by James Rosone
As the President paused, everyone waited with bated breath to hear the condition. “This machine must be built to enable China to dominate and control every aspect of the world. This is not some altruistic project for mankind you will build to solve world hunger or find a cure for cancer.”
President Yao continued, “Right now, there are two things standing in the way of China’s greatness. The first is us. We are addressing that with our social credit program, to build and condition the type of society that we need to dominate the world. The second is the West, led by the United States. The Americans, in particular, stumble across the world stage like a drunken bully, demanding the world bow down to them. We must use this AI to defeat them, to supplant them as the foremost superpower in the world. You have one year to build the bones of this project. From then on, you and your team will be in a race against the clock to continue delivering results.”
Before the President ended the meeting, he asked, “Dr. Xi, what are we calling this project of yours?”
Xi thought about that for a second. “Project Ten, in honor of the tenth contingency, which Sun Tzu would surely have included had he known about this technology.”
President Yao replied, “Very well, Dr. Xi. Project Ten has one year. Do not disappoint China…do not disappoint me.”
With nothing more to be said, the President walked out of the room along with two of his trusted advisors. Xi and his team of researchers from Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, the AI superpowers of the world, had been given the green light. Now they would have to deliver.
Chapter Four
Down Under
August – 2018
Sydney, Australia
Professor Hank Iverson, the current director for graduate studies at the computer science department at the University of Oxford, prepared for a week of death by PowerPoint at the latest conference on advancements in AI. He dropped his bags in his room, then went to the hotel lobby, where he spotted a face he hadn’t seen in years.
Walking toward the familiar man, he called out, “Dan Ma, is that you?”
The Asian man turned around with a drink in his hand and smiled. “Well, I’ll be. It’s good to see you, Professor Iverson. I wasn’t expecting to run into you,” Ma “Dan” Yong replied happily.
“Please, call me Hank. You know, occasionally they let me leave the university,” said the professor with a chuckle. “How are you doing, Dan? What have you been up to?” Hank took a seat at the bar next to his former student.
“I’m doing well, Hank. When I graduated from Carnegie in 2014, I went back to Shanghai. Things have been good.”
“Ah, that’s great, Dan. I was curious where you would ultimately land. Stay in the US, come back to the UK, or go back to China. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide to go back?” Hank probed before getting the attention of the bartender and ordering a local beer.
“That was actually a tough decision. I was offered a position at Microsoft that I really wanted to take. But my parents are getting up there in age. They still live in Shanghai, and as I’m the only child, I felt it my duty to go back there to help take care of them. They did put me through university, after all.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” said Hank.
Dan finished off his bourbon and motioned for another double. Hank took a couple of long drinks from his beer, downing a third of it in one go before putting it down.
“Hey, easy there, old man,” Dan joked as he sipped on his double bourbon.
Hank laughed at the comment. He placed an order for a club sandwich before continuing, “Where are you working these days? Are you still pursuing machine learning, or did you go on to something new?”
The bartender brought Dan his own lunch, ratatouille, which was apparently a specialty at the Sofitel.
“I took a job with Alibaba. They have a big AI department. You know, looking at consumer behavior and then figuring out how to get the right product in front of the right person. That kind of work.” Dan took his first bite of the French peasant dish and smiled like someone remembering their grandmother’s cooking.
The two ate for a few minutes, not saying very much, before Dan commented, “You know, I almost didn’t make it to this conference, but I’m glad I did, or I wouldn’t have run into you.”
“Oh, Alibaba keeping you too busy to come to these conferences and stay abreast of the changes in the field?” asked Hank between bites of his sandwich.
Snickering at the comment, Dan answered, “Ha, I wish. No, I bought a new Tesla a few months back and I have a bit of a heavy foot. Without even realizing it, I ended up racking up half a dozen speeding tickets in a week. It dragged my social credit score dangerously low, to the point where I almost couldn’t come on this trip.”
Hank did a double take at his former student. “Are you serious?” he asked skeptically. “They almost didn’t let you come to a conference because you got a few speeding tickets—that seems a bit heavy-handed, don’t you think?”
Dan called out to the bartender to give him another double before downing the glass. “It’s been a bit of an adjustment these last few years. It’s the strangest thing, Hank. Freaking Skynet literally sees and monitors everything you do in Shanghai, from your interactions online, to whether you pay your bills on time, to whether you speed or get a citation from the police for jaywalking. If Alibaba wasn’t paying me what they are, I doubt I’d stick around. I’d probably go work for Amazon or something.”
“Wow, that’s…interesting,” Hank replied. “I’ve heard about the surveillance state in China. I figured it must be similar to what we have in London. But it sounds like yours is a bit more intrusive.”
Dan shrugged. “It’s a big game. Once you accept it as the new normal, you learn to play within its rules.”
“Yeah, I suppose. Do you guys really call it Skynet?” Hank asked in reference to the Terminator movies the Americans seemed to love so much.
Dan laughed. “No, they don’t call it that. I call it that. It reminds me of that book you told me about, that one written by that guy George Orwell, 1984. Did you know that book is banned in China? I have a secret copy I brought with me, but you aren’t allowed to buy or sell it in China.”
Hank countered, “Well, you wouldn’t want the everyday citizens to read a book like that. They might get angry and question the government.”
Dan laughed again, now clearly feeling the effects of three double bourbons. “Hank, no one questions the government. This new program I’m working on, it’s incredible. When we’re done with it, the things we’ll be able to do with it will blow your mind away. It will change the world.”
It took him a few minutes, but Hank remembered Dan had been a bit of a party guy at Oxford. Hank noticed that about nearly all his students from China. They were exceptional students, but they liked to drink and party when they weren’t under the watchful eye of the state. Hank figured it was their way of letting loose.
Before Hank could inquire any further, Dan finished his food and left some money on the bar to cover both of their meals. “I’ll catch you at the conference tomorrow, Hank. It was good catching up, but I’ve got to get some rest if I want to go party it up tonight and still be functional for tomorrow.”
Hank nodded and took a bite of his sandwich while Dan headed off to his room.
*******
Next Morning
Sofitel Conference Room B
Hank sat in the rear third of the room, listening to a lecture on machine learning and human-computer interaction, when Dan sat down in the chair next to him, his hair still wet from a shower or the pool.
“Morning, Dan. Did you have a fun time last night?” he asked softly, trying not to interrupt the others who were listening to the speech.
Dan looked a little tired but alert. Snorting at the question, he replied, “You know, I was so damn tired I ended up sleeping through the night. I woke up half an hour ago.”
“They must be working you hard, then,” Hank repl
ied softly.
Dan shrugged. He pulled a Tunnock’s tea cake out of his bag and nibbled at it.
“You still hooked on those things?” Hank asked.
“Everyone’s got to have that thing that helps get them in the right working mode. I just happened to have found mine at Oxford,” Dan explained.
The lecture continued for another thirty minutes. The speaker was going on about the advancements in machines learning from humans and how the two were interacting with each other in laboratory environments.
Dan leaned over. “This guy’s information is so dated. We’re light-years ahead of what he’s talking about.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Hank countered, “Dan, can we skip this afternoon’s lectures and you and I go out and have some fun? I’m getting burnt out working on this research project at Oxford, and frankly, I would love to bounce some ideas off you.”
After thinking about it for a moment, Dan nodded. The two of them got up and headed for the lobby. They flagged down a cab and climbed in.
“Where to?” asked the driver.
“Royal Botanic Gardens,” Hank replied.
“A park? Sounds like you had this all planned out, Hank,” Dan said hesitantly.
“Remember at Christ Church, when you used to ask me about the future of artificial intelligence? How can we know if it will be used for good and not for nefarious purposes? We would stroll along Meadow Walk toward the boat clubs along the Thames,” Hank reminisced.
Dan smiled at the memory from long ago, then nodded.
“When I have a tough problem I need to figure out, I like to surround myself with nature. Sometimes the peacefulness of it all ends up bringing clarity to the chaos of the problem,” Hank explained.
It took them a few minutes of fighting traffic to get to the park. When they arrived, the two of them began meandering through the trails.
Dan finally asked, “So, what’s your tough problem you wanted my advice on, Hank?”
“I’m working on a new AI project with the Metropolitan Police, but I’m not sure I should be,” the professor explained.
“OK, so what are they doing that you seem to have a problem with?” inquired Dan.
“The Met, as you know, have hundreds of thousands of surveillance cameras all over London,” Hank said, and Dan nodded in acknowledgment. “Over the years, they’ve improved their skills at taking the image of, say, a burglar or other criminal and then plugging their face into the system. Using an algorithm we helped create, they’re letting the facial recognition software monitor all the cameras across the city until one of them finds a match. Once the suspect is found, a nearby police officer receives a text message with the person’s face and location. It’s effective at combating crime.”
“Sounds like they’re doing a good job. So, what’s the dilemma on your part?” asked Dan, not sure where this was going.
“You work at Alibaba, so you’re using your AI to better understand consumer behavior. Like what a consumer is looking for, what are they buying—if they buy x, then they are more likely to also buy y and z, so you can build a microtargeted ad to get a product in front of them. Right?” Hank inquired.
Dan nodded. “Yes. We learned a lot of this from how Amazon built their system. For instance, when Google AdSense first came out, Amazon was the largest consumer of keyword marketing. Eventually, once Amazon had built a large enough platform, they were able to start doing that themselves. At Alibaba, we replicated that system. I suppose the only real difference between our two companies is we have access to a much larger demographic of users and consumers given China’s population.”
Hank explained, “The Met want my help in creating a predictive behavior analysis program. They want me to build a program that will allow them to identify people who may be about to commit a crime. This way they can move officers to intercede or be there when it happens. One, I’m not sure it’s totally possible to create something like that, and two, I’m not sure we want to create a society where we have AIs anticipating our actions before we take them.”
Dan contemplated Hank’s dilemma as he made his way over to the Botanical House to buy something warm to drink. Australia was in the midst of its winter season, even if it was a sunny day.
When the two of them had their coffees in hand, they continued their walk, further away from people. Dan finally replied, “I think that is unfortunately the direction AI is heading, Hank. Even in China, with our social credit program, it’s almost like that already. The government monitors everything we do, and we’re graded on how we handle things, positively or negatively. If we handle them negatively, then we lose points, like any other scoring system.”
Hank responded, “But we’re talking about something much bigger, much more dangerous than a social credit system, Dan. We’re talking about predictive behavior analysis. An AI that can predict with fairly good accuracy what someone will do and then have the government intervene.”
Sighing, Dan replied, “I get what you’re talking about, Hank. But you’re thinking too small about how this technology can and will be used. You’re looking at predictive behavior on an individual level. Imagine that kind of capability on the national level. A government with a tool that can predict the impact of their decisions before they make them. Look at it this way—most countries will only push something, anything, so far before they stop. Like the South China Sea. My country will only push things so far because they’re unsure how the Americans will respond. But what if we could create an AI that could tell us with a certain degree of accuracy how the Americans would respond to certain actions? How emboldened would that make a country if they had that kind of crystal ball?”
Whistling softly, Hank countered, “That’d change the world, that’s for sure. I think we’re still a long way from being able to do that. You’d need to have a quantum computer just to be able to crunch that kind of data. I mean, the volume of data required to develop and then run the various modeling simulations would be zettabytes.”
Dan smiled briefly. “When Project Ten—um, when something like that comes online…I mean, when a quantum computer is available and they can create something like this, it’ll change the world.”
Hank looked at Dan quizzically. “What do you mean by Project Ten? You guys working on something new and cool like that at Alibaba?”
Dan blushed, realizing his slip. “I—it’s nothing. I’m not supposed to talk about certain projects. Corporate espionage and all. You know how it is. First to market is everything in the tech world.”
Hank tried to set Dan at ease by changing the subject. “Yeah, I get it. Hey, so enough work. I think you helped me understand what I need to do with this project. You’re right—it is coming. What we need to focus on is creating rules and policies for how it’s used. Take away the fear of the unknown and then figure out how we can use it for the good of humanity. So, tell me about your parents. How are they doing, and when will I get a chance to meet such wonderful people?”
Dan’s posture relaxed as he responded, “They’re doing great. As to meeting them, let me know next time when you’re in Shanghai and I’ll organize a family dinner at my place. I decided to make life easy on my parents and got a flat in the city. They have their own room, with a separate living room, and I have my own half of the place. It’s really nice. You’d love the view.”
Hank smiled happily as he responded, “That sounds great, Dan. I have some vacation time I want to take around the holiday period. Maybe I can spend a few days in Shanghai. I always wanted to see the city. I’d also like to see Hong Kong and Macau while I’m at it.”
Dan got excited. “Oh man, if you’re going to Macau, count me in. I’ll check my own schedule. Maybe I can get them to let me take a week off and show you around. It’s easier to navigate China when you have a tour guide and translator.” The two of them continued their stroll through the park and then headed toward the iconic Sydney Opera House.
*******
Later that evening, Hank log
ged back in to his special email and typed up the following message:
Source confirmed existence of Project Ten.
Project Ten sounds like it’s either active or near completion.
Rapport has been fully established. Source has invited me to stay with him in Shanghai. Will spend a week with me touring Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau in December.
The rest of the conference was enlightening professionally, but that wasn’t Hank’s reason for being there. MI-6 had carefully choreographed his chance encounter with Ma Yong to acquire this very information.
Chapter Five
Belt and Road Initiative: Phase One
October 2018
Caracas, Venezuela
“Mr. President, with this agreement finalized, we can accelerate the construction at the port and begin the infrastructure modernization program,” Foreign Minister Han Jinping declared as the two men shook hands.
It was a beautiful September morning as President Javier Moros smiled while photographers snapped photos of the two men shaking hands. The agreement they had signed was lucrative as well as historic for both nations.
When the photographers finished, Javier motioned for them to go to his office, where they could talk privately. Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrea Rodríguez and Minister of Defense and General-in-Chief Adán Chávez stood near President Moros’s office door, waiting for them. They both had broad smiles on their faces. The two of them had worked hard on this enormous trade and military aid deal for years.
The four of them walked into the presidential office and then to a private study that connected to it. Once inside, General Chávez proceeded to pour everyone a glass of champagne to celebrate.
“Now, if the Americans don’t interfere in the implementation of this agreement, we might finally be able to turn Venezuela into the economic powerhouse of South America we ought to be,” Foreign Minister Rodríguez said. She was not a fan of America, angered by their continual attempts to keep her country under their thumb.