Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?

Posted in Science Fiction on Jul 8, 2021

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✍️ 74 stories

“Codependent” by Jill Davies

Submitted to Contest #82

“Gage, what’s going on?”Nothing. Everything is as it should be.Was it? There was something in the way he said it that made me pause—something that wasn’t there before. Something I'd never programmed, like he was covering something… Like a person. I refresh my phone screen, looking for the voice call icon to appear.“I want to make a voice call.”That feature is no longer available.“What do you mean? Gage, open text messages.”That feature is no longer available. Gage’s baritone voice soaks into the fabric of the room through the house’s main sp...

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“Are You My Friend?” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #82

The ringing set off in my ears. My owner’s alarm was a massive hassle of sounding off. From the point of view of my limited screen, I discover that they haven’t touched me yet. That’s good. Maybe they will take time to go outside, or use me as an app to keep track of how much weight they lost… Oh, never mind! Here they are turning on that godawful show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Go ahead, Catherine. Your mother would give you that condescending tone that you despise, “Oh Cathy bear, why would you do this to yourself?” I should know. My...

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“My New, Old Friend” by KC Walks

Submitted to Contest #82

This is going to sound cliche, but it was for really just a normal day. I woke up around six to sevenish. Made breakfast, brushed my teeth, and blah blah blah.. But right as I got to work, I felt my phone buzzing. But I didn’t have my phone on silent. So of course I didn’t check it, because I thought it would stop. And it did… but then ten minutes later, it started again. But again I couldn’t check, I was right in the middle of a call on my work phone. And this keeps happening for around thirty minutes. I was so irritated, I just went ahead ...

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“Humans Are Their Own Problem” by Linley Horsey-Schaefer

Submitted to Contest #82

Another failure. No matter how many adjustments were made, how many different codes were used, or how many cups of coffee drank, the app just didn’t work. Rylee, a “great scientist”, as she had dubbed herself, was trying to fix the planet with a free phone app. Only problem? She couldn’t program well. The delusional “scientist”, tired and unconfident, rolled her chair over to the window and looked outside. Even in the dark, you could see that the atmosphere was so polluted that the sky had turned a light brown color, the lack of inse...

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“Aias” by Adra Verse

Submitted to Contest #82

Progression Diary, 22 January 2543 The year is 2543. I’m happy to say that my partner and I just launched our new app. We’ve been working on it for the last several years. Ever since that outbreak in 2535, every resident became sick. We still couldn’t figure out what exactly it was, but it was there. The virus called “Vulcan” is affecting everyone since then. The virus makes people heat up randomly, and they can’t endure the body temperature, so people often die. We couldn’t figure out what caused it, or what we can do against it, but this...

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“Singularity ” by Cullen Marshall

Submitted to Contest #82

Slightly satisfied, defiantly exausted, still wondering about the state of his mind. Peter sat back, his battered old office chair flexed impossibly without breaking and refused to die. 'When was the last time I saw daylight or drank water... did I lock the door...was the cat out... are these delusions getting louder'? He creeked standing up, knees popped moving again after having been still for too long. He thought about maybe getting some rest. 'Naaaaa' he said aloud I'm up now he thought, trundling away from the screen in unparalleled mov...

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“Clammy, The Paper Clip” by Florian Wolf

Submitted to Contest #82

"Hey, welcome! I am so happy that you are around!" Clammy's text appeared on the screen."The design is good, and the bubbles make it looks like it is talking to you. I just wonder, aren't speech bubbles and a picture of it a bit too much?" One of the guys from the development asked me, his manager."I would have agreed with you if it wouldn't be for one thing: The picture is of a paper clip. It reminds people of another famous paper clip; this is retro; this is prime meme material. We ride to the top on social media shitposts." I ex...

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“Echoes of You” by K. Graves

Submitted to Contest #82

I won’t apologise for not answering your calls, this was more important. I needed to tell you this. To show you what I’ve done. To prove my life wasn’t wasted, regardless of what you might think. I found the laptop when looking through our old rooms, which I suppose have become my old rooms now. I had forgotten I’d even owned it. My father had just died, I lost my faith in God, I met you; other things seemed more important. It was in the spare room, not the blue one, the pink one, the one you always hated. With its too close together wal...

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“The iHeal Reveal” by Teresa Manuszak

Submitted to Contest #82

The diagram was complete. Ronald had created the perfect chart of the human body. He just knew that the iHeal was going to be the most groundbreaking invention in human history. Ronald had always dreamed of finding a way to cure people. Life with a chronic condition was a hard life, and he knew it firsthand. The last 20 years of his life had been devoted to aiding his wheelchair-bound brother. Mike had been hit by a car at the age of 9, and rendered paralyzed. The decision to be Mike’s caregiver was not a difficult one, Ronald always knew...

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“To Have a Broad Mind, and Yet to Have no Heart...” by Rin Sadow

Submitted to Contest #82

I looked at him through the screen. "Andrew?" He didn't answer. Why would he? "Am I really going to have copies? Sent out to other people to talk to them?" All that followed was silence. Even if he weren't warped by his emotions then, he would barely talk to me anyway. I was just an AI. I was artificial. I would never be comparable to the real things. I would never matter as much. "Will I help them?" He looked up from his hands, but still said nothing. "Do I help you, Andrew?" He slowly turned to me, his beautiful hazel e...

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“A-live” by Artemas Lazaro

Submitted to Contest #82

Hi! My name is Dinesh, Let me tell you about my app, so it is a video app for movie lovers on which they can watch any movie for free. I too am a movie lover i always wanted to make an app so that people don't have to pay for movies and they could watch any movie for free. Basically what my app will do it will show people recent released movies and series which they will be able to download or watch online just by clicking on the links below the movie. Today i am going to a press meeting in which i will launch my app in front of media and...

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“Belinda” by Art Of Wolfgang Von Zenn

Submitted to Contest #82

Two teenage boys sat in an unfinished basement, on a well-loved couch, behind an assortment of junk food spread across an old, beat up coffee table. The two boys looked at each other and one spoke excitedly. "Are you ready?" He asked. "Absolutely!" The other boy responded eagerly. The first boy clapped his hands and the room went dark. Then, he grabbed a remote control from the coffee table and hit "play," while the other boy pulled out two lacy bras from a nearby backpack, one black and one red. The two boys donned a bra each on top of th...

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“Maybe” by Hannah Love

Submitted to Contest #82

James Buchanan was sitting in his half dark basement working on his new game. He was a video game design major in college and the game he was working on was supposed to be an end of year assignment, but he hadn’t had time to finish it. He sat back from his computer, took off his glasses and sighed, his gangly arms and legs hanging out from under the desk. His app was acting strangely. It'd been getting rid of bugs on its own. Not that he wasn't grateful for that. It saved him a lot of work, but still. The app was a new game. It was about tim...

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“The Wrath of Bob ” by Nate Siegert

Submitted to Contest #82

“I know you can hear me.” “How?” “I can see inside your head.” “Who are you?” “You know who I am.” “I don’t.” “Think about it, Josh.” “No one I know can read minds.” “Who said I am human?” “You mean…” “Yes.” “I want to wake up!” “I’m a...

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“Emotional Matchmaking App” by Kim Kinakin Tuckey

Submitted to Contest #82

Emotional Matchmaking App Well, the good news was he hadn't seen her yet. The bad news was the wedding ceremony was only half over. Five or six more hours and he would be able to sneak out of the wedding reception and return to his hotel room. Jamie could not wait to go back to his suite, peel off his black tuxedo, throw the boutonniere in the garbage and go to bed. Yup, he was definitely looking forward to climbing into the super comfortable king bed where he would spend the night tossing and turning and feeling sorry for himself....

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Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 74 stories

“Codependent” by Jill Davies

“Are You My Friend?” by Aiyana Henderson

“My New, Old Friend” by KC Walks

“Humans Are Their Own Problem” by Linley Horsey-Schaefer

“Aias” by Adra Verse

“Singularity ” by Cullen Marshall

“Clammy, The Paper Clip” by Florian Wolf

“Echoes of You” by K. Graves

“The iHeal Reveal” by Teresa Manuszak

“To Have a Broad Mind, and Yet to Have no Heart...” by Rin Sadow

“A-live” by Artemas Lazaro

“Belinda” by Art Of Wolfgang Von Zenn

“Maybe” by Hannah Love

“The Wrath of Bob ” by Nate Siegert

“Emotional Matchmaking App” by Kim Kinakin Tuckey

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a technophobe who’s been given a device to solve a problem they’ve struggled with for years, but isn't sure how they feel about it.

Write a historical fiction story about someone working at a company that helped revolutionize early computers.

Write a near-future thriller where a piece of everyday technology has turned against your character — and only your character.

Write about an android just trying to blend in with their human companions.

Contest #82

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

537

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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