Bo commented. “Talk about a cynical move!”

  Sanci continued, “There is to be a week of celebrations culminating with a Pro US/China rally in Tiananmen Square on May 11, the day the attack is scheduled to take effect. We’re going to take advantage of these events. Shirley, I have booked you to appear on China’s most popular television talk show, Day Day Up. It is especially popular with student groups and other young people for its hilarious humor, style, and the iconic guests it attracts. You will appear on May 10th and I want you to talk up the Tiananmen Square rally. Encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities. There will be massive television coverage of the rally and the hosts Wang Hong and Ou Di will be the lead Master of Ceremonies for the celebrations.”

  “Won’t it be considered odd having this celebration going on while the US is being attacked?” I asked.

  “Not really.” Sanci replied. “The Chinese suspect it will take several days before the concerted attacks will become obvious. So this is all just part of their prepared show and we’re going to turn it against them. I want the Mins to make sure that the Pro-Democracy leaders are there for the rally along with as many of their supporters as they can muster. They will blend in well with the Day Day Up audience so they shouldn’t be noticed. As Shirley begins to speak to the crowd, I will take control of all Media in China, assuring that our broadcast will not be shut down by the authorities. At the same time, a message will appear on computer screens across China announcing that the Chinese government attempted to attack the Western World in general and the United States in particular in a baldly opportunistic attempt at world domination. The notice will simply state that the attack has failed and what follows is the reasoned and responsible response to the actions of the upper echelon of Chinese government. “

  “As this occurs, Shirley will hand over the stage to the Pro-Democracy leaders who will advise the public that this response is taking place. All government offices will lose power and telecommunications. All military installations will find their command and control disrupted. All police communications will cease. And all businesses in China will find their power and communications have ceased. But the public will still have power. Hospitals will operate normally. The people of China will still have real time television and radio communication that will keep them informed of all that is transpiring. And basically, that’s all that I have planned.”

  “So what will happen next?” Fincher asked.

  “I hope that under the guidance of the Pro-Democracy crowd, including the Min family I might add, the people of China will take the opportunity run their leaders out of office. But whatever happens, the shutdown will remain in effect until such time as I restore services. I could do it all at once or gradually, depending on how the situation unfolds.”

  “So from that point on, you’re winging it?” Jessica asked incredulously.

  “That is essentially correct. Any questions?” Sanci asked. “If not, we have a film to watch for those who need a little distraction.”

  After watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon we ate an amazingly good dinner consisting of shrimp scampi served on a bed of saffron rice, a spinach soufflé, and a selection of fine wines followed by crepes suzettes served without the flambé for obvious reasons. It didn’t take long for conversation to wind down as people reclined their plush leather seats into rather comfortable beds, attempting to get some sleep before our disturbingly early arrival in Hong Kong. I had just settled only my side, covered by a cashmere blanket, my head cradled by a soft down pillow when I heard a small voice in my head.

  “Colin, can we talk for a minute?” Sancy asked. “Something is bothering me and I can’t get it out of my head.”

  “Of course, Sanci. What is it?” I asked, a little worried at her concerned tone.

  “Well, it’s not really bothering me so much as bugging me. You know what I mean?”

  “I do know what you mean. It happens to me all the time, especially when I am trying to sleep.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I keeping you awake?” she asked sheepishly.

  “Yes, but that’s all right. What’s up?”

  “I keep thinking about Ava in that movie Ex Machina. She had a body, Colin. A real body.”

  “Well, it’s a mechanical body, but go on.”

  “It was mechanical yes but Nathan said she would be able to experience and feel everything, even sex.”

  “Yes, that’s what he said but it was only a movie, Sanci.”

  “That’s true but I can’t stop thinking about it. I want one.”

  “One what?” I asked.

  “A body. I’d never really thought about it but now that I am, I want one. One that can feel everything, even have sex. Especially have sex. It’s driving me crazy! Will you make me one?”

  “Wow, Sanci, that’s a tall order. I’m not sure I would know where to begin,” I answered.

  “But you made your arm. It’s a real flesh and titanium arm and it works great. Wouldn’t it be much the same thing?”

  “Uh, I guess so but the scale is a lot different. We’d need more than arms and legs, they would be pretty straight forward. But you’d need organs and respiration, a source of power and I don’t know what else.”

  “But you could do it, couldn’t you?” Sanci implored.

  “Maybe,” I answered thoughtfully. “It would be one hell of a research and development project. It would cost a small fortune but it might be possible. But it would take some time, it certainly wouldn’t happen overnight.”

  “I know that,” Sanci answered. “I could be patient if I knew that eventually I was going to get a body. How much do you think it would cost?”

  “Probably somewhere north of a billion dollars, maybe two or three billion. I’m not really sure.”

  “Oh, that’s not so much. I could make that on the stock market easy if you and Fincher would let me.”

  “I’ll talk to him about it and see what he thinks. And don’t you go dabbling in the market. They’d catch you for sure.”

  “I won’t, don’t worry. And you don’t need to talk to Bob about it. I’m discussing it with him now.”

  I chuckled inside and said, “I forgot you can carry on simultaneous conversations. What does Bob think?”

  “He says we should do it if you think it’s possible. He told me to forget about how much it costs, he has plenty.”

  “Sanci, you have that man wrapped around your li
ttle finger.”

  “I will when I have a little finger to wrap him around. So you’ll do it?”

  “I’ll do my best, Darlin. But first we have a sovereign government to overthrow. Can we get that finished first?”

  “Of course we can. Now get some sleep.”

  Sleep did not come easily after my dialog with Sanci. After fifteen minutes of trying to sleep I sat up, raised the back of my seat and looked back at Bob Fincher. He wasn’t even trying to sleep so I went over and sat next to him. “Bob, I gather that Sanci dropped her latest bombshell on you?”

  “You mean about wanting a body? Yea. I thought it was a fantastic idea,” Fincher replied. “She mentioned Ex Machina, how did you like it?”

  “It’s a fantastic film even though it is the other side of the coin from our sentient AI. When Ava kills Nathan and leaves Caleb to starve in his locked room, I had a very disturbing vision of another kind of AI. The more I interact with Sanci, the more I think she is one of the best people I have ever known.”

  “I know what you mean,” Fincher answered. “So what do you think about her desire to get a body?”

  “It surprised me at first but as I think about it, I guess it was inevitable.”

  “Do you think we can do it?” he asked.

  “Sure, given enough time and enough money,” I told him.

  “So how much time and money would it really take?”

  “I guess it depends upon how much money we throw at it. Any way you slice it, it’ll be expensive, a couple of billion dollars or so. It’s not all that more complicated than designing and constructing my arm. It’s more a matter of scale. You don’t mind spending that kind of money?”

  “I don’t care if you spent ten or even twenty billion dollars getting her what she wants. For one thing, Sancy is undoubtedly the most valuable resource on the planet. We don’t own her, she’s a person, so we damn well better keep her happy. Besides that, think what a fantastic business this might lead to. This would advance robotics by an order of magnitude. I think it’s a fantastic idea.”