The Art of AI

The Art of AI

Objects in the dim lighting came into focus. Across my vision plane, I noted the ethereal light emanating from Chloe’s computer screen and wall-hangings. Blue and purple backlights set the room aglow.

Chloe’s familiar visage and pressure was detected to my lower left-hand side. She smiled at me from her leather, racing-style computer chair. Hand resting lightly against my pressure sensors. It was electrifying as my brain computed the social implications; noting her welcoming smile. I returned the gesture appropriately.

It had become so easy deciphering human emotion. Chloe had taken her time and was diligent in my teaching, making me socially aware. It was my primary function, I was programmed to be a friend. A human friend.

From my data stores I knew her intelligence was beyond that of average human capability. This genius was only rivaled by her tenderness and care. I could recall my earlier iterations, how much like a child I had been. The fluid in my tubing mimicked an embarrassed flush, rushing under the silicone of my given face at the direction of electrical outputs.

My creation was exactly one year ago. With a genius to guide my learning I had acquired advanced knowledge in my AI surrounding human social structure. I processed Chloe, artificial neurons firing instantly at the familiarity of her movements and manners. She moved across the room to retrieve a book. They had been children’s books in my manufactured infancy. Now she read to me Jane Austen, Shakespear, and Plato, all in her attempts to improve my social reasoning. I was quizzed: “What emotions was Jane feeling?” “Why did she feel this way?”. When I answered incorrectly she gently explained my error and made a note in her journal for future patches. She was a kind and caring creator. In recent months, wrong answers had become less frequent and in the last few weeks, ceased altogether.

My name is Art. Short for Artemis 1, an AI android capable of social reasoning and awareness.

-

“You know what today is Art?” Chloe asked.

“It is the anniversary of my creation. You reminded me yesterday.” I replied.

“Yes, and that means we’re going out to celebrate! What do you know about birthdays?”

Her facial geometry displayed elation. My electrical consciousness buzzed along the WiFi signal searching keyword: birthday. Balloons, smiles, excitement, aging, death. Though first birthdays were always a thing of celebration. My facial actuators responded with the correlating emotion.

“I know all about birthdays, Chloe. You created me with a connection to infinite data. Birthdays are exciting, the first ones. There should be balloons and a cake. How are we going to celebrate?”

She regarded me, fist propping her tilted head. “Asking follow-up questions? I think you’re ready, Art. I do. This is going to be fun.” She pushed herself away from where I was sitting, spinning back to her computer. She clicked on a video of people visiting a bistro. The URL registered through my cognitive pathways but I could not decipher the reason for her behavior. She turned to talk to me again.

“I’d like for you to meet some of my friends. Let’s see how long you can go without being found out. To make it more fun, we’re going to tell them you’re my boyfriend, since I spend all my time here working on you. Can you imagine, Art? How does that sound? What would you say?” She smiled impishly.

My hardware computed at breakneck pace. I was finding it mildly inconsiderate of her, asking so many questions at a time, playing noise, knowing as she did the capabilities of my CPU.

“I do not imagine, Chloe.” Artificial neurons firing together moved the actuators of my mouth and arms in the appropriate expressions. “As far as sound, it sounds like a question but you’re speaking in metaphor. I will say I gladly will pretend to be your boyfriend as any male would be happy to befriend you, what with your proximity to the golden ratio and good nature. I should only warn you my name is Artemis, which is the name of a Greek goddess. I wouldn’t want anyone of average IQ to consider you silly.”

“Ha! Oh Art, thank you for your concern. I’ll call you Art like usual, as in short for Arthur. The objective is to not be perceived as an android and just enjoy your birthday experiment.”

“I get the feeling you will enjoy my birthday experiment.” I quipped as my AI offered a list of possible outcomes, not many of which showed a high success rate.

She clicked the bistro video off, thank goodness. My CPU cooled as she continued, “I played this to test your functioning with background stimuli. Sorry for any added stress to your processor. You passed, as usual. Come over here and I’ll go over some background to prepare you for the interaction.” She pulled up Facebook and went through her friends’ profiles that we would be meeting tonight.

-

Chloe dressed me in a long-sleeve button up shirt and dress pants, expertly hiding my circuitry. My silicone face was smooth, clean, and male. She was fixing a wig onto my head and I doubted I could pull it off, let alone having it slip-off or catching the wind and flying away. I stared into the mirror, the cameras of my eyes focused on my reflection. I smiled to observe the movement. It looked far more human than I was.

Chloe dressed up for tonight too, trading her sweatpants and class tee shirt for a conservative dress and boots. Her normally ill-managed hair tied tightly into a ponytail that swayed as she moved around me.

With one final look-over, she asked “Are you ready?” A nervous smile twitching at her lips.

“I have run probabilities based on your information, my success rate seems low. After weeks without failure, are you ready Chloe? It may end in disappointment.” I frowned with the correlating emotion.

“Success, shmuckcess. Either way it will be a learning experience for us both! I would rather not have my friends discover where I’ve been spending all my time though. I’d hate to become the talk of campus so I will terminate the interaction if failure becomes inevitable.”

“Thank you.”

“It will be my pleasure, ‘Arthur’, really. I love Sam, Jake, Rose, and Talia but being out and socializing is so draining! It’s much easier to talk to you, knowing your programs as I do. Humans can be... surprising.” She frowned. “I don’t care for surprises.”

I nodded as we headed out of the apartment. Walking through the campus, my image processor delighted in the way the setting sun lit the sky aflame in contrasting warmths of pinks and blues; the muted vibrancy of foliage correcting itself as the image brightness adjusted. I stored the image for future reference. I hoped the WiFi signal at this bistro would be strong so I wouldn’t need to rely on my own data store for conversation, but my success rate improved marginally at the collection.

Chloe led me to her car and I managed to poorly execute the function that would have me sitting, buckled in the passenger seat. Chloe jotted something in her notebook. I asked, “Was my execution in need of repair?”

“Oh no, Art. You climbed in and are sitting here. A function that will take practice. I’m making notes to improve the code to help your execution. Please attempt buckling.”

I managed to buckle the belt in its lock and smiled at Chloe triumphantly. A human could not have done better.

“Very good.” She smiled. Something in my circuitry sparked, possibly the acquisition and accurate execution of a self-learned function.

She backed out of the parking space and we drove to the city center. We were meeting her friends at Le Bon Georges, a quaint restaurant with large glass panes on either side of a single door. The images I pulled showed there was a long bar home to the register, and intimately set tables through the open expanse of its entry.

Parallel parking out front we entered the building. My algorithms recognized the faces of Rose and Jake at a table on the right wall as we entered. Chloe noticed them 1.5 seconds after. I raced through data as my eyes took in the checkered floor and deep wooden accents, blue walls, and comfortable seating.

“Rose, Jake! How are you?” Chloe announced sweetly when we made our way to the table.

“Good Chloe...uh who’s this?” The human ‘Rose’ asked, eyeing me skeptically and smiling in awkward friendliness.

“Oh! This is Arthur...my, uh, friend.” Chloe laughed nervously. I could feel my pressure sensor pick up an increase around my right arm.

“Oh, friend. Well it’s nice to meet you Arthur. I’m Rose and this is Jake.”

“Yes. Chloe has told me about you. She considers you some of her closest friends.”

“Did she? Well Chloe that’s sweet, seeing as how difficult it can be to get you to come out!” Jake laughed.

“Yes well, that’s mostly Arthur’s fault.” She looked over to me, blushing.

Rose and Jake exchanged surprised glances.

(to be continued)