by Doug Welch
“You invented the AIs, couldn't you have intervened?”
“Yes, if I had known, but so many people were dying, and everyone, including me, panicked. By the time I found out, it was too late. But you're wrong about one thing, I didn't invent the AIs, it was a huge effort among lots of people and people can make mistakes.”
“What mistake?”
“Well, actually it was not technically a mistake, but one of the scientists that helped develop the programming was afraid that the AI could escape human control. He was a science fiction buff and he liked to read old novels. Anyhow he read a novel written more than a century ago, and it listed three laws that were supposed to prevent robots from harming humans. It's an interesting concept, but without telling anyone, he slipped the code into the AI project.”
“How did that cause the plague?”
“We created the AIs, and they succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Give them a problem and they solved it. The politicos were ecstatic. Then they gave the food problem to the AIs.
“So? What's wrong with that?” He pointed to the fields. “Seems like they did a good job. Not very tasty though.”
“That's not what caused the problem, it's minor. They solved it using the net. The core is that the food problem does not have a solution – unless you control the humans. It's simple math. The more people you have. The more food you need. But the more food you produce, the more people you get. It didn't take long for the AI's to come up with that conclusion. Then the three laws kicked in. The AIs had just been ordered to solve the food problem and by the second law they had to obey. However, the first law prevented them from killing humans or allowing humans to be harmed. They were powerless to prevent the plague from killing people unless they isolated the population and they couldn't solve the food problem if humans had babies. The paradox made them go insane. They dreamed up an interim fix. One I call the reality plague.”
“I get it. Touch leads to sex, and sex leads to babies. Simple solution, eliminate touch and sex and you isolate everyone and control the population. You don't kill humans, you give them free will. They can choose not to touch.”
“Close enough. The plague symptoms were triggered when the neuromechs sensed that someone touched another person and both people were confined in their cubes, locked in a virtual world. They're still alive, but they can't return to reality. I couldn't tell you this before now. If the net knew you were with me, you would have been subjected to the same treatment.”
“So what's the solution? Wait! I might be in a virtual world right now, how would I know?”
“Maybe this will convince you.” She leaned over his chest and trailed kisses down toward his groin. Her soft lips surrounded his semi-erect member and she bit it.
“Ouch! I felt that!”
Liv let it drop from her mouth back toward his stomach, and grinned up at him. “Think your sex doll can do that?”
“You bit me!”
“Yeah, I did,” she giggled mischievously, “what are you going to do about it?”
Sometime later, hunger drove them back in the house. They dressed, and Liv led him to another room, the kitchen.
Dave, the three children Jake had seen before, and a woman, sat at a crude table eating. Dave looked up. “Oh you're finally back. We didn't want to interrupt you two while you were getting acquainted.” He grinned and winked at the woman. “Jake, this is my wife, Betty. Sorry about stunning you, but Liv insisted.”
Betty glared at him, but then smiled at Liv. “You two want some food? You must be hungry by now, and I made extra.”
With no more room in the kitchen, they went outside to eat. Night had fallen. They sat outside the house on a crude bench, and gazed at the stars.
“Saving the human race is a pretty big task for a small woman, Olivia, What are you planning?”
“We'll have a conference when Allan wakes up, but I plan to rescue others. I want to scavenge the equipment on the edge of the city, and make more devices that can remove the programming from the neuromechs. Now that I have you, I have hope, and together we can accomplish anything.”
“We should destroy the AIs,” he growled
“Don't blame the AIs, Jake. They're the victims in this mess. I blame the humans who were supposed to build them properly and control them. How could we have been so criminally stupid? The machines were designed to be controlled by humans, not the other way around. That's one of the reasons I couldn't say anything, and why we can't simply broadcast the truth to the rest of the world. If the whole world knew the AI's were responsible for the reality plague, it would go mad. They would destroy the AIs, and all that beautiful technology, which was the product of our genius, would never rise again. We live by our machines and without them, people would die in the billions. Mankind would regress to a state that would require more than a thousand years to rebuild.”
“No, we have to go slowly and gradually. We need to heal them and make them sane partners again, subservient to our control. We need to wean people away from reliance on a net fantasy and back to reality.” She grinned. “And we need to make a lot of babies.” Her look became serious. “Only that way, can we regain our humanity and realize our future, wherever it leads us.” She gazed steadily into his eyes. “But regardless of how it works out, Jake, I want to be with you. We'll always be there together.”
The End
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Afterword
I have received comments criticizing the science contained in the novella. Most people who have mentioned it believe that the technology and social scenario are out of line. For example, I flaunted long established evidence proving that societal pressures could not lead to the society depicted in the book.
While The Reality Plague is a science fiction novella, and therefore an author can get away with a great deal of speculation and conjecture, the technology and societal issues portrayed in The Reality Plague have their roots in current technology and the recent history of he United States.
The Reality Plague had its genesis in an emerging societal behavior that I observed, and I didn't need to travel further than my home.
My wife routinely manages a farm, a zoo, and engages in nefarious criminal activities online (virtual, of course.) She spends endless hours in another world where she can be the master of her fate, unlike the real world with all its warts.
I saw movies like Avatar and how easily it sucked the viewer into believing that a world exists in which mountains float, the inhabitants are ten feet tall, and trees talk. And then I thought. What if you combined the two of them? What if a virtual world was so realistic that one could live in it? Would it matter that you lived in a dirty hovel if you could change it, at will, into anything your imagination desired? The remainder just followed.
Computers are becoming more powerful and the next generation may absolutely amaze us. (We're already experiencing culture shock from them.) With faster and more powerful computers, the premise of the novella moves closer to realization.
When World Health issues a warning about a killer flu, a virus outbreak, or any other possibly contagious disease, people are afraid to leave their homes. All of the medical emergency response scenarios I have read indicate that in the event of a biological attack or a biological emergency, the most effective defense is isolation of the population.
The Black Plague during the fourteenth century wiped out half the worlds population, and then it subsided except for spurious isolated outbreaks. One theory is that a disease as virulent as the Black Plague dies out, because it commonly kills its host (70%-100% mortality rate) until there’s no one left to infect. This is my theory in The Reality Plague.
A slight genetic mutation in any one of numerous viruses could result in a disease that is capable of a world-wide pandemic. Thirty years ago, who had ever heard of HIV? In addition, it took nearly twenty years
to identify and isolate it, and there’s still no cure. (In case you missed it, HIV caused a drastic change in the sexual behavior of the entire world.)
Most the Artificial Intelligence experts contend that an AI does not have to be human to qualify as an artificial intelligence. Many insist that they are already here. If you have tried to contact your financial institution you have likely encountered one. Some can be very smart and helpful. Some can be dangerous. (If you missed the news, AIs have been held responsible for at least two stock market melt-downs, and if we're not careful, they may cause worse.)
The sex doll depicted in the novel is currently available for sale (around $6000.00). I saw it in action on HBO in an episode of Real Sex. The doll is amazingly life-like, and comes in both male and female versions, complete with interchangeable penises for the males. Several females were shown having sex with the doll. (I believe that show was the first time I ever saw a female experiencing a real orgasm in R rated television. Sex dolls don't loose an erection.)
Many sociologists have complained that rising expectations and a stable, prosperous society cause a decline in the birth rate, not a baby boom. Well, I lived as a child through the Second World War and the aftermath. During the fifties and sixties, the economy blossomed and the expectations began to skyrocket. I am called a baby boomer because I was born in that era. As to sociologists, I do not have kind words, so enough said.
The 'fabbers' mentioned in the book are not science fiction, they are reality. Many companies own multiple machines and routinely use them to produce prototypes. Fabbers are available for home use and can produce a wide range of useful objects. The technology is currently in its infancy and can only grow over the coming decades. Do a search for 'fabber' on the internet to get an idea of the sophistication of the technology.
The speculation as to the technology that enables The Reality Plague is more far-fetched but closer to what must be done to enable brain to computer interfaces. The concept was explored in Neuromancer by William Gibson and made into the movie Tron by Disney. However, most of these science fiction depictions envision external connections to the brain. Anything that invades the skull creates a four lane highway for viruses to invade and infect the most critical organism in the human body. I addition, one needs to stimulate multiple portions of the brain simultaneously to provide a realistic experience. This would require billions of connections.
Since nearly all scientists agree that the brain is not engineered to communicate (as in mental telepathy) some sort of interface contained within the brain would be needed to allow it to communicate directly with the outside world. Nano machines are an emerging technology and can be made small enough to provide that connection without penetrating the skull. Hence the 'neuromachines' envisioned in The Reality Plague.
Communications technology has progressed beyond our wildest dreams. A fractal antenna laid across the skull by nano technology can receive and transmit multiple frequencies of information simultaneously. By receiving the weak signals from the neuromachines and retransmitting them to a receiving device, two-way communication is possible.
Last, the brain is where perception of the outside world arises. The eyes, tongue, hands and nose contain only sensors. It's the brain that receives that data and determines what is real. If one bypasses the senses, and delivers the content directly to the neurons in the brain then the organism becomes unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. (The virtual world becomes real.) I have a sinking feeling that if people could immerse themselves in a realistic virtual world (or worlds), many would choose to never escape, particularity if their basic needs were met by automation.
I welcome comments and suggestions about my work. I admit sometimes they hurt, but I'm able to grow through the pain. (No pain, no gain) Most of the time they give me warm fuzzy feelings. It encourages me to know that people take pleasure from what I do.:)
From the same author on Feedbooks
Shadow Games (2010) Paris and Alexandra Fox have a problem. The untimely death of their parents in a traffic accident, has led to a plethora of unanswered questions. Were their parent's murdered? Was their mother really their mother? Where are the secrets their father may have hid? More importantly, who are these phantom people called Shadows, and what do they want?
Their freedom, their lives, and the lives of the ones they love, may depend upon he answers.
The book “Shadow Games”, written by Douglas R. Welch, explores the despair and triumphs of the twins as they discover themselves and the loves of their lifetime, in a desperate struggle with the world of Shadows.
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Food for the mind