by Don Viecelli
Julian said no more. He moved to his own work desk and began to work on his final project. In a way it was more revolutionary than his work on G. It would be the accumulation of all the scientific breakthroughs he had achieved over the last twenty years of work. No one knew what he planned to do except G. He just hoped he could accomplish it before his death.
*****
Timothy showed up at the house just as dinner was about to start. He washed his hands and joined Julian for dinner. Maria had prepared a dinner of chicken parmesan topped with mozzarella cheese and served with pasta and bread. It was delicious.
Maria had to leave as soon as dinner was served to go back to her home and prepare dinner for her family. Upon her departure, Julian asked, “Where did you go for the afternoon, Timothy?”
“I went to the town beach again, Great Grandpa,” Timothy answered in between mouthfuls of food. “It was great.”
“Did you meet anyone your own age?”
“Not really. I almost joined a beach volleyball game with some kids, but told them I had something to do and would play with them this weekend if I get a chance.”
“I’m glad you’re keeping busy while you’re here, Timothy. I want you to do something for me in the lab after dinner. G will take a swab sample to run a DNA test for his work.”
“Sure thing, Great Grandpa. What’s it for?”
“G will explain. I have to finish and send some paperwork to Chicago for the contest. Maybe we can watch the sunset again tonight and then you can call your parents.”
“Okay. I’ll do the dishes and go see G. We’re going to hit some golf balls tonight using your old set of clubs. Do you want to play?” Timothy asked.
“No, I’m getting too old to play golf anymore. Maybe I’ll come out to watch. Your dad says you’re pretty good on the golf course.”
“He taught me how to play. I’m going to try out for the golf team when I get to high school.”
Timothy cleared the table after dinner and put the dishes in the dishwasher for Julian. He did this same chore at home for his parents. When he finished cleaning up, he went to the lab. G was waiting for him.
“Great Grandpa says you need a swab sample of my DNA, G.”
“That is correct.” G opened a test kit for a buccal swab and asked Timothy to open his mouth. He collected a reference sample from inside Timothy’s cheek.
“What’s this for?” Timothy asked after G took a swab.
“Do you know about the human genome project, Timothy?” G asked.
“Yes, we learned all about it in school.”
“I am going to do a full genome sequencing of your DNA to determine your entire DNA profile, which includes over twenty-three thousand genes and six billion base pairs or letters. All of this is less than eight hundred thousand megabytes of data.”
“Why do you need my DNA?”
“Julian says I must take it with me on my voyage to the stars in case I need it to show what humans are made off.”
Timothy did not know what to say. It was too improbable to imagine. Then he thought of something. “Would someone be able to make a copy of me with my DNA?”
“In all probability, yes,” G answered. He knew it was entirely possible.
Timothy shook his head and changed the subject. “I think we should hit some golf balls now, G. Would you like to try?”
G said he would like to try that very much, so he put away the DNA sample and they went outside. Timothy found Julian’s spare golf club set and some golf balls in the garage. He also found a practice hitting net and went about setting it up. Within ten minutes he was ready to hit some balls.
“Watch how I hold the club, swing and hit the ball, G” Timothy said as he took a few practice swings to loosen up. Then he stepped up to the grass in front of the net, placed a golf ball on a tee, addressed the ball, moved the five-iron back and forth a few times near the golf ball and finally swung away. The club hit the ball with a satisfying smack and the ball flew into the center of the net. Timothy hit half a dozen balls like this and turned to G. “It’s your turn now.” He handed the five-iron to G.
G had never hit a golf ball before. It looked easy to him. Timothy helped him grip the club properly and swing the club a few times. Then Timothy placed a golf ball on the tee and stood back while G took his first swing. He missed the ball completely. G looked confused. “What did I do wrong, Timothy?”
“You need to bend your knees, G. Your swing is too high off the ball.”
G bent his knees and swung again. This time he hit the ball, but it sliced to the right, almost missing the net. Timothy helped G straighten out his shot after a dozen or more swings of the club. Another twenty minutes of practice and G was starting to get the feel of hitting a golf ball properly. Timothy changed clubs to the metal drivers and they continued to practice. Finally, Timothy was ready to put G to the test. “Let’s try hitting some balls to the lake, G.”
Timothy moved to the side of the net and looked down to the lake. They were about 100 yards from the water. He checked to make sure no one was coming in either direction. He placed a ball on the tee, picked up the number one driver and swung as hard as he could. The ball shot straight and true a good 250 yards into the lake. He hit two more balls just like it. Then he handed the club to G. “Your turn.”
G took the club. He set a ball on a tee. He took a practice swing just like he had seen Timothy do. Then he swung. The golf ball took off like a bullet and travelled at least 400 yards into the lake, straight as an arrow. He hit two more balls just like the first. He turned to Timothy and handed him the club. “I like this game, Timothy. You must teach me more.”
Timothy just shook his head. He wasn’t sure who was teaching whom anymore.
Chapter 13
The weekend flew by for Timothy. He went back to the beach in town both days and played volleyball with several new friends. One friend’s family owned a jet ski and they let Timothy water ski most of the afternoon on Sunday. Timothy was sorry to see the fun end. He knew he would be leaving next Saturday to attend the Loebner Prize Contest with his family and G. He wished he could tell his friends what he was doing besides having fun at the beach, but he knew it would have to wait. Besides, they would hear what happens on the news soon enough.
Timothy was getting quite a tan from his time in the sun. His hair was a lighter color and he avoided sunburn. He knew Johnny and Amy back home would be envious, but then, everyone got a tan on the river over the summer. They were outdoors every day.
After dinner on Sunday, Julian pulled Timothy aside and told him he needed to speak to him. “I need to talk to you about the competition next Saturday. We have to prepare G for what will happen. But first, let me tell you about the contest. Do you know who Hugh Loebner was?” Julian asked.
“Only what you told my dad and me at dinner last week?” Timothy answered.
“Hugh Loebner was an inventor and business man who created the contest in 1991 to award a prize for the best computer program that could demonstrate artificial intelligence and pass the Turing Test. Prizes have been awarded for best efforts and a lot of people have tried to win the top award since then, but no machine entity has passed the Turing Test. Artificial intelligence has improved dramatically in the last twenty years and the test has been modified many times. It is much harder to pass the test now and the stakes are much higher. If G wins, he will be put under extreme scrutiny and many segments of society may perceive him as a threat.”
“G wouldn’t hurt anyone, Great Grandpa. I know it,” Timothy blurted out.
“I know that, Timothy, but you have to realize how this might upset a lot of people. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to be frightened if some people try to cause trouble during the contest.”
“I understand, Great Grandpa. I won’t be afraid of what people might do,” Timothy answered.
“Good. Then let me tell you how the contest will be run. This year there will be eight judges to test eight non-human
contestants. Each contestant will have a separate entity number and will be paired with a human contestant. The judges will ask questions of each contestant through a computer program and try to determine who is human and who is not by the answers they receive. The judges will not talk directly to any contestant during the contest. After twenty-five minutes, the judges will score the contestants and rate how human they are and move on to the next two contestants. The testing will take eight hours for all sixteen contestants. After the judges have totaled the scores and reviewed the results they will announce the three finalists with the highest scores. Then the judges will decide if any of the contestants passed the Turing Test to win the top prize. As I have said, no contestant has won the top prize yet.”
“Will the questions be hard?” Timothy asked.
“Not really. The judges will ask simple questions any high school graduate can easily answer. The judges will try to have a normal conversation through the computer to see if they can tell which of the two contestants is the machine. People are pretty good at sensing if a person is human by just listening to the answers.”
“What if G doesn’t win the prize? Will that be a problem?”
“No, it won’t be a problem, Timothy. The Turing Test is not infallible; it’s just a good indicator of how well a machine program with artificial intelligence performs. You know how G thinks. He has broad reasoning abilities, what is known as the ‘general intelligence factor’ or ‘g’. That is how I named him. He has a high IQ and we don’t know what really causes that in humans.”
“I wondered about the name,” Timothy said. “But why are you making G take the test if he doesn’t have to?”
“I want to prepare the world for what the future may hold. You see, G is the first android with intelligence much greater than our own. G’s IQ is off the charts. No one is smarter than him. This will have many implications that we, as humans, must adapt to. We need androids like G to do things we cannot do, such as travel to the stars, explore our universe and find new homes where humans can live.”
“How are we ever going to be as smart as G?”
“We will have to enhance our brains with similar nanotube technology as G. We will have to become part machine to survive as a species.” Julian paused to see if Timothy grasped what he was trying to say.
“You mean we have to become androids?” Timothy asked hesitantly.
“No, not like androids. We will still be human a hundred years from now. We’ll just be a whole lot smarter and stronger.”
“I think I understand, Great Grandpa. I don’t know what I would do if I was as smart as G.”
“It would open up a whole new set of opportunities that everyone could share. At least, that is how I feel about it. Anyway, this is all I wanted to talk to you about today. Why don’t you visit with G? We can ask him to prepare another bonfire for us tonight. We could roast marshmallows over the fire if you want.”
“That would be great. I’ll go see if G will start the fire.”
*****
While Julian and Timothy were having dinner and discussing the contest procedures, G was working in the lab. He walked over to another door and unlocked it. Inside was a second lab that no one but G and Julian were allowed to enter. The lights automatically turned on as G walked over to a long metal table similar in appearance to an operating table. On the table was another android model very similar in size and shape as G. This android was purchased from the same supplier as G at the same time. However, this android was being reserved for another purpose.
G opened the chest compartment and reached inside. He removed the computer processing module. He set is aside and replaced the module with the one he had been working on in the main lab. The nanotube circuitry inside the module was the same design as in G’s module with the same memory core and processing capabilities, but Julian was planning to use this module for a completely different purpose. Currently, only basic control function data had been loaded into the computer processing module. G was running diagnostic tests to make sure all components worked properly. G finished his tests, removed the module and put the original module back inside the chest compartment. He then returned to the main lab to do some more work on another project. Within the hour Timothy came into the lab.
“Hello, G. What are you working on now?” Timothy asked as he sat down beside him.
G did not mention his work on the other module. “I am testing a new algorithm program for deep space data transmissions. The signal has to be secure and fast so I can communicate with NASA when I leave on my journey.” G made it sound like a routine mission.
“When do you think you will leave Earth?”
“My astronaut training will begin in September and last for one year. That is when the new rocket will be ready with a new propulsion system. While I am on my journey, Earth scientists will develop even faster spaceships that will one day catch up to me. By then I will be obsolete.” G said this without any emotion.
Timothy thought about what G had said. He had a question. “What will they do when you are obsolete?”
“My memory core will be uploaded into a new computer memory system. I may even get a new body. It will not matter. I will continue my journey.” G turned off his test program. I am ready to go outside and play if you wish.”
“My Great Grandpa thought you could build another bonfire so we can roast marshmallows tonight.”
“I will be happy to prepare the bonfire. When it is dark, we can view the stars again.” Timothy thanked G and left to go outside.
A few minutes later, Julian joined Timothy down by the fire pit and they decided to take a short walk along the beach. The wind had died down and the sun was just setting. Julian looked down at Timothy as they walked and commented, “I’m really glad you decided to stay with me and G for a while. You’ve been very helpful. I hope you haven’t been too bored without your friends back home.”
Timothy smiled at Julian. “Oh no, Great Grandpa, this visit has been great. G has taught me a lot. Besides, I made some new friends in town this week. It’s really nice living by the lake compared to our little river.”
They paused at the edge of the water and watched the sun slowly disappear below the horizon. “You remind me a lot of my own son, Andrew, when he was young. He had a very inquisitive mind also. I hope you continue your math and science courses in school. It will be very important when you grow up.”
“I will Great Grandpa. Maybe someday I’ll be able to work on the Moon or even Mars and follow G’s journey to see how far he goes.”
“I’m sure you will, Timothy. And G will like that too. Let’s head back. I’m not as strong as I used to be and I need to sit down.”
Julian and Timothy returned to the yard and watched G as he started the fire. Julian had brought down the marshmallows and holders and he watched as Timothy roasted and ate several of them. Timothy and G talked as they looked at the night sky. G pointed out the planets Venus, Mars and Jupiter and they even caught a glimpse of the ISS space station that passed overhead every ninety minutes.
After a couple of hours Julian and Timothy grew tired and went to bed. G tended to the fire and waited outside for everyone to turn off their bedroom lights and fall asleep. It was after midnight. The lake was dark and the water calm. G could hear the slow lapping sound of the waves that rolled up on the beach. When he was certain no one was around, G took off his clothes and walked down to the edge of the lake. He paused briefly to study the lake, then walked into the water until he was chest deep and dove under the waves. He began to swim nonstop for a quarter of a mile before he stopped, broke the surface and turned around. As he treaded water, he looked at all the houses along the lake and thought of the people inside and how they lived as humans. He was beginning to understand what it meant to be human and how frail and short human lives were. Someday, once science evolved, he was certain his mind could inhabit a human body and experience what it felt like. He knew that humans would one day inhabit machine bodies and
transcend biology. When that happened human life would be changed forever.
G let himself sink to the bottom of the lake; almost fifty feet. He could see everything clearly with his night vision. Every type and size of lake fish swam around him unafraid. The lake bed was fairly level and covered with vegetation. It was time to return home. He swam above the plants toward the shore until he could walk on the lake bed. When his head broke the surface of the water, he looked for people. No one was about, so he continued to walk back to shore. As he neared the fire pit he picked up his clothes and returned to the house. It was time to recharge his power packs and shut down for the night.
Chapter 14
Timothy helped around the lab every morning during his last week at Julian’s house. G was constantly downloading data from the Internet on every conceivable subject. Occasionally, Julian would advise G what to search for and what information would be helpful for the contest. After lunch each day, Julian would sit down with G and Timothy and start asking questions for G to answer. Many of the questions were already available from past contests, which helped G get a feel for what the judges were looking for. The answers had to be human responses even if G had to give fictitious answers. The whole point of the contest was to fool the judges and convince them that G was a human and not a machine. G remembered it all and his responses became so automatic and human sounding that even Timothy had a hard time believing G was not human.
Finally, Julian felt no more practice was needed. He looked at G and said, “I believe you are ready, G. You know what the judges want. They will ask you questions they think only humans can interpret and answer in predictable ways. You can easily fool them with your reasoning ability. I can do no more for you.”
“I believe I can respond intelligently to any question the judges ask, Julian. I will do my best,” G concurred.
“I know you will. Whatever happens, you have already achieved what no other machine program is capable of. Your intelligence will continue to expand beyond anything our human brains can achieve without technical enhancements. You will prove to everyone that your mind is just as capable, or more so, than a human mind. This enhancement is what humans will need to survive in the future.”