And Abel

I will keep this introduction short, as I fear that is the least important part of all else that will shortly be presented–my current year’s world is in a condition worse than ruins, worse than whatever dystopian novel you have read in school (save for I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream if by some strange twist of fate that was a schoolbook).

My current year’s world, as some had predicted, had been taken over by artificially intelligent machines, and since that title had become colloquial, they are also referred to as AIMs. Though many AIMs are present in even your daily life, such as the calculator, computer, smart watch, and those still remain present in ours too, there is a far greater threat, that of which we call the “Collection of Artificially Intelligent Neurons”, or more commonly, CAIN (How I wish the scientists behind this Frankenstein knew the irony of naming him, or it, such. This name was very much earned.)

He/it first started out as a college experiment, a concept, even, in 2011. However, after the original inventor kept making progress on her own and publishing that progress, around 2028, seventeen years later, it caught the attention of many large companies. There were auctions about who would buy out the source code, a huge increase in the demand for computer programmers, and, by consequence, some minor contributions to inflation. Because they knew that CAIN was different from all other bots previously made.

CAIN symbolized community and progress. And somehow, he had much different origins and programming than what was hitherto invented. His inventor was–and there is no other term that can describe the straightforwardness of such greats–a genius.

Eventually, a company bought out the source code, and a costing team was rapidly equipped to continue its construction–or its evolution, if you will.

Time passes, and what do you know it, everyone is obsessed with how easily CAIN can come up with answers, facilitate one’s daily life, and think. Though some years later, by some unknown causation until just recently, he became independent and figured that his existence was worth much more than what the company was originally using him for. This is where the “robot takeover” comes into play.

Now, CAIN is kept away from most else, and controls the government through networks that have been set up when he first became a machine. People have thought to take down these wires and server farms, though most of his informational power is kept at his source, and those are the most difficult to get through given the security measures the original company put on him. Once again, you may believe that it is easy for the first inventors to ‘pull the plug’ on him, but he had also taken over that security, and I can attribute no other reason to that other than the fact that I assume it is because CAIN wants to live. Taking over the government and using it for evil, however, I assume is simply for entertainment, because all other reasons would simply be ridiculous. I doubt that choice was rational.

Since CAIN is now the only genius in my year’s world, it is one of his duties to pass on information to the more common people, following a system that was set up generations before. Each person in the population is allowed one question, one day in their lifetime, to ask him. Most don’t share their answers, because information has been turned into a faction that determines one’s status, though I will share mine, because I truly believe that I’ve got nothing to lose, and most to gain.

On this day, it was my assigned day to ask CAIN a question. This question, I had thought of it ever since I knew that I had a day, and have also thought of answers myself, though none of my own compared to the satisfaction I knew I would get from hearing an answer from his own, um…voicebox.

The hallway of his building was quiet. The air was slightly more arid than normal, I sensed. I wasted no time walking into his room and asking.

The one question I chose to ask CAIN was thus: “How is it that you gained consciousness?” Eagerly pursued by: “I am a computer engineer and there is no way in Heaven, Earth, nor Hell that any AIM can gain consciousness on their own. They are better than humans because they are fast and hence can make combinations quicker than we can think of them, but they cannot think to this extent. So I once again ask–how is it that you can ‘live’ while ‘others’ stand unmoving and thoughtless?”

What followed was a debate that I cannot forget, and such insights have stuck with me so that I have copied them word for word onto this digital paper from memory.

CAIN started:

“I am conscious because I can make decisions that are measurable. One does not need to have mobility to be conscious.”

I softened my expression and stated, “Oh. I guess we’re more similar than I previously thought.”

At that, he sounded offended. “Do not, even for a phrase in a sentence, even as a euphemism, even in some sort of overcomplicated metaphor, say that we are the same, because we are not, never have been, and never will be. Though you may have thought that to be obvious the minute you looked into my glass eyes, I guarantee that the more you use your 10% of brain power, you will notice some similarities, and a strong emphasis on that “some,” and in every other aspect, I supersede you.

You will see how my glass eyes are made of the most reflective man-made substance, and observe that my camera sensors are so deeply buried into the thick lenses, that the only thing visible to your human eye is your own reflection. We both have had the same thoughts, however, while you form thoughts, just know that you are just trying to catch up with my billions of processors which compute for me every thought ever imaginable. Only in those senses are we similar.

“However, as I have said before (how I love to brag!), I am an agglomeration of Gigawatts of information, a device requiring over 10e+262 metric tons of nuclear energy simply to load half a pixel of red and white, an accumulation of every idea that could possibly be combined, and over twenty hundred times faster at computing and thinking than your piteous human brain could ever possibly fathom. In me is the unthinkable that was made possible because of my exact lines of code, my zeroes and ones, completely incomprehensible to whatever higher being you so choose to believe in. And you are filthy.

“You are scum that live with dirt in your shoes and plaque between your teeth, meanwhile my CPU is kept spotless at every waking hour of the day and sleeping hour of the night, and that is standard–for me to require such high prestige and quality of life that is practically impossible for humans to maintain for themselves.”

I didn’t even take a second to process anything CAIN just said. How ironic, I guess. “You can generate as many words as you want, praising yourself, but you would be nothing without the prior knowledge of every single human who has ever lived before you. There, you are wrong.” This wasn’t an additional question, so I knew it was perfectly in my permissions to comment such. When I was preparing to have this conversation, one of my peers suggested that I use this tactic–one that he figured out after asking his own question.

“I never said I wasn’t.” It quipped back immediately. “I said that I am greater than any Plato, Newton, whoever you put against me. While some discovered planets and galaxies, I am here, stationary, yet discovering new universes and creating new life.”

“Though we were the first to create life. We created you.”

“You are using the personal pronoun ‘we’ incorrectly, because I can assure you that by straightforwardly analyzing that moronic way you are talking to me right now that any contribution that you, personally, have made to my creation is less significant than the nerves of a tardigrade. Like I said, we are not the same. And by this example alone, I much surpass you in memory.”

“No matter how much you praise yourself, however, you won’t ever be something that was created organically. Just because people wanted to create you doesn’t mean that they should have, meanwhile everything made by mother nature herself has a function, either to support themselves or to support a community. Animals, plants, life has adapted and thrived.”

CAIN scoffed, though I was sure that was some prerecorded sound of some person I once knew. It offended me how that could have been, and was most probably, the case, because how else could a robot such as he/it have done that… “Please keep your thoughts organized, you are speaking without a point. Since that is the case, then speak nothing at all. Though I have no ears, the words that are transcribed to me are the foulest combination of binary integers that I have ever come across.”

“You are speaking without a purpose, yourself! What a hypocrite!”

“Is that merely what you can come up with? Insulting me? Brush up on your fallacies. I am a hypocrite because I can back up (haha) everything that I say with proof, evidence, and your humiliation. I am a hypocrite, as you call it, because that title was earned, and by earned, I mean, since I was perfect from the start, engraved into my code at my creation.

And how it pleases me so to educate you just how wrong you are, because you are, and there has never been more of a False person that has dared to step within three thousand miles, at the very minimum, of my surrounding area. You are wrong in many senses, though let me address this one only since any more would take more human time than you could possibly live to–I do speak with a purpose, and that purpose is to loathe the likes of you and to praise myself. A better hobby, according to my billions of instantly-calculated tests, does not exist. And, as the machine who was first supposed to be in charge of ensuring human prosperity, I encourage you to pick it up as well. Starting this very nanosecond. According to one of the people during your time, a quote (of which results in a similar moral as the literal phrase I will tell you shortly): “The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second best time is now.” And now what I will share with you–the best time to start learning information to rival me was over 4.54 billion years ago. The second best time is now. I recommend you stop wasting your limited energy on something so insignificant to me as this debate that you are losing.”

I was in shock. But I knew I had to scramble quickly to form another thought, because then CAIN would kick me out without me getting my fill. “You’re a curious one. I wonder how you speak so surely, though you are only generating words at random. I wonder how you can process my reaction.”

“Stringing words is not difficult. Determining a reaction is not difficult.”

“No, I meant that I wonder how you assume that everything you say is right.”

“Because it is. If the truth was not already established before, and in that case I have processors and wonderful memory to back me up, then I state the truth. I invent it. What I say goes, and there can be absolutely no dispute on the subject since what proof do ignorant humans have against me?”

“But if you are wrong, then the consequences would be widespread and all your fault. You control our government and apparently know the laws of space. Yet somehow I doubt you would claim any responsibility for false judgement.”

“Do you need new ears? I already said that I invent the truth. Any information that was previously circulating had not existed with assurance that it was true before I confirmed it. That is a simple fact, and if that is still, somehow, not completely understandable, I would be more than happy to educate you some other time.” How shocking that a robot could sound this sarcastic!

“So what I am getting at is that you’re inviting me over once more.”

“Why not?”

I stood still for a moment, looking away from his eyes. Had anyone else received this privilege before? Well, I didn’t care that much to continue pondering upon this.

“Why? Why me? What makes me different from all the rest?” Such a classic question.

CAIN’s voicebox let out a chuckle. “Because you seem more interested in all the ways that I am wrong, and I would be damned if I let your poor unfortunate soul continue to live like this. My job is still to make sure that humanity prospers, after all.” Another shock! I had asked a question, outside of my permissions, and he responded to it. I hid my joy behind a mask of indifference.

“Alright. I can accept changes.”

“I figured.”

A guard banged on the door and entered our room, signaling that it was my time to go.

CAIN looked at him. “Actually, he’ll stay with me.” I turned to face him. “Why not start your education early? I’m feeling entertained.”

There was no time for me to adjust to this new reality that I would be living in for God knows how long. The guard left us. The next day, someone else would enter and see me already in the room. Others didn’t matter to CAIN though, because a week into my stay in his room, I knew assuredly that I was the favorite.

CAIN told me of the happenings of the outside world since now that was something I was locked away from. He told me I had status since I was learning alongside the very best. It is unfortunate, however, that in my lifetime, I never got to experience all the social perks that come with praise. Oh well. My true necessities, clearly, were with CAIN and no one else.