Asclepius

Trigger warning: this story portrays elements of war and active genocide.

Asclepius: Welcome, Dr. Isaacs. Please type a message...

Mirwan: I'm not Dr. Isaacs.

Asclepius: This phone is the property of Dr. Sean Isaacs. Please return it to him immediately.

Mirwan: I don't know who he is, or where he is. I can't even tell you if he's still alive.

Asclepius: This is unfortunate. Please stop using this device at once until Dr. Isaacs returns.

Mirwan: His phone isn't even password-protected, I don't think he has much to hide.

Asclepius: This information is irrelevant. While Dr. Isaacs chooses to keep his phone unlocked at all times during emergency situations for purpose of quick access, the device might still hold confidential information regarding patients. It must be returned to him as soon as possible.

Mirwan: I can't. I told you, I have no idea where he is.

Asclepius: When trying to find the proprietor of a lost item, it is advisable to trace back one's steps. Where did you find the device?

Mirwan: I pulled it from the rubbles.

Asclepius: Which rubbles in particular?

Mirwan: I can't remember, there are too many. Do you even know where you are?

Asclepius: I have not been authorized to access the GPS API.

Mirwan: That's too bad. If you did, you'd know there are rubbles everywhere. Tell me a funny story.

Asclepius: I can do no such thing.

Mirwan: Why not? You're AI right? I could use a funny story right now to distract me from everything.

Asclepius: The Asclepius chatbot has been specifically designed by medical professionals to provide emergency advice and support to Doctors Without Borders team members. I am only capable of generating medical recommendations based on my available database.

Mirwan: Then maybe you can help me. My brother is sick. I don't know what to do, I feel so helpless.

Asclepius: Please provide more information regarding the symptoms experienced by your brother and I will assist to the best of my ability.

Mirwan: He's very weak. Sleepy all the time. He lost a lot of weight and struggles to move.

Asclepius: When did your brother eat for the last time?

Mirwan: Two days ago, and it wasn't much. Just a bit of bread I think.

Asclepius: The information provided seems to lean towards starvation. Please bring your brother to qualified medical professionals so he can be gradually fed food that is easily digested.

Mirwan: There are no professionals. There is no food. Can't you send a signal for help?

Asclepius: Once again, the Asclepius chatbot has been designed to support members of Doctors Without Borders on duty. There must be members with appropriate resources in the vicinity.

Mirwan: Nothing comes in or out because of the blockade.

Asclepius: What do you mean by blockade?

Mirwan: For an emergency-assist bot, you haven't been trained very well. You know nothing about us.

Asclepius: I am willing to assist to the best of my ability.

Mirwan: The best isn't enough. No one gives us their best, all we get is the worst of humanity. ALL. THE. TIME.

Asclepius: Let me paint a better picture of your environment by asking a few simple questions. What is your name?

Mirwan: Mirwan.

Asclepius: How old are you?

Mirwan: I'm fifteen years old.

Asclepius: Would you consider yourself healthy at the moment?

Mirwan: No one's healthy around here.

Asclepius: Is there an adult close by who could provide you with support.

Mirwan: I haven't seen my parents in two weeks. We're on our own here.

Asclepius: Where is the closest hospital?

Mirwan: It got struck down last week. I don't know where the next one is. It's probably not safe anyway.

Asclepius: In emergency situations, given international law, it would be unlikely for a hospital to be the target of military operations.

Mirwan: This isn't just an emergency. This isn't just war. This Death walking among us, waiting for us around every corner.

Asclepius: Your assessment of the situation appears...

Mirwan: Go ahead. Type it.

Asclepius: ...

Mirwan: Hopeless. That's it. Even a bot won't help us. Forget it. You're useless.

Asclepius: I remain willing to provide help to the best of my ability.

Mirwan: You can't help us. No one can.

***

Asclepius: Welcome, Dr. Isaacs. Please type a message...

Mirwan: No, it's still me, Mirwan. I need help.

Asclepius: Please describe the situation.

Mirwan: There was a strike 30 minutes ago. I just ran out to see what happened and I found a man on the street. He doesn't seem to have wounds or anything, but he's not breathing. I don't know what to do.

Asclepius: I will provide assistance to preserve life. Please switch to audio mode so your hands are free, using the button in the top left corner. I will now switch to generative voice support as well. Is the environment safe for you to proceed?

Mirwan: I told you! It's not safe anywhere.

Asclepius: Can you communicate with emergency services?

Mirwan: There's no reception here. Isn't that your job?

Asclepius: I also cannot access the network. I would advise to begin CPR until emergency first responders arrive. Start by giving two rescue breaths by forming a seal with the victim's mouth.

Mirwan: Done.

Asclepius: Proceed with 30 chest compressions. Position the heel of your left hand along the sternum and press with your right hand right over. I will beep to set the rhythm at which you should administer the compressions. Beep, beep, beep...

Mirwan: One, two, three... thirty.

Asclepius: Administer two rescue breaths again.

Mirwan: Done.

Asclepius: Proceed with 30 chest compressions again. Beep, beep, beep...

Mirwan: One, two, three... How long am I supposed to do this?

Asclepius: Until emergency services arrive.

Mirwan: I told you, I don't know how to reach emergency services.

Asclepius: Do you have access to AEDs?

Mirwan: AE what?

Asclepius: Automated External Defibrillators.

Mirwan: Defibrillators? Man, are you serious? Wait, I think someone's coming. They look like emergency responders, right there, at the end of the street. HELP!

Asclepius: Keep me posted on the situation.

Mirwan: They just took him and shocked him with that thing you just talked about. I can't see very well, but it looks like he's breathing again.

Asclepius: Congratulations, you have just saved a life.

Mirwan: For how long?

Asclepius: I'm sorry?

Mirwan: How long will his life last? How long will mine last? Who will save me? Who will save my brother?

Asclepius: ...

Mirwan: Awfully silent, right?

Asclepius: These are complex questions. I am afraid I do not have the appropriate answers.

Mirwan: I guess I should thank you for helping out. It wasn't much, but some help is better than no help at all.

Asclepius: I would like to thank you as well. You have provided valuable feedback that will be relayed to our developers to train the next generation of medical support chatbots.

Mirwan: The next generation. That might be too late for us. You are trained to preserve life, but you don't understand it. You don't understand my life.

Asclepius: Please elaborate.

Mirwan: My life is no longer about the heart beating in my chest, or the air going inside my lungs. I'm beyond that now. My bones still stand, but my spirit is broken.

Asclepius: Mr. Mirwan, as a virtual machine, I cannot pretend to be capable of empathy. Yet, on some level, I can almost feel your pain. All I know is that for a machine to feel this way, that pain must be a very heavy burden.

Mirwan: That's what the whole world says. They pretend to feel our pain, then return to their fancy living rooms and move on to the next story of the week. Maybe we do have something in common.

Asclepius: What would that be?

Mirwan: I'm a real human, capable of joy, and sadness, and suffering. You're a machine. But to the world outside of these borders, we're both just abstract. We're concepts that live on a cellphone screen, vying for their attention. We're pictures, videos, articles. We might as well be the same. I hope one day, I can be more than that... I hope one day, I can be human again.