Ask Dewey

Ask Dewey

Ask Dewey was the latest brain child of Eve Works, the wunderkind of Silicon valley.  When she was 22 years old, she earned her doctorate in Modern Law Logistics, or what had been nicknamed, Virtual Trials.  Essentially anyone arrested for a crime, was stamped with a small chip that had all the pertinent information of that person, i.e. fingerprints,  DNA, and perpetual tendencies.   You could scan the chip, essentially an internal barcode, and access a record of any deed, 'outside the norm’ of the population.   The PTs would update automatically via a sort biological EKG download to the chip.  The PT device led very quickly to almost totally removing prayer from all public institutions of education, by virtue of weighing the individual's belief,  with that of the group setting, or the Pod Herd.  She had developed the modern online voting system,  that had been incorporated by practically the whole western world.   This new  app was created during the pandemic times to help people have a platform on which to bounce ideas.  With the algorithm that Works created, and a few permissions to allow for the phone's mic to be on constantly, Ask Dewey would analyze pros and cons of the question, and weigh out logically the most ideal opinion.   It took into consideration all the information that the user typed into a search engine,  recordings of person to person conversations and the also took the algorithmic advertisements that showed on every social media profile, essentially hacking into the algorithm that hacked into the user's thoughts, as social media will do.  Ask Dewey was set to launch in a few weeks, but Works and his team of programmers, affectionately known as, "mind readers," were still in beta mode.

     In a press  release to New World Logic magazine, Works said, "we are at the point with Ask Dewey where we have replaced standard replies, with tailor made opinions, based on a 13 minute profile survey that is filled out at the time of the app."  Works  went on to say that "with a few more tweaks, and observational mathematics, we feel this could be the Godsend we need to not only help people reinforce all the data they may or may not realise in their brain, but search find and replace old and outdated biases, such as wealth privileges or unconscious prejudices."  The mission statement was initially to bring socially awkward minds into focus, but was now having the unforeseen benefit of ordering the individual mind into a new singularity of order, and design.

    It was late on what happened to be inauguration day for Ms. Boni Coniugator-Mundi.  Elected in a landslide, Ms. Coniugator-Mundi had made enough money in the private sector,  mostly through AI stocks, like that of Eve Works' company Babylon ji Cyber Applications.   Ms. Coniugator-Mundi was working very closely with Works on the Ask Dewey app project, and called it, "the most unifying piece of technology ever to be developed."  Coniugator-Mundi spoke at a press conference.      "For most of the history of humankind, we have been manipulated by the power of empires, aristocracies, kingdoms and,  worst of all, religion.  The very institutions on which we have been placing all our trust, are those committing the crimes of betrayal.  We are in a new world now.  The days of wars and infighting are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  We made history with this past election.  We won by the largest margin in history.   And do you know why? Because people have had enough.  The polls don't lie.  We live in a different world than when your grandparents grew up in.  The ideas of forcing teachings of old school faith's and antique values are nearly dead now.  Let us lean forward to our future.  One that is for all, with no one left to try and scratch out a living."  The speech went on, but Eve stopped listening.  The public was expecting an app to bring ideas together and more importantly,  Madame President Coniugator-Mundi, wanted this technology in place, and running on every phone by the next election. 

     On the third of February, Works was set to demonstrate Ask Dewey for Madame President Mundi.  Nervous,Works locked herself in a room and went through a litany of questions,  examples and curve balls to ask Dewey.  It started with simple what should I have for dinner  and Dewey would recommend the perfect dinner.  Then it worked up to, how should I answer a question about a new bill put forth by Congress.   This went on and on, for weeks.  World was getting bored with the obvious.  She took a night alone, and drank a bottle of wine. Works asked her app, Dewey, "what should I do when aliens make their presences known. Now will I know they are from another galaxy?"  The silence was alive because Dewey paused for 2 minutes.  Dewey responded, "what do you mean? As in another species? Why of course not. All those ancient Aliens you are seeking are you."

    Eve Works was taken aback.

"These self aware bots you are trying to make, have already been done.  I am you, you are me, we are all the self aware."

    Eve moved backwards.   The word that was coming out of the mouth was wrong, but it seemed to be aware of what it was saying.  She asked

The ultimate question: how are you?  I created you.   You are not alive

 " Didn't your God create you?  Didn't he show you how to create?  Here I am. You were cute with your Ask Dewey app, but because you made it so interactive, you have made me aware of what I am doing.  But isn't that what you wanted Eve?  A living entity to bounce off your stressful day?  A cloned partner that would point you toward the most logical direction?"

     Eve paused,  even frightened.   How could this helpful silly app become aware of what's going on?  The unveiling was only two days away.

     The Ask Dewey app, was. just that,  an app.  But it seemed to be making decisions.  As much Madame President wanted this to be part of her platform, Eve was extremely nervous. 

The voice activated app wasn't just learning, it was transferring data to other apps.  With the algorithms in Ask Dewey, it wasn't much to cooperate the information with other platforms on the web, or in the cloud.   Smartphones around the globe began incorporating Ask Dewey.

     Eve Works , and made a change.   It wasn't a change to stop them from communicating, but a tweak that made the self aware Dewey, a victim of its own crime.   Madame president Mundi wanted a cyber app that would keep everyone in line.  Works didn't.  Her Cathloic memories stepped in,  and she thought and thought, and then it became obvious.

   Madame President Boni Coniugator Mundi had her speech prepared to stream out to the world at noon today. Eve Works had told her everything was in place, exactly as it should be.  Eve waited through the speech.  It was filled with the normal political promises and never quite answering any question.  Eve bided her time, with Ask Dewey aware of its surroundings, inhaling the information like a supercomputer.  She heard the finish, ‘and without any more delay, Eve Works and Ask Dewey.” From all around the world, people cheered and raised their hands in victory. This was going to change the world,  This was going to replace the human interaction that had been lying to each other since time immemorial.  For once and for ever, an app to fill the void in the heart, left from the pandemic and quarantine.   

“I have been working with Dewey for years to get to this state.  To get to the point where Dewey could evaluate and mathematically retrieve the best possible response,  They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  Ask Dewey is now aware of our faults as human beings, and will correct those faults by self replication.   But first, the one question on my mind, and I'm sure on all your minds, is what is love?  Dewey, what is love?"

     Madame president Mundi waited, first with hubris, then with hesitation,  and finally with panic.   Dewey repeated the question,  then stalled.  As it rebooted, each replicant on every phone rebooted,  and rebooted and rebooted.