1 Chapter 1 - Follow your dreams! (1/2)
X-City, year 20XX,2 January.
After the new years, this was usually the day most companies started back up, and this meant that a lot of grumpy adults had to go to work. One of those grumpy people after a long day of catching back up to speed to his usual workflow and now heading home was Adam Emeraldes. Adam is a 27-year-old man who works as an autonomous engineer for a major shipbuilding firm in his city. Walking along his usual route home Adam came across the crossing he crossed on a daily basis the year before and many years before.
Waiting for the signal to turn green and indicate him to cross he grumbles to himself ”why can't Chris ever do anything himself? Isn't he supposed to be my manager? Shouldn't he be more qualified than me? What kind of superior has to ask me for advice on everything…just give me a raise and his job in that case!”. Continuing his thought, he crossed the road and reached the apartment building he had moved into 5 years ago when he had landed this, now current, new job and was actually anticipating going to work. Taking the elevator up to the 5th floor he arrived at his 1 bedroom, living room and kitchen apartment and clinked in his key and rotated it and the knob to finally push open the slightly hefty door.
With his shoulders drooping and arms hanging lifelessly from his body he walked into his living room letting his arms wobble from left to right exaggeratedly, hoping that this would somehow alleviate the frustration and exhaustion he felt. Coming up to the closed curtains he pushed them open. Bright light cascaded into the room lighting up his minimally furnished room that had nothing but the essentials. The only thing that seemed out of place was the overly luxurious rug that covered 3/4th of the room and connected the wall which his television was on till where his 3, two 1 seater and one 3 seaters, couches were placed. It was a gift to himself when he got a raise a few years back and he has treated it like his baby ever since. Sad? Yes, very and he knew it.
Opening his eyes after adjusting to the brightness a blue shimmering waterway came into view from his French styled, top to bottom, glass window panes with a few walkway bridges going across it. This was the canal that ran through the city and it was one of many in this port city. One of the few solaces that Adam found in his life was this brilliant view that washed away all his worries, albeit temporarily.
Walking over to the couches he picked up the remote and switched on the television and fiddled with the remote till a news channel started playing on it. Then walking over to the kitchen, he pulled out a juice container and started pouring himself a glass. While doing that a news anchor reported the news zealously in the background ”unemployment rates have dropped due to xx corporation group opening up their new industrial plants throughout different parts of the nation. In their efforts to combat the rise of unemployment the C.E.O of xx corporation….” Walking back to the couch Adam took a seat before slowly sipping on his drink and watching the show impassively ”…and so obesity has only escalated due to…” hearing this segment for the 100th time he couldn't help but recall a show he had watched recently.
A plump man was the guest on the show, and he had written an article about a trauma in his childhood leading to him putting on weight and as such, that being the recurring reason for him to put on weight intentionally in various different ways throughout his life. He even proclaimed that he understood the harm his condition caused his body and in response, the audience and host clapped and encouraged him. Adam felt that this situation was so contradictory where society condemns something vehemently outwardly but inward when they must confront it, even an excuse is readily accepted. Even a way of self-harm is evidently brushed off when it becomes slightly inconvenient to correct someone. Taking into consideration misunderstandings arising from circumstances or the innumerable other dynamics, he fundamentally could not accept the act as right. ”Convenience birth's the pleasure of lethargy.” He mumbled to himself.
Whether his views would end up right or wrong Adam was the kind of person who liked to analyze situations even if he sometimes became philosophical. Only by analysing something will you take the first step and without it, you would continue running circles at the starting line he thought.
While his thoughts wandered the news anchor continued to ramble on his various reports. ”…how bad will autonomous robots be for mankind? Find out in our special segment tomorrow. Thank you for watching and good night.”
Finally hearing something that interested him, but the show ended he frantically stood up yelling ”what! Seriously? Tomorrow… there is no need to worry anyone, I will save them from the threats that Artificial intelligence will bring about!” Saying that he struck a pose with a thumbs up and a bright smile. Instantly realizing what he had said and done, embarrassment hit him like a slab of hard stone ramming into him and the agony of it immediately sent him to the mythical and heavenly state of mind known solely as 'cringe'.
He curled back into the couch and berated himself ”Adam! Why? Just why?”
Disregarding his one-man show. He truly did have a plan. Though, it was just a hobby that he dabbles in on and off during his free time. Having a backing in the field of autonomous engineering he had come across neural networks and neural learning algorithms leading to his plan. The biggest criticisms that artificial intelligence faced is that it would deem humans obsolete or maybe even harmful and it has almost been proven to be a fact. If robots were to be created capable of functioning as humans they would be better not only in processing but also functioning as compared to humans.
As humanity could not wait for evolution to slowly perfect them and halt technological advancement till then. He came up with an offence is the best defence form of plan. He thought up the idea of introducing a neural self-learning network that would merge with the brain of an individual at birth. To put it simply it would grant humans the ability to learn and process just as quick as a machine and maybe even more efficiently while maintaining an integral part of being human, having the capability of emotion. In its essence, it would integrate artificial intelligence into the core of a human inducing a form of evolution. Thus, making redundant the need for autonomous robots. If the two are together, a better self-sufficient unit how can the other deem a part of itself unnecessary?