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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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:

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 – 27 stories

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

Science Fiction – 25 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

“The Island of Dr. Mon Santos” by Bad CatZ

Submitted to Contest #150

The Island of Dr. Mon Santos ACT I I sing of the world as we fear it, hear my tale, and be warned of the day of many woes, the day genetically modified organisms become the mainstream in our society. Rising to the podium is a boy who grew into a 28-year-old genius, now accepting his Nobel peace prize for his contribution to the advancement of genetically modified...

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“Miracle Machine” by Jamie Taylor

Submitted to Contest #150

Emily’s foot tapped the floor as the elevator climbed the long ascent to the eleventh floor. She glanced at her watch and memorized the time – 8:10 am. This would be the day she would make history and her lips were sealed. Five other humans knew about the project that lived in room 301. Lives would be changed forever by the technology she and her colleagues had labored over for the past ten years. Emily let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Her memories echoed within the halls of her mind as she journeyed back in time. The summer of 1996 fla...

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“Aimee” by Alan Dobby

Submitted to Contest #150

Contains mild sexual references Up the Greek beach we run, the sand burning our feet, the sun warming our backs. I’m first onto the decking surrounding the beach bar, with Dev right behind me, laughing as usual. He’s a fun-loving student, like myself, tall and slim. Next up is the dark-haired Bryony, a serious thirty-something, but she’s OK too. We drop into the seats and the welcome shade. Aimee is last to arrive. Aimee is, well, just Aimee, as cool as ever. ‘OK, you win, bro,’ gasps Dev. ‘And it’s your round, Aimee! Paracalo!’ I call o...

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“ Emma & the Time Travel Wristwatch” by ♧Evella The Caramella♧ .

Submitted to Contest #150

It starts off with a curious girl named "Emma" getting a wristwatch that can bend time and change the frequency of reality. She starts to see that she can use her new powers to help people .At first, she saves children from a burning car twice in the same day.After two weeks She helps a little boy who has been shot. She saves a little girl from drowning. She even manages to save a man from committing suicide.This technology is more than just an ordinary AI , But with this new extra power, "Emma" must catch up to her own level of responsibili...

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“Pygmalion ” by Madison Marvin

Submitted to Contest #150

Unit 8X doesn’t know how long it’s been waiting. It’s easy to measure the passage of time, but the experience of its passing is often unreliable and susceptible to error. Hours bleed into days, which bleed into weeks, which bleed into months. It’s a good thing Unit 8X doesn’t bleed or feel pain. It doesn't feel anything at all. According to its logs, Unit 8X has been waiting in Cargo Hold C for 6 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes, and 24 seconds, 25 seconds, 26 seconds…. However, it doesn’t seem so long ago that Creator had told ...

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“Ollie The Robot” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #150

Six years in the making and he's finally ready. Six years of hard work. Six years of blood and sweat. Six years of sleepless nights to make my dream come true and now here I am done, finished. Ollie is ready for the world to see and Ollie is ready to see the world. Ollie started as a dream, as a way to put my creative aspirations to the test and boy did I achieve what I wanted. I'm an artist. I love to draw anything from people to animals to anything I can imagine and that's how Ollie came to be. Ollie started as a drawing. My inspirat...

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“Following her own instructions” by Stefanie Schaffer

Submitted to Contest #150

She’s pretty, always has been, but never seen as breathtaking. She’s athletic, a Varsity level teammate even, but her name has never been found in the starting lineup. And she has always been good, but not great, certainly never the best. She has blended within every crowd and every room she has stood in, and she knows this has partly been her fault. Because she has followed the crowds, and matched the people around her. She has followed every instruction and never broken a rule, for fear of finally becoming the girl who is noticed, for fear...

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“Moving Day” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #150

My life goes around in circles. As the family folklore goes, I was found in a box on the doorstep. However, breaking with convention, it was Father who was the most excited to see me. The Twins lost interest after an hour, retiring to their bedroom to play their complicated ‘cat’s cradle’ game, which for longer than I’d care to admit I thought somehow was for the benefit of Kanye the Cat. Mother gazed blankly down at me and muttered something unintelligible, before returning to the task of taking the haphazardly-stacked items from the d...

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“How Old Women Garden” by Will T

Submitted to Contest #150

'Don't do that.''I am sorry. Do what?' I asked. I stepped back from the my work. I had been standing on the border of the garden but now I moved back to the path.'Dig up the daisies. I like them where they are.' My human, an old woman called Hastings, had placed herself before me.I noticed that one of her hands was curled, and the forefinger dangled, towards the ground, almost as if she wanted to point at me, but had thought better of it. She could not quite muster the courage, I thought. She was clearly angry and very upset. ...

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“It Was Not Death” by Vi Bisky

Submitted to Contest #150

I died again yesterday. Or it felt that way, at least. It always does. A man caught me in the elevator. He got on at the second floor, when I was busy wheeling Mrs. Denborough out of the way. Something was on the tip of my tongue—Sorry, sir, I think—but by the time the doors opened for the third floor, there were three bullets in my head, and no words at all. I suppose my split-second kindness was to blame. If I had looked up sooner, hadn’t moved her aside, perhaps I’d still be alive. But I’m alive either way, so it wasn’t a matter of ...

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“"Deprogram"” by Robin Gadsden

Submitted to Contest #150

Nica has hazel eyes, a heart-shaped face, full lips, and light brown hair cut precisely to shape her face. She had a figure any woman would be envious of with her firm, pert breasts, a flat belly, a round posterior, and legs for days. She was also the result of her creator, a young electrical engineer named Nicholas, who of course, was named after him. Nica was the very first reality doll he ha...

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“I want to Start Dating” by Ethel OQuin

Submitted to Contest #150

I'm a baby boomer. I have two children. One is a Millennial, and the other doesn't want to be part of the Gen Z class. but is right on the cusp of both, So I call him Gen XYZ. Have you ever stopped and thought about your life, and what has changed? Wondered if you are going to be able to keep up, or are you going to be left behind, Things were so much simpler when you were growing up. I divorced my children's father after I stood in the hallway listening to him tell another woman on the phone that he loves her. So, I saved as much money as I...

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“His Hold on her ” by Anna Sheriff

Submitted to Contest #150

No, I cannot change who I am!! I won’t let it!! You will NOT win. this is it! the devil pulls at her. Flashes of red, blood dripping off her pale face... a wicked smile peaked on plump ruby-stained lips ... it's too strong... the angel in white fighting for her soul attempting to bring her back in with images of her past... a past that is now so foreign to her..., the want... the need to kill pulls her back to the darkness... thirst for blood pulling at her throat. Setting flames to her past... a tall dark figure standing over her. She let o...

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“Zero, Zero, One” by Megan DeRouin

Submitted to Contest #150

Zero, Zero, One“Please…don’t.” She begged, “Don’t do this.” Her voice cracked as her hand reached out and stopped just short of touching me. “Please, I can make it work, I just need more time.”More time, more time was all they ever asked for. It was never the thing I could give them.“SAI is so close. So close, just a few more weeks and I’m sure I can make it do what Mr. Simmons needs it to do. Please, Jack are you even listening to me?”“I’m sorry Isla, but it’s over.” I said my voice didn’t waver, didn’t stray from that careful cadence of co...

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“Golden Rage” by Te Bo

Submitted to Contest #150

“He loves me, he loves me not, mmmm…. he loves me, he loves me not, mmmm he lov…”. Jane hummed to their favorite jazz as she sliced each petal with her fruit knife.Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Jane jerk-dropped everything, almost nipping a finger. Damn, I should add those stupid kids to my kill list. She shuffled down the wooden stairs all ready to pounce on those little brats for waking them up almost every night for the past few months.She used to love children. She loved them all like her own two girls who are now living in other cont...

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$250

Prize money

237

Contest entries

124

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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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