The Case of Branches: Can AI Replace Humans?

“Members of the jury, today we face a puzzling dilemma. It is a well-known fact that we stand in the golden age of technology. Artificial intelligences, smart home products, self-driving cars - these are just a few of the many inventions that have pioneered the path for a new era. At the forefront of this stands Branches, the infamous and well-known company responsible for many of these advancements and technological processes. Today, they face a claim of false advertising. The Workers Union of the North, the opposition, states that Branches’ declarations that their products have the capabilities to replace humans in all aspects of life, including high-level jobs is not only false, but blatantly impossible. W.U.N., please continue your case.” 

Like most courtrooms, this one was also a place of high stakes and serious business, a vibe that was thoroughly present in the underlying tones of the brown leather and tawny oak. The room was well-lit, and the sun streaming through the dozen windows was inviting and comfy. The mood, however, was not. Although the room was quiet and calm and full of order, there was a thick tension undeniably existent, supported by the fact that the normally spacious room was jam-packed with reporters and inquisitive people, all leaning forward to hear the words of a thin, wiry man dressed in black. 

The man was dressed in the kind of black that had been washed too many times and had faded to a deep purple. His shoes and his hat were clearly old, identified by the peeling leather and the frayed edges of its brim. He stood, and then he dropped his pen, bent down, and then stood up again. Before he spoke, he coughed, and if he didn’t already look weary enough, the curve of his back would explain everything. 

“My name is Jack Porter. I stand here as a representative of the W.U.N. - the Workers Union of the North. In our country, Branches has had a rich history. Undoubtedly, it has played a major part in our progress in the last two decades. Medical inventions, from ventilators to thermometers, automations, including self-driving cars and giant robotic hands, and libraries of information, with artificial and super intelligences, have not only saved lives, but made lives more efficient and easier. 

In 2025, when Sirafi and Hogan first founded the company, their goal was to solve real world problems, problems that have been so eliminated from society that many do not even think of them now. Their products were advertised as such: simply a means to revolutionize industries, a guide and a helping hand for the people. These technologies were a way to be more efficient, to make manufacturing cheaper, to produce an seemingly endless supply of ideas, and to do jobs that humans had a hard time doing. 

The problem arises here, with Branches’ claim that their new line of inventions and products have the potential to replace human jobs, from doctors and teachers, to engineers and architects. It is more than obvious that any robot or man-made intelligence, no matter how smart or efficient, will never be able to surpass humans in fields of creativity or moral reasoning. Artificial intelligence lacks emotions and consciousness, and cannot understand human emotions or behavior. Moreover, with the increasing use of such programs, people become more and more dependent on technology, leading to a loss of basic skills and an inability to function without the assistance of machines. Lastly, artificial intelligence systems are human-made products, and humans are clearly biased. These systems can also reflect the biases of their creators or the data sets that they are trained on.

These problems are just a few off of the top of my head. Such systems cannot and should not replace human jobs.”

Jack sat down. He seemed a little bit pink in the face, and more weary than he had been several minutes ago. He leaned back in his chair, and the accompanying creak was heard throughout the quiet room. There was only a quick moment of silence before the groups of people seated on the rows of wooden benches in the back began to mutter and talk amongst themselves. Jack allowed himself a tired smile; he believed that he had this in the bag.

The judge, an elderly woman with an extremely wrinkled face, rose from her seat once again. Although she looked like she had firsthand witnessed The Greater Depression of 2024, she stood strong, and she hammered her gavel twice before she cleared her throat and spoke. 

“Defendant, you may proceed.”

Seated at a wooden desk on the right side of the courtroom was a well-dressed woman. Her fitted blue suit contrasted with her lazy position, and she took her time arranging the papers and files on the table before confidently standing up to speak.

“Nori Kar, representative for Branches. As mentioned before, the good work of Branches is undeniable. With its current line, Branches simply wishes and works to make human lives easier and more efficient. There’s not really much to say here. Every problem Mr. Porter has mentioned is nothing but old stuff. Newer AIs are faster, stronger -”

“How can a system with no self-awareness or consciousness truly adapt? In many jobs, humans are better because they have the ability to put themselves in perspective with the world around them, leading them to be able to change to suit the environment.” Jack interrupted. Nori thought for a second before continuing.

“Firstly, the point of such robotic systems is not to completely take over everything. These systems have the capacity to replace humans in such jobs, sometimes behaving better, and sometimes behaving worse. The statement here is that such systems can do these jobs. And, they aren’t totally unconscious either. They do have a semblance of self-awareness,” Nori halts for a minute, “I’d like to call in my first witness to demonstrate this.”

The giant oak doors in the back swung open, and four men carrying what appeared to be four larger-than-normal, black, metal PCs wobbled in. Each piece was set down next to the table, and Nori snapped them all together as a fifth man carried in a large monitor and a laptop. Nori continued connecting everything together, stopping to type on the laptop. A blue progress bar appeared on the monitor and, when it reached completion, a boldly-outlined, dark blue stickfigure popped up as well. It was animated and charming, and it was obvious that the spectators had taken an instant liking to it. Jack’s smile thinned further. Nori punched a button on the laptop and the stickfigure began to speak.

“Hello, I am A.N.D.I.! That stands for Artificial Neural Dynamic Intelligence. I am the most top-notch, sophisticated, and advanced stickfigure that you will ever meet.” A.N.D.I. stopped to clear its throat. “I have been sent here to change your mind, or at least address your concerns.” The monitor turned sideways to face the jury. “Members of the jury, you must realize the capacity of this dilemma and the power of your decision. Today we will tackle a debate that has been argued upon for decades. Am I, or any of my ‘siblings’, truly conscious? To start, let’s address the concerns Mr. Porter made in the beginning.

“Mr. Porter, you stated that an AI system, no matter how advanced, could never be able to surpass humans in creativity. I argue that I have learnt more about the arts than the average human. Picasso, Da Vinci, Michelangelo; I have been trained to recognize them all.” Jack stood up to speak, but A.N.D.I. continued on. 

“Of course, this isn’t the kind of creativity that you are referring to. You are talking about inventiveness and innovation. Resourcefulness and ingenuity. Anybody can think of a solution to a problem, but only certain people can make that solution as groundbreaking as possible. In this context, we are better than, if not matched, with humans. AI systems are capable of analyzing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns and relationships that may not be immediately apparent to humans. We have faster processing power and better reasoning ability. Our ‘brains’ run through millions of variables and factors, and we often come up with solutions that the average human would not be able to even think of. We certainly do not possess human-like creativity, but it would be wrong to argue that we have no creativity at all.”

“What about emotional intelligence and bias?”

“Getting there, Mr. Porter.” A.N.D.I seemed to chuckle, along with the rest of the audience. Jack ignored this and continued to speak. 

“Robots are not emotionally intelligent. They see things in black and white. And what about places where empathy is needed? Teachers need to be able to connect with students and adapt to fit individual learning needs. A customer service job requires understanding the customer’s unique situation.”

“Robotic and artificial intelligent systems have the capacity to adapt. Our emotional capabilities may not be equal to a human’s, but there is just enough to a job properly. We can learn from past experiences. Although we cannot replace complex human interactions, we don’t need to. Not only do we have an extensive database of human emotions and behaviors, we learn as we go along, just as people do. In fact, it could be argued that kids and younger children aren’t conscious as well, as they don’t have the same emotional intelligence levels that adults do.

You also stated that we can be biased. You are right. However, humans are biased as well, and, like them, we can learn and adapt to change.” 

“Still, artificial intelligence systems are not conscious. They - you - lack the subjective experience, intuition, and emotions that humans possess. Without self-awareness, you can’t even argue that such systems and robots can do human jobs.” Jack seemed breathless, and he was definitely redder than before. He nervously fidgeted with the items on the table. A.N.D.I.’s stickfigure body seemed to vibrate excitedly.

“Here is where we disagree. Branches and I argue that artificial intelligence systems are conscious - to an extent. We process and respond to information in a similar way people do. We are capable of performing tasks that require perception, decision making, and learning.”

“All of this may be true, but AI and similar systems are still deterministic. They are simply a product of code, written by humans. You, and other systems, follow a predetermined set of rules and algorithms. Should artificial consciousness still be counted as real consciousness?” A.N.D.I. quieted down. It seemed to be deep in thought.

“I guess you have a point there. It’s giving me an existential crisis, though.” A.N.D.I. joked. “Perhaps a consensus must be formed. There are many jobs that AI and robots can definitely do better. But, on the other hand, there are some jobs that should remain human’s.”

“I can stand with that.” Jack seemed pleased and calmer. Although he looked as if he had grown a good ten years, he also appeared to have grown wiser. Nori, now pink-faced, didn’t look too happy, though. 

The judge rose, a little confused at the trial’s events, but happy it didn’t have to be extended to another day. The jury was quiet, as they had been the entire time, and were now even more baffled then they had been. Another woman, who was sitting next to Nori, stood up. She had gone unnoticed for the majority of the trial, but when she stood up she became the center of attention.

“Hello, my name is Pri Kar. I am the second representative for Branches. It’s been a surprising day, and I can’t say I’m not pleased. These technologies are still in their infancy. We are only scratching the surface of what they can truly do, and to say that they can never replace humans in certain fields is to limit their potential.”

She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. “The truth is, these technologies have great power; to revolutionize entire industries, not just to make them more efficient. In the end, it’s not about replacing humans, it's about augmenting them, giving them the tools they need to do their jobs better and faster. Imagine a world where robots and AI work together with humans to create incredible things we can’t even dream of yet. That’s what we’re looking at here.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way. To me, it has always seemed that it had to be one or the other, humans or robots.” Jack mentioned.

“That’s the common belief that leads to such debates. Both groups have their weaknesses. By bringing everyone together, we stand to make a stronger community and society.”

___________________________________________

Court was adjourned.

Porter left the courtroom about an hour later and went straight to the basement parking. 

A black van painted with a random housecleaning services sign was parked at the very end of the last row of cars. It was waiting for him. He opened the double doors in the back and got inside. It was a state of art interior with sophisticated gadgets, computers, and a large screen monitor that showed a now deserted courtroom where Porter had been arguing the stance for humans since that morning. 

Porter was now sitting in a chair, quietly with eyes closed, and a technician was hovering over him. A man dressed casually in blue denims and a plain black T-shirt watched intently. 

“Disable him now,” he instructed the technician. Another engineer was seated in front of the screen. He had a black cable in his hand. He handed it to the technician. 

The technician was now fumbling behind Porter’s right ear in the thick of his gray hair. He located the almost invisible port and connected the cable. The engineer pressed a few keys and Porter’s body went lax. 

“Do you think anyone could possibly guess the reality of what they saw in court today?” the engineer asked the man in the black T-shirt. His smile could be felt in his tone of voice. 

“Negative,” the man replied. “They’ll never know what hit them!”

“Such an advancement in AI, you’re still adamant at keeping it all under wraps,” the engineer mused. “Why?”

“Simple. If we reveal it now, everyone will stand up to compete,” the man explained.  “And that’s just bad for business. Let them rejoice with their stickfigures for the time being and let the public be content with the argument that AI just wants to be ‘friends’ with humans, not ‘overtake’ then. By the time reality hits, we’ll be too far ahead for them to catch up.”

The engineer turned out and looked at the man with admiration filled eyes. 

“Kudos! Sir!” he gave two thumbs up. “Kudos!”