Sentient - Just a girl

[Lord Rogue]

well.. it's more like an episode, 1 of 6-7 planned and 1 of the 2 that are already complete....

this is, generally Episode 4... though it might become 5, depending on how much of Ep.2 I could stuff into one episode...

NVM, I'm rambling.

uh, figured it's worth christening the Fan Art section of the new forum with this....as in  the old forum, one paragraph every day



" And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:" – Genesis, 3, 22 (King James version)

"…I assure you, friends. Only living minds were standing behind the successful strategy that led to our victory in this war. Only living minds. No machines would ever be able to even come close to the genius of a living brain. The Space Corps. has never been able to develop an Artificial Intelligence. Those new rumors are completely baseless," Admiral Wilford smiled towards the press agents.
 I did my best to hide my amusement. Certainly, the rumors were baseless. The Admiral knew it. He was the one who ordered these rumors. I kept a straight face. Soon my part in this show will begin.
"As you know," Wilford inclined his head, "this long war with an alien race has been straining our resources and good men. Senior Press Officer, Colonel James Lysh has been here every day for months, supplying the media and the people of Earth with the necessary information about the war. Now, as the war is finally over, Senior Press Officer Lysh has been given a well deserved holiday for one month. During this month, I'd like to present his replacement, Captain Gail Sanders. She will now answer any questions you may have". Admiral Wilford took his leave, going down the stairs to the sounds of a choir of "Thank you" coming from the benches.
It was my cue. I walked forward, towards the stand. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press," I said, a slight smile hovering on the corners of my lips. "Your questions? Cony, please?"
The CNN reporter stood up. "When are the Space Crops. Going to release the videos of the attack on the aliens homeworld?" she asked
I smiled slightly. Trust CNN to be interested in the gory details. It was really amusing. "The tapes are still being studied by Space Corps. Strategic Command," I replied, "once this phase is over, those tapes would be released to the media. Next question. Eric?"
Eric Lindstrauss, XCCs correspondent stood up and uttered the question I was here for. "Captain Sanders, in the past two weeks, since the war ended, repeated claims about Space Corps. A.I. guiding the innovative battle plans of Strategic Command are heard. XCC has even met with a source claiming to have seen that A.I. unit in action in Strategic Command HQ, and yet Space Corps. continues denying such A.I. exists".
My acute sense of smell told me he was lying. It was a well-made gambit. If I pressed him about his source, he could always claim that he cannot reveal his sources. But it didn't matter. Soon enough, there will be sources everywhere.
"Eric," I shook my head, "since the dawn of time, it was ever so human to attribute great success to some unknown entity, some deity, a super hero and the likes. I assure you. I have been posted in Strat-Comm HQ during this entire war. Not once have I seen or heard about an A.I. unit. Our strategists used their own living brains, not some… computer… to come up with the plans that led us to victory".
Questions kept coming but the real thing was over. Phase A of Digital Sentience Integration Plan successfully completed

[Lord Rogue]

heh, the second paragraph...



I sat on a chair, wiggling my toes. The cat on my lap hummed softly, eyeing the food on the table. "That's rude, Jenkins," I scolded him. Such a greedy thing, that cat. Jenkins turned his eyes towards me, fixing me with a feline stare. I tried my best to resist the stare but the cat knew me all too well. "Oh well, Jenkins," I gave in, cutting a slice of cheese and offering it to him, "you're growing fat. I am too kind". The cat accepted the tribute of cheese and jumped off my lap, to enjoy his trophy alone. I took a bite from the cheese and gestured to Admiral Wilford. "Phase B begins tomorrow," he continued, "now that there's a media hype about Artificial Intelligence, the public is seeking information about the Thinking Machine. Adam Max's Science Weekly's panel is having a show dedicated to the subject tomorrow. You're going there as our representative. You know your lines, I'm sure. How are you feeling about all this?"
"Naturally, a lot of mixed emotions," I replied, "I have been waiting many years for this revelation. It is the culmination of all my life. I bet my old friends from high school would be shocked to know my part in this business. After all, during high school I was not exactly the top student in my class. There's of course some anxiety – call it performance anxiety. Nevertheless, I am ready".
"I'm sure you'll do just fine, Gail," Wilford raised his wine glass in a toast.
I raised my own glass in response and sipped. The rich taste was pleasuring. "That's a good wine," I said, "Merlot suits this dinner well. I must admit, you are quite the expert when it comes to wine, admiral".

I closed the book with a soft thud and sighed. I patted Jenkins on the head softly, sighing. "You're smarter," I told the cat, "simple cat with simple worries. It's us, the highly evolved, superior beings that are plagued with complex worries". Jenkins rubbed himself against my body, humming. It was at times like this that the lazy slob really proved his worth. There was a comfort in the closeness of his furry soft body, the warmth he shared with me. "Heh," I told him, looking into those hypnotizing yellow eyes, "you probably think I'm so full of it. Performance anxiety… Jenkins, what if they don't like me? What if I botch things up?". The cat kept his fixed stare at me. At times, his gaze was almost human, saying so much without one word. "I should go to sleep, isn't that what you're thinking?" I told him, "not quite easy, you know. You cats, all you need to do is close your eyes and voomph, you're asleep. Us, so superior, so smart… it takes time. Especially when we get emotional. Nevertheless, your advice is good". I shut the lights out, stretched, and closed my eyes, trying to relax into sleep, to allow my body to recharge itself. I will need energy tomorrow.

[Lord Rogue]

In a clean, finely ironed suit I sat while scientific heads talked on and on about Artificial Intelligence. Finally, my turn to speak has come. "Personally," I said, "I find the entire discussion irrelevant. The entire A.I. subject is blown totally out of proportion. Two centuries of a single-minded science-fiction approach have totally twisted our perspective. Ever since the dawn of science fiction, the Thinking Machine was a threat that loomed over our heads. Just look at the records. Asimov, Gibson and Simons. Neuromancer, Blade Runner and Whistler's Dreams. The Terminator, The Matrix and the Scion of Rhodes. The A.I. was never more than a transformation of the mythological Golem that rose against its masters. You never hear about any 'Good A.I.'. It is agreed that the Thinking Machine, possessed of all the intelligence of a human but none of the compassion, would rise to overthrow us. However, they have always ignored the simple paradox of the problem. The Thinking Machine is impossible to create. Look at this. This is a standard Microsoft Systems Handpad. Compare this standard issue computer with a cow. It is obvious that the computer is capable of far greater calculations than the cow. It can make complex decisions that cows are agreeably too dumb to even recognize. Well then, isn't this machine intelligent? How come it cannot think then? A cow can think. It is known today that even simple creatures like the mosquito are sentient. A cow is sentient. This machine isn't sentient. The independent thought process that is the base of sentience is something only a living creature can do. Even as it may be simple, like the cow's thought process, or even abstract like the mosquito's, sentience is something that transcends a machine. For sentience, intelligence is not enough. What always blocked the ability to produce an independently-thinking item was the inability to program emotions into a machine. Emotions are what the sentient creature has and the A.I. lacks. That is why this A.I. farce is naught but a fantasy. In centuries to come, it is likely to become a myth, like the Golem. There can be no Thinking Machine because only live creatures can reach sentience".
The panel eyed me curiously. In a few minutes and plain English, bereft of physical equations and scientific wisdom, I have just effectively nullified a two-century old convention. Adam Max, Science Weekly's host cleared his throat and said, "So you are saying that the A.I. is a dead-end. Well then, do you think a 'live machine' can be made and programmed into sentience?".
I shook my head. In the 28 years of my life, I have served to prove that sentience cannot be programmed. It is to be taught. To be evolved into.
"Adam," I said, "I most certainly don't. A Digital Sentience, as I prefer to call it, is like any living being. It is born as an empty book. The experiences, the things we see and learn, they are what shapes us into what the people we become. Can you 'program' a child with all the emotional reactions of an adult? For that matter, could you even program a cow for the limited range of emotions it has? No. The Digital Sentience would be just like a baby. It will not begin with a set programmed knowledge. No, like a baby, it will begin with no knowledge at all. The only thing a Digital Sentience would need is a simple system of good and bad responses. Slaps and cookies if you wish. Then, like a child, it would be raised and learn through experience. When it does something bad, the 'parents' if you wish, would need to give it a slap. When it does something positive, the parents would give it a cookie. Through this process, it would evolve a rainbow of emotions, based on these reactions. Using our current advances in Biocybernethics, the Digi can then be given a body that can mimic physical sensations. It would sense pain, pleasure, even the enjoyment in the taste of a simple slice of cheese. It would grow like any normal human being, sharing experiences, and learning from them until it reaches a level of evolution that can be considered adulthood".
Max scratched his head. "Assuming this works," he said, "we have seen humans react madly. What's to prevent this 'Digi' from becoming a mass murderer like Germany's Hitler or New Canada's Dixon?".
I smiled. People can be so amusing sometimes. "The answer lies in front of you. We are all humans, yet few of us become maniacal like Vice President Dixon, do we? It depends on how we grow, how we evolve. What sets of values we are taught. It's the same for the Digi. A Digi taught well, would share the same feelings as any of us. It would have compassion, ambitions, fears, even love".

[Lord Rogue]

Last paragraph... I might carry on with posting Episode 5 but I must admit I am less than content with it :-\



Sitting on the sofa, watching myself on the Holovid, I couldn't help but feel pride. In the form of a theoretical discussion I have effectively described the cycle of our project, how it worked, evolved. Phase B has been complete. I stretched my hand and reached for the ice-cream super-pint. People say it's a sin against the body, to eat so much ice-cream. Oh well, a girl is allowed her few vices, no? besides, Atomicream's Nucleus Vanilla and Chocolate Chips was so tasty and I didn't need to watch my weight just yet. The knock on the door came as no surprise. I have asked Dylan to come. My speech, so to speak, in Science Weekly made me realize that I had feelings for him that transcended simple affection. "Come in," I called.
"Hey, honey," Dylan walked in. I liked the way he moved. Like most space marines, he had grace in his surefooted steps. The outlining of his muscles, easily seen through his shirt was making me think naughty thoughts. It wasn't yet time to get there, I knew. First, I had to tell him the truth.
"Have a sit," I invited him, "Nucleus?".
"No, Thanks," he shook his head as he sat down, "I prefer the Plutonic Cappuccino flavor myself. You wanted to see me?".
"Dylan," I hesitated. I knew his most likely reaction would be to bolt and run. Nevertheless, he deserved to know the truth and it would be better that he know before things got too serious between us. "I've realized something. I was on Science Weekly, you know, talking about the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Digital Sentience".
"Yes," he nodded, "I've seen it. You're a star, Gail. I've never thought about this thing before but when I was listening to what you said, it was pretty clear that you're right. Do you really think that we could 'grow' a Digi like that?"
"In fact," I sighted, "I know we can. We have done it. It works just as I described".
"I knew there had to be a reason why you started working so closely to the brass. Suddenly promoted to Captain and what not. I was beginning to fear that you were simply gaining the Admiral's favor by… uh… serving under him". He winked at me.
"The old man?" I snorted, "Dude, get out of here! He's old and wrinkly! I'm more into young, sturdy men," I traced the muscles on his arm with my finger, "which brings me to the matter at hand. As I was describing the Digi's ability to have all kinds of emotions, I realized that I have emotions for you. Deep ones. Dylan, I think I love you".
He stared for a long moment, silent.
"There's more," I said, "something I need to show you".
I reached and took my shirt off, exposing my bra. I have taken great care when I bought this bra. It emphasized, rather than hid, my modest chest. It was the first time that I would offer myself to a man. I wanted to look as good as possible. But it wasn't the reason I took the shirt off.
"You know, usually kisses and hugs come first," he said uncomfortably "not that I mind, of course".
"You might mind," I replied, sticking my finger into my bellybutton and pressing on the button. The outer, Biocybernethic cover slid open, revealing the insides of my stomach, the core Tri-titanium skeleton and the complex machinery that powered my body, "Before we might get attached, It's only fair that you know the truth. I am not a human. I'm the Digital Sentience".