2044 by Timothy Ruplin

Author:Timothy Ruplin [Ruplin, Timothy]
Format: epub
Published: 2021-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The twelve trustees met one final time to try and reach the required unanimous vote on partial patch deactivation, known as Initiative 116. The requirement for a unanimous vote on a major modification was part of a longstanding ethical code that had been created in hopes of preventing divisiveness should the modification cause an unforeseen or unintended negative consequence. Not every redundancy modification demanded a unanimous vote, as most were minor, but when the preferred course of action required a major modification or the AI action was itself a major modification of an existing plan, the board always argued pros and cons until all members were all in agreement. This most recent discussion had been going on for weeks.

The trustees met in a specially designed room called the vault, which, for security purposes, was completely devoid of all electronic devices. The room itself was anachronistic, with its stark stone walls, angular dark wooden furniture, and candlelight, all of which added dramatic effect to very real life and death discussions. This excessive security measure was the result of the knowledge that virtually every electronic device on the planet – down to the simplest light bulb – could be utilized as a listening device. Very few entities had the technology and capability to eavesdrop through such devices, but the five primary AIs absolutely did, and as the board was purposed specifically with critiquing the AI plans, it was essential they do so with total independence and impunity.

The walls of the vault were lined with lead and other metals that could not be penetrated by current spying technology. Ironically, the eyes and ears the board was attempting to shut out were the very entities they worked for. These inquisitive ears belonged to the five overlapping artificial intelligence systems that were the main societal planners, each of which was focused on one of the following areas: Health and Life, Food and Energy sustainability, Business and the Economy, Defense and Intelligence, and last, Socialization and Reproduction. Each AI had been created to be purposefully omnipresent, and thus totally unbiased – at least theoretically – to gather and analyze data regarding all aspects of American society, and all humankind, from the historical to the present. Each widely cast net intentionally overlapped with the area of specialization of the other AIs in a sort of checks and balance system, with the ultimate goal being the improvement, betterment, and advancement of the United States, and secondarily humankind as a whole. The prioritization of the United States was a single sticking point, a caveat requirement instituted by congress before the green light for the program had been given. As the AIs were totally unencumbered in their data collection, redundancies were constantly occurring and often these could be allowed to exist, but at times, the overlap had the potential to harm people or denigrate one of the primary objectives. At such times, these actions required modification. Many of the minor adjustments made by the board resolved conflicting actions between

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.