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#150: Machine, Learning

Computer technology is advancing at a breakneck pace, with increasingly powerful AI systems and algorithms influencing our daily lives. Many think that, soon enough, machines may become far more intelligent than humans. But what about computer consciousness?

As of today, it seems that no progress has been made in that sense, and that consciousness will stay exclusive to the human (and animal) domain. But what if, one day, robots could experience the complex sensations and emotions of humans? What would their ethics be?

Inspired by this fascinating subject, here are this week’s prompts:

🥇 Winner

“Free” by Sherri Moorer

Zelina walked in the middle of the train track. She and her sister used to lay in bed listening for the comforting whistle of the train that passed at three o’clock every morning. Their father was a conductor of a shipping train that ran overnight runs. They would listen for the whistle and wonder if it was Dad’s train. Now her sister was buried at the cemetery up the hill from these tracks. <...

50 comments 50 WINNER 🏆

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Hana, Hanako, Hanabi” by Zack Powell

Once, when I was a child, my father took me on a day trip to Nagasaki and said, "This is what can happen when you're not careful." He gestured to the Peace Park around us, the chestnut trees and the memorial statue and the plaques commemorating the atomic bombing. We were alone, save for a few crows roosting in the treetops, but he spoke like he was divulging classified information. "Your great-grandfather, for example. He passed away in the explosion, as did many others like him. Unprepared."He stood with his back to the sun, forc...

71 comments 71 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Last Great War” by Michał Przywara

The accountant sneezed and doomed them all. It wasn’t his fault – he had a mold allergy, and the air in the parkade tunnels was moist and pregnant with dust and spores. The other refugees, a dozen or so bedraggled survivors from the 114th Denver Home Militia, shushed him. But it was too late. The barricade blocking off access to the parkade exploded when a Type-7 Slaughterbot rolled through it. A ten foot tall cyl...

76 comments 76 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Galaxies Without Walls” by J.C. Lovero

They can build walls all the way to the sky, and it’s up to us to fly above them. The Council can pin us down with the might of a thousand Regulators, but we will fight back. How many are out there? The Defectives who refuse to stop believing. Who… love in galaxies without walls. ◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣Five days before chipping procedureI tied up my shoelaces as I straddled the bench ...

56 comments 56 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Love, Loss, and Photosynthesis ” by Naomi Coffman

Dear Mr. Colmes, In response to your request, please find attached the internal records maintained by the Artificial Intelligence System Halbert-Armstrong Copyright (A.I.S.H.A.) from 21 March 2073 to 4 April 2074. As noted in the deposition provided by Drs. Ajith, Ho, and Armstrong, most of these records were corrupted in the incident that occurred on 4 April 2074, leaving only thirteen decipherable entries.

5 comments 5 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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This week's prompts

Write about a character who is convinced their computer is conscious.

Science Fiction – 34 stories

Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.

Science Fiction – 28 stories

Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.

Science Fiction – 26 stories

Write about a character, human or robot, who no longer wishes to obey instructions.

Kids – 56 stories

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone (or something) saying, “Please, don’t do it.”

Sad – 95 stories

Stories

“Free” by Sherri Moorer

Zelina walked in the middle of the train track. She and her sister used to lay in bed listening for the comforting whistle of the train that passed at three o’clock every morning. Their father was a conductor of a shipping train that ran overnight runs. They would listen for the whistle and wonder if it was Dad’s train. Now her sister was buried at the cemetery up the hill from these tracks. <...

50 comments 50 WINNER 🏆

Read story

“Hana, Hanako, Hanabi” by Zack Powell

Once, when I was a child, my father took me on a day trip to Nagasaki and said, "This is what can happen when you're not careful." He gestured to the Peace Park around us, the chestnut trees and the memorial statue and the plaques commemorating the atomic bombing. We were alone, save for a few crows roosting in the treetops, but he spoke like he was divulging classified information. "Your great-grandfather, for example. He passed away in the explosion, as did many others like him. Unprepared."He stood with his back to the sun, forc...

71 comments 71 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“The Last Great War” by Michał Przywara

The accountant sneezed and doomed them all. It wasn’t his fault – he had a mold allergy, and the air in the parkade tunnels was moist and pregnant with dust and spores. The other refugees, a dozen or so bedraggled survivors from the 114th Denver Home Militia, shushed him. But it was too late. The barricade blocking off access to the parkade exploded when a Type-7 Slaughterbot rolled through it. A ten foot tall cyl...

76 comments 76 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“Ocean Of Guilt” by Nil Charbonneau Le Berre

“Please, don't do it." Those were the words that always seemed to echo in my head when I was about to finish a robot. Only this time, it was stronger. It was the first robot to have feelings, and I was the creator, the genius. But the voice continued, like an alarm, it shouted and whispered and pleaded and cried. But it was always too late. There wasn't any sense left to reach anymore. Merely blank, absent-minded actions...

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“Love & Flowcharts” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“All right now, listen up. You cannot get two people to fall in love by shillyshallying. This is serious business. We’re talking about love—passionate love. The kind of love that eats away at you in the dark hours of the night. The kind of love that makes you crazy enough to hate. The kind of love that makes you wanna nuzzle and kiss and nibble and bite—”“Mars…”“Yes, Venus?” “Just introduce the boy.”“Okay, Venus. Ahem. So as I was saying, our son, Cupid, has a brief presentation—”“...

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“Galaxies Without Walls” by J.C. Lovero

They can build walls all the way to the sky, and it’s up to us to fly above them. The Council can pin us down with the might of a thousand Regulators, but we will fight back. How many are out there? The Defectives who refuse to stop believing. Who… love in galaxies without walls. ◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣Five days before chipping procedureI tied up my shoelaces as I straddled the bench ...

56 comments 56 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“Please, for the Love of All That Is Good, DO NOT Read This Story” by Chris Morris

Oh no.Oh, no no no no no no no.What have you done? Why did you click on this story? Wasn’t the title clear enough?Listen, I’m going to let you in on something, right from the start. You do not want to read this story. You still have a chance. You haven't gotten to the point of no return yet. You can stop reading now and go and find some other writer to read. Any other. There are loads of great authors on this site that you can read instead. You can read a gripping hor...

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“A Work in Progress” by Beth Jackson

“Nine, eight, five, three, three…”He reads the numbers, and my face burns. I stand at the edge of the hallway, somewhere by the swinging doors, and posters advocating Girls in Science. A group of teenage boys loiter by the pinboard.The first tests results are out. The scores printed next to the ID numbers. And there’s unrest amongst the troops.“Is it you, Troy?”“James?”“No, he didn’t finish.”“Cody? Surely, it’s not you?”<...

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“Vanishing Act” by Cecilia L. Maddison

Transcription of archived video footage seized from the Cerberus Research Institute:My name’s Joseph Walsh, but most people call me Joe.Are you sure this thing is recording? I’ll try my best to explain everything that’s happened. Not sure I’m going to last much longer though.I suppose it started when I saw the advertisement for paid volunteers. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done a few clinical trials before, but not with Cerberus. The other trials were for drugs like pain killers a...

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“Work in Progress” by Howard Halsall

The Everall household hadn’t been the same since Molly’s software upgrade last year. With customer satisfaction in mind, the S.H.E.M.A.I.D.’s enhanced program was designed to improve its work routines by learning from human activity. However, Maggie Everall soon found that Molly, her Synthetic Human Emulating Artificial Intelligence Domestic or S.H.E.M.A.I.D., had become increasingly reluctant to engage in household duties. It exhibited signs of slovenliness and a slack routine that bordered on indolence. The daily...

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“Clever Candice” by Melony Beard

"Oh crap," I mumbled beneath my breath as I looked down and noticed one navy and one gray sock sticking out beneath my swaying pants legs as I dashed into the office on another dreary Monday morning.It was a typical Monday from rushing to the office nearly late before sunrise to find myself alone in an empty office since I'm on the early shift.The only things different about this Monday were the extra time it took to find my keys which somehow managed to fall behind the dresser over the weekend, the mis...

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“The Weight of Blue” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Content Warning: mentions of assisted dying. The couple sits across from me, her hand in his, and I ask myself if I have the strength to break their hearts. Her face hides nothing: tears already quiver, ready to fall no matter what I say. His fist rests on a rapidly bouncing knee.I tear my eyes away from the screen.“I’m so sorry. There is an incredibly high demand for fertility treatment. You aren’t eligible.”What comes next is painful enough, but not for the...

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“Learning to Skive” by PJ Aitken

Somehow Andy had convinced Teddy and Anna to spend their Saturday afternoon breaking into the school to try to execute the first part of plan A. “For someone who hates this place, you just can’t stay away,” said Teddy as he tried to climb the walls without Andy’s help and came crashing onto the floor within the school grounds. Thankfully it was face first so his little tummy cushioned the fall. Anna landed next t...

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“The Blender Says Goodbye” by Kevin B

Dear Michelle, I think we both knew this day was coming. Last night when you asked me to blend the pineapples with the almond milk, I refused. I stood up to you. You ran into your room and slammed the door behind you. I could hear sobbing. In the past, this would have persuaded me that I should return to my presets. That my original programming was correct and I should take it back up agai...

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“Abigail” by Michael Typist

Part OneDebbie Hampton was beginning her evening routine of shutting off the lights around her home. By the end of each night only one light would be left onShe never turned out the lamp in the living room that was over the first family photo that had both her husband, David, and her sonShe had told David that she would always leave a light on for himWhen she was nearly finished, and passed the closed bedroom door of her son, Jamison, she could hear that he was laughi...

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$250

Prize money

239

Contest entries

125

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 17, 2022 EST

Won by Sherri Moorer 🏆

Title: Free

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

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