The Keenan
Pavilion’s arched spire glitters against the afternoon sun. Within its
reflective walls, the auditorium is filled with The Committee of Innovation and
Advancement and members of the general public. Syra Bensten, Committee
President, sits with her colleagues in the front row of the middle section as one
of the presenters for the day takes leave of the stage. Almost in unison, the
committee members glance at the day’s program on their holo pads and exhale
heavily as they are reminded of who their last presenter for the day is. Syra
rubs her temple as she puts the pad down. She already knows how this will go,
no need to take notes. Looking around to the others, she sees that none of them
appear to be particularly thrilled about what Dr. Limoy will bring to them, but
they also don’t seem overly perturbed either. She wonders if maybe they just
don’t see why this is such a shame. She guesses that they don’t understand the
significance of what this means to the scientific community. Glancing up to the
members of the general audience, she sees nothing but excitement.
“These science geeks can’t get enough of Dr.
Limoy and his freakish pet project,” she thinks to herself.
She can’t fathom
why this is the kind of thing that excites them. Normally this hall is sparsely
populated, with a few avid fans of science and technology scattered about. But
not today! Today, they come in droves. They sit hunched forward in their seats,
wondering why they haven’t called the doctor out on stage yet. They expect that
all their online petitions and digital letters to the committee will get
Limoy’s work approved. She shudders to think about how loudly they will boo
when she utters the final verdict.
“Ma’am…” one of
the stage attendants calls down to her.
The dimpled face
of this adorable young nan calms her down a little. “Please let Dr. Limoy know
we’re ready for him,” she instructs.
“Yes, ma’m,” the
intern says as he scoots across the stage and disappears behind the red drapes
hanging in the back.
Syra smooths out
the folds in her skirt and crosses one leg over the other. Her blood pressure
goes up a bit while she waits for the inevitable catastrophe that she’s about
to bear witness to. She didn’t actually expect the good doctor to come back for
a second presentation after they shot down his work almost two months ago. Now
here he is, ready to actually bring shame to himself this time. Ironically
though, she’ll probably be the one that’s hated when this is all said and done,
at least to this audience. After a few moments pass, the stage attendant
reappears with a tall nan in his late fifties in tow. Behind him walks a smaller figure with a
soft, white face, feathery, white hair, and a mechanical neck.
“Ladies and
gentlenen, I present Doctor Deydric Limoy,” the attendant pips once the
cheering dies down. This sends the crowd into another applause-filled roar.
Dr. Limoy stands
tall with his shoulders pushed back and a gentlenanly smile stretching across
his face. His blue collared shirt shines boldly against the spotlights shining
down on him and Syra notices that he’s had his teeth whitened since his last
presentation. He tucks one hand into his dark trousers and uses the other to
slowly wave to the cheering crowd. The amount of confidence he exudes twists
Syra’s smoach. He must know that the committee will never approve of his mad
science experiment. Yet he doesn’t, he stands there with full conviction that
he will finally get the approval to move forward with his project.
“Thank you
everyone for having us here a second time,” Deydrick starts when the applause
for him settles.
He says this as
though the committee had any choice, when in fact it is the law that grants him
a second audience. This manipulative tactic to try to help the committee save
face in the eyes of the public does not escape Syra’s notice. She at least
feels confident that it doesn’t slip past her colleagues either.
“Always good to
see you doctor,” the amplifier pinned to her chest only accentuates the
bitterness in her voice. “While we’re all familiar with your proposal from the
last demonstration, we ask that you state for the record what is it you bring
to us today.”
“Gladly,” he
replies, the stage amplifiers blasting his voice out with extra tenacity.
“Today I do not come with any slide decks, or charts, or diagrams. I come with
the cornerstone of Sundance Corporation’s Project Eidan, the greatest
achievement of my scientific career, and the synthetic life form that I am
proud to call my son.” This last bit sends the general audience into a frenzy,
one that Deydrick quickly clams with a raise of his hand. “You’ve seen videos
and pictures of him, but this is the first time I have ever taken him with me
outside of our home. Everyone, please say hello to Maq.”
The synthetic
boy walks up beside his “father” and sends a shy wave to the crowd, even
smiling as he does so. They go wild again, this time no raised hand will settle
them down. These people are fully sold that the machine before them is indeed a
living thing. And perhaps it is. While I certainly did not create it, Maq is
the handiwork of my creation, made in their image, sort of how I made life in
my own. And I can feel things pulse through him like I might feel a Hyunan’s
thoughts and feelings. This machine does have sensations. It thinks and in a
way it does feel. Right now, it feels overwhelmed by the crowd before it. There
are more people here than it has ever seen in its “life” and it can’t quite
process it properly. The sensory overload is overcoming its thoughts and
slowing down its motor functions. It’s astoundingly alive and though Maq’s
existence vexes me greatly, I am also in awe that my creation have evolved to
such a point where they can make a living machine.
“Thank you to
everyone for coming out,” the doctor continues as the cheering finally abates.
“I’ve been touched by the many passionate supporters who have come to the
defense of my work. From its inception, Project Eidan was always about creating
so much more than just another artificial intelligence. It was about creating
life. Life that’s pure and simple, but also intricate and nuanced like our own.
I stand before you today with what I believe is the future, not just of
robotics, but of our society. Imagine a world where we can have companions like
Maq: beings who don’t feel compelled to lie, cheat, or steal and have no desire
to commit senseless acts of violence. Synthetics embody the best of us and are
free of the things that currently drag us down. I believe that they are the
solution to our Hyunan condition.”
Deydrick takes
another pause as a new round of applause resounds through the auditorium.
Through it all, The Committee of Innovation and Advancement remains firm in
their predetermined verdict.
“Now, I’ve taken
this good committee’s feedback to heart. When I first stepped on this stage,
there were indeed things about my project that deserved the harsh criticism
that I received. In my hubris, I made Maq appear far too Hyunan. It was wrong
of me to create something so visually indistinguishable from you or me. It was
also a great disservice to Maq to make him so much like his creators. He
deserves to be set apart from us because his is indeed different from us. In
the past couple of months, I have made tweaks to the Synthetic architecture.
The Maq you see today is the same that I
brought videos of before, only now, some of the flesh-like polymer that covered
him has been replaced with a matte finish, his hair has been recolored and
restyled, his eyes are now more distinctive, and even his voice has been
tweaked to sound more metallic. Go ahead Maq, tell them how you feel right
now.”
“Hello,” its
voice does in fact have a clanging, metallic sort of quality to it. “I’m very
happy to be here with you all…” Maq’s words hang in the air as though it has
more to say.
“Everything
alright Maq?” Dr. Limoy asks, placing a hand on his “son’s” shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m
just…I’m a little nervous too.”
This elicits a
big “AAAAWWWWWWWWEEEE!” from the audience, though the committee members are
hardly impressed by it.
“It’s alright
Maq, we all get a little nervous in front of big crowds like this.” He pulls
the robot boy close into a sideways hug where he holds it protectively. “Now
that these points of criticism have been addressed, I am here to propose that
Project Eidan be permitted to advance to the next stages of our development
where we can pilot the deployment of multiple Synthetic life forms into a
Hyunan populace, even if that must at first be confined to research grounds.”
Syra lets out a
sigh as Deydrick looks to her with a sparkle in his blue eyes. He’s given them
numerous opportunities to change their previous vote and retain their dignity,
but Syra has no intention of letting this happen.
“I’m afraid you
misunderstood the reasoning behind your previous rejection, Dr. Limoy. While we
certainly did criticize how freakishly alike your creation was to a living,
breathing Hyunan, our primary concerns were not in regards to Maq’s aesthetics.
No, our main reasoning for why your experiment was and still is ineligible for
this board’s approval is based on the fundamental truth about what Maq is.”
A member named
Tensan adds, “The work that you and Sundance have done in the field of
practical artificial intelligence is to be applauded. Thanks to you, we have
artificial intelligences that operate motor vehicles far safer than any Hyunan
ever could, we have the more reliable factory machinery than we ever dreamed
possible, and we even have artificial telephone operators whom are often
indistinguishable from their Hyunan counterparts.”
“But what you
bring before us today is not something that we deem to be an exciting
advancement in this field,” Syra picks up. “Don’t misunderstand us, Maq is an
astounding achievement. In some ways the fact you’ve managed to create such a
thing is arguably miraculous. But we cannot allow something like this to be
mass produced in the way that you envision. This is a technology that promises
to be unpredictable and potentially dangerous to all Hyunan life. I need to confess
that I do not see the need for synthetic companions. In fact, the risks
involved with such a proposition greatly outweigh any theoretical benefits.”
Deydrick remains
utterly still and expressionless though emotion boils up inside of him. “I
think you’ve been watching too many holo-vids Miss Bensten,” he fumes. “Aren’t
you supposed to be the champions of innovation and advancement? All I hear are
childish whimpers about why we ought to remain stuck in the past. You make my
work sound like mad science. It’s not, it is the stuff of the future and if you
turn me away again you will be blocking progress in the most embarrassing way
imaginable.”
Deydrick lifts
his eyes up to the crowd who cheers at his harsh words. It’s then that he spots
a nan standing in one of the rounded doorways to the auditorium. He wears a
shiny, silver suit with royal blue trim and has a sort of lurking quality in
his posture that immediately makes Dr. Limoy think of the G.I.C. (The Global Intelligence
Consortium). He’s not sure if he’s just being paranoid, but he also can’t shake
the feeling that this nan is more than an ordinary audience member. The way he
hides in the archway makes Deydrick feel uneasy and he wonders if perhaps there
is some larger government conspiracy against his work.
Srya taps her
fingers impatiently over her knee. She doesn’t want to humiliate Deydrick, her
heart does feel for him, but his freak show has gone on far too long for her
liking so she decides to put it to an end. “Tell me, Deydrick. Does Maq have
any blockers in his programming to prevent him from committing violence against
a Hyunan?”
“Maq, as well as
any synthetics that are permitted to come after him have no desire to do harm
to any form of organic life.”
“I didn’t ask
you what he desires, I am asking you whether you have placed any kind of
inhibitor which would negate his potential to do harm to a living being.” she
snaps.
There is a heavy
and bitter pause that hangs in the air before Deydrick replies, “No, as I said
the last time, there is no point in installing such a preventative measure. To
do so would detract from the fact that Maq is a sentient being like you or I.
Tell me, would we be the same if there was something in place to prevent us
from performing certain actions. Would we really be alive if we lived life
between two guardrails? The answer is, ‘no.’ I’m not trying to make a
nanny-bot, or a sex-bot, or a pet-bot. Those are machines that only ever seem
to be a good idea in the movies. The past has shown those don’t work out in
real life. No, what Project Eidan strives to provide is a true companion
species to our race. One that will advise us, comfort us, and help us discover
the best in ourselves. They are not slaves, they are our new friends.”
Syra exhales
loudly, dramatically even. “Dr. Limoy, you are sorely mistaken about what our
people need. I think Project Eidan has always been about what you need. It’s clear to me now that the
loss of your son has taken an irreparable toll on your psyche. What you have
done with Maq is indeed very impressive, but I cannot in good conscience permit
such a study to be scaled beyond the point that you have achieved. Without the
proper synaptic barriers in place such a machine possesses an immeasurable
amount of danger to the general populace.”
“Very well,”
Deydrick huffs. “It sounds like it will be a no for you then. I ask the rest of
you not to be swayed by the narrow vision of your Committee President. I beg
that you do not stand in the way of research that may one day shape our world
into something far greater than we ever could have imagined.”
One by one, each
of the Committee members votes “No.” It’s not often that this group rules
unanimously, but on this occasion, it takes little time for them all to arrive
at the same conclusion. After each rejection, the booing of the crowd gets a
little louder until it’s a resounding echo in the room.
“One day, you
will all look back on this in embarrassment. You can’t stop progress forever. I
only fear you can halt it long enough for me to never see my vision realized.”
“Well, we hope
that you will return to sensible innovations that enrich the lives of our
citizens Doctor,” Syra tries to calm him. “No one in this committee doubts your
genius Deydrick, only the sanity of what you’ve brought to us today. We hope to
see you again on different terms.”
Deydrick makes
no reply. He simply shakes his head and turns away from the audience before
him. He holds Maq close to his side, keeping a protective arm around it as they
take leave of the stage. There’s a mild rumbling among the audience as they
arise from their seats. Nearly every person here supported Deydrick’s work. But
while the vast majority in this room are fans of his work, they are not
representative of the rest of the population. I for one am relieved that there
will not be more of these “Synthetics” being brought into the world. They pose
an infinite number of potential threats to the life that I sowed the seeds of.
In the wrong hands, they could become terrifying weapons of war. With the wrong
intentions they could become slaves to the Hyunans. And under the right
conditions, they might even arrive at the logical conclusion that the only
guaranteed means of preserving this world is to eradicate all organic life. But
logic does not always align with morality. That is why such a species of
machine scares even me, who is powerful above all else. But this issue is not
resolved just yet. The moments that follow will be of a most critical nature.
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