While Frank works on his Sisyphean task, I’ve chosen a different project. As the world nears the Singularity, where machines and Artificial Intelligence (AI) become smarter than people, we need to be prepared. Our species will be at a distinct disadvantage and maybe in peril if machines can both replace and dominate us. I am ever more convinced that day is coming soon.
When Big Blue, the IBM supercomputer, beat the world’s best chess player, I thought that was a milestone. However, chess is a game of logical rules, you have complete information on the board and hence, a certain combination of moves will always win. So to me, it just seemed like it was a “solvable” game like Tic-Tac-Toe but much more complex. I took comfort in the notion that machines were a long way from inventing solutions to games or situations where the information was incomplete, the opponent irrational or where some intuition might be required.
My comfort was short lived as games that require more than logic, and where information is incomplete, were solved. The very complex and highly intuitive Japanese game of Go was solved by Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo AI in 2015. A game of incomplete information and bluffing, No Limit Holdem Poker, was solved by the Carnegie Melon’s Liberatus AI in 2016. AI then started learning Quantum Physics and solving complex problems on its own that humans couldn’t solve. Something had to be done.
So I took up the challenge, that Elon Musk and many others expressed, to find a way to directly link a physical human brain to computers and the Internet. Our limitation as a species is bandwidth. Our physical brains were and are the most awesome computers ever invented with the ability to do billions of computations and, more importantly, analysis at high speed. However our output and connection to the world is slow. You can only speak or type up to a hundred or so words per minute. That limits us. So if I and my team could figure out a way to provide a high-speed connection, the human-digital combo could not only survive the Singularity, but thrive in the world of Artificial Intelligence. I hesitate to use the word, “Cyborg,” because it sounds too science-fictional, but the merger of human and digital intelligence is no less real or important.
Steve Jobs once said, “The computer is the bicycle of the mind.” We are out to make that literally true. Bart, Killer and I are making some steady progress. We’ve gotten beyond the simple manipulation of a mouse using your thoughts. We have developed a feedback mechanism that allows a human brain to read directly from a computer via an implant connected to Wifi. Our first subjects were a bit overwhelmed by the fire hose of information coming at them. So we had to dial it down while the subjects’ brains adapted and learned to sort it all out. That’s another advantage of the human brain, the ability to adapt to complex changes. I guess I was the “living” proof of that.
While I’m encouraged and excited by our progress, I still feel there is a long way to go. It seems kind of like a lot of complex journeys. You slog away, overcoming obstacles, for a long time and then one day you are there. No fanfare. You just arrive and say, “What’s next?”
EPILOGUE
The morning after the raid and the real death of the Leopard, Little and Hadar sat down in a corner table at the Crema Cafe off Church Street near Harvard Square. It was one of Michelle’s favorite spots and she needed a strong cup of coffee. They both did. The aroma of coffee brewing was better than her favorite perfume.
They were silent for some time, but it wasn’t awkward. It was as if they were forever attached to each other by the previous night’s events. Little finally broke the silence. “I checked this morning and your family is fine. They are settling in at an undisclosed location. I don’t even know where it is. But once we have security set up, you’ll be able to visit them probably sometime next week.”
“I appreciate all that you’ve done for me and my family. I was happy to at least have a phone call with them earlier. My father sounded better and more relaxed than I can remember. It’s a great relief for me. Meanwhile, what’s going to happen with my staff?”
“We’re still verifying what they told us, that they had no idea this was real and not a DOD simulation. Based on what you’ve told us, I’m inclined to believe them. We just want to make sure there weren’t one or two real co-conspirators mixed in that even you didn’t know about. The innocent ones should be released in the next couple of days. By the way, didn’t you say there were twelve in your team of engineers?”
“That’s correct, and they all had reported in last night.”
“Hmm. Well the local PD only put eleven on the bus. I’ll have to look into that.”
“What happens with the house and the office? I still have all my stuff there.”
“Right now it’s a crime scene. That’s the official designation. No need to panic the public. We’re in the process of legally confiscating the computers and any other items related to the conspiracy. Once we clear it in a few days, you can move back and stay as long as you like. The US government owns the house now and for the foreseeable future.”
“I’ll have to think about that. I really liked the house. But with all that happened there, I’m just not sure. Maybe I’ll move back to campus, if they have space and I can afford it. Good luck with that,” she said, talking mostly to herself. “This whole thing has really been unreal.”
“‘Unreal’ is the perfect word for it. It’s over for now, but who knows what new menace will rear its head tomorrow. Speaking of which, how would you like to come work for me at DHS? With your technical, personal and natural undercover skills, you would be a real asset. Plus I like you, which really helps for what I have in mind. We could arrange for you to finish up your degree at the same time. We might even be able to pay for your housing. I’d just have to get that one approved.”
“Whoa, that’s a surprise.” She glanced down at her hands and remained silent for a few moments. She was trembling. “But it’s not an unwelcome offer. What would I be doing, if I were to accept? I just have to warn you that that is a big ‘if.’”
“You would be my assistant, which would involve both technical analysis and some field work. Kind of like last night but hopefully not as scary. You’d even get to keep your clothes on. You also made a big decision last night to help us, even though you didn’t know for sure your family was safe. I value people who do the right thing despite the risks.”
“What did you mean by ‘personal skills?’” She smiled.
He smiled back and choked awkwardly on his mouth full of coffee. “I hope you didn’t take that the wrong way.”
“What if I did?”
“You did look pretty good there up in the bedroom.”
She threw her half-eaten blueberry muffin at him, hitting him directly in the forehead.
“Good aim too,” he said. They both laughed.
“How could you make a comment like that considering what went on last night?”
“One of the first things you’ll learn in this kind of work is you’re going to see and encounter some pretty terrible things. If you don’t keep your sense of humor, you’ll go crazy. I promise to stop short of harassment. So, will you consider my offer? Besides, there is already talk of me getting a major promotion. We could move up the ladder together.”
Her grin was even more playful now. “Well if you really get a promotion, I’ll consider it.”
AUTHOR’S NOTES
All the science and technology in this book is currently available and being deployed. The one exception is the digitizing of personalities, which is ‘in development’ and may arrive in the near future. If you’re curious, as I was, about some of this amazing stuff, here are some links to further information and insights on the topics mentioned in the order in which they appear in the book.
Computer control with your mind:
technologyreview.com/s/534206/a-brain-computer-interface-that-works-wirelessly
Trachtenberg System for doing complex math in your head:
Trachtenbergsystem.org
Schrödinger’s Cat and quantum superpositions:
&n
bsp; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat
NSA’s Bullrun program bypasses https and encryption protocols:
securityaffairs.co/wordpress/17577/intelligence/nsa-bullrun-program-false-perception-security.html
Nano sized computer processors:
bbc.com/news/technology-29066210
Colin Powell’s 40/70 Rule:
https://digitalkickstart.com/the-4070-rule-and-how-it-applies-to-you/
The world’s first Webcam - the Trojan room coffee pot:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20439301
Backscatter detection systems:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_X-ray
How do they lay transoceanic internet cables?
http://www.itworld.com/article/2947934/networking/heres-what-to-takes-to-lay-googles-9000km-undersea-cable.html
How good are Facial Recognition Systems?
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/how-good-facial-recognition-technology-government-regulation/397289/
Persistent Surveillance watches a whole city:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-baltimore-secret-surveillance/
Bowman Avenue Dam Iranian Hacking Incident:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/nyregion/rye-brook-dam-caught-in-computer-hacking-case.html?_r=0
DuoSkin Digital Tattoo Interface:
https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/12/duoskin/
Merging Human and Digital Intelligence:
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/13/elon-musk-humans-merge-machines-cyborg-artificial-intelligence-robots.html
The Artificial Intelligence That Solved Go
https://psmag.com/environment/alphago-go#.fvc9b8jl8
A.I. machines are learning quantum physics and solving complex problems
https://fossbytes.com/ai-learning-quantum-physics-solving-problem/
You can learn more about this book and the author at charleslevin.com
Contact or follow the author at facebook.com/Charles.Levin.Author
and twitter.com/charlielevin
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to give my utmost thanks to Steve, Kristine, Jess, Judy, Ken, Audrey, Luis and the team at Authorbytes for helping turn my manuscript into a finished novel. I can just hope it matches up to the cool graphics they produced for the cover and website.
Thanks to my early readers, Amy and Dan, for their constructive feedback. Finally, a big hug to my family who supported and put up with this crazy endeavor for three years.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlie is an emerging author who has written the novel Not So Dead, based on his 20 years of experience in the high-tech world and his degree in philosophy. He is the founder of Pathfinder Consulting Group, which builds, maintains, and markets multi-million dollar websites together with providing Strategic Planning and Business Development services. He lives in Tewksbury, NJ with his wife, Amy, and has two sons, too far away in California.
Not So Dead: A Sam Sunborn Novel Page 26