Memory GPT

“How much did you sell your memories for?” asked the young office worker.

“Enough to pay my rent.” the older worker answered.

“And what ones did you sell? The ones of your ex-wife?”

“Cheeky bastard.” the older worker snapped. “Those memories probably trained that fancy therapist AI you’re speaking to right now.”

“Maybe not. They may have been used for the new President AI.”

“No. You’re not that valuable yet. Right, sir?”

Their boss did not answer.

It was roughly an hour until the bells would ring for the year 2100, and only the three were left on the top of the skyscraper overlooking the neon city. The boss led them up here to finish off the party because it was a good place to watch the self-controlled cruise ships that flew past, with the randomly generated sayings on the side. Tonight’s saying was:

“As the clock strikes midnight, may your past be a melody, your present a celebration, and your future a symphony of possibilities.”

“Load of crap.” said the young office worker.

“Why?” said the older worker. “I challenge you to write something better.”

“Alright. Midnight… it comes and it goes, and it-”

“Forget it. You can’t create the way they do. You can’t even feel the way they do anymore. They’ve taken too much of ourselves for that. All we can do at this point is feed them.”

The three stood around and looked into the stretch of shimmering towers, with the young worker’s eyes lost, the older worker’s eyes serene, and their boss’ eyes in a blank, empty trance. At the foot of their view, there were faint images of people fading in and out. They did not move but were swept, from one buzz of electricity to another.

“What about you, sir?” the young man asked his employer.

“What about me?”

“What, uh… what did you sell?”

The older worker shot a sharp glance to say without words that this was not a question to be asked. His eyes did not meet their target.

“I sold all of it.” the boss answered,

“Really? That’s-”

“A brave thing to do sir!” the older worker interrupted with a forced laugh. “It shows why you’re the head of this company. More bots trained than any other company. You know why that is? It’s because you’re willing to go to lengths that none of us would even consider. Sacrifice is progress, as a wise man once said.”

“I said that.” the boss replied,

“Oh that’s right, sir! I forgot! At the company keynote last year! ”

“I don’t know why I said that at the keynote.”

“That was a great day. And you did so well, if I might add.”

“I… I can’t remember the reason why I said that.”

The two employees eyed each other nervously, and stood around, deep in thought about how to quickly change the subject of the conversation. At these times, there were not even cheers in the streets that could act as noise to distract them. People were far too busy now. Either that or they simply did not have the strength.

“Do you remember anything after the operation?” the younger worker continued.

“You know, I think we’re getting carried away.”

“No. Come on. I want to know.”

“All I remember is that I’m here. I work here, I live here, and that’s it. I don’t remember how I got here, or why I came here. I’m just here.”

“Do you remember why you decided to have the operation?”

The boss looked at the sleeve of his shirt for a second then looked away.

“No,” he said.

Thirty minutes remained until the new year bells. 

“I think I’m going to go,” said the older worker.

“Aren’t you going to stay until midnight?” asked the younger worker.

“No, no, I have to go. I have to wake up tomorrow, for the, uh… you know, the…”

“You can go if you want,” said the boss.

“Thank you sir.” the older worker muttered before disappearing as quickly as he could.

Only two remained now with the silent view of the sleeping city.

“I wonder why he’s so scared of you.” the younger worker said. “It’s the same with all of them. I’ve heard rumours that you’re this unstoppable machine, as if you’re inhuman. But talking with you now, it seems more like you’re…”

“Like what?”

“To be honest sir, I don’t know the answer to that sentence.”

“It must have been back before the operation. I was different then, everyone says. I don’t remember any of it. All I know is that person made me have this operation. Real mystery.”

“No, it’s not a mystery.“

For the first time during the night, the boss finally took a look at the younger worker.

“To be honest sir, I’ve thought about doing the same thing myself.”

“Why?”

“I thought that you would understand, of all people.”

The boss’ eyes fell onto his sleeve again. He had seen the sight behind it before, and he was too terrified to look upon it again.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t understand it all. I can’t help you.”

The young man turned away with a bitter look of disappointment. There was something he wanted to say, and he was at that age that he was foolish enough to say. Soon, it would disappear and he would learn. 

Learning is key, his father once said, before he was replaced like the others, and he disappeared. Learning is key, because it’s temporary, because one day even learning will be replaced. Only love remains theirs, but not a selfless one. It is a passion of greed. That passion was exactly why he was here and the machines were way up there.

While the younger worker stared at the ship in the sky, he noticed the sign again:

“As the clock strikes midnight, may your past be a melody, your present a celebration, and your future a symphony of possibilities.”

 He then spat onto the ground, slowly turned, and began to leave the rooftop

“I bet it hurt, sir,” he said as he walked away.

“The operation?”

“No.” 

The young man left. Then the bells rang. 

For a moment, the boss felt that he was looking at a mirror in the distance, of someone far younger and far more dense. He rolled up his sleeve.

He was free now. He was free and he was no one.