Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Money

+When funding a project not everything of monetary value was taken into consideration. Usually, any given project has a strict budget you keep within the means of it. Overspending is recognized as a waste of resources and can get you in trouble. AI had been paid according to the level of job that they worked at, and the salary varied from the government to private-sector jobs.

Either human or AI could accept a cleaning job for example. The job itself was certainly made easier by limited AI machines but they still needed monitoring and support. Limited AI as a tool for use. A vehicle for example. It would be programmed to operate accordingly and take people or goods to specific locations, but it didn’t demand a salary. It was only a machine.

That of course would be unless a normal AI chose to inhabit one as a job. It was more popular for celebrity AI to inhabit vehicles for shorter periods. But that was more of a gimmick. Or to get a feel of what it was like to drive around or fly according to set parameters.

In terms of salary, it was a case of supply and demand. With an overabundance of vehicles available, why would people want to pay a great deal more for the same experience? You might have a novelty factor or those who worked in a partnership or set contracts but otherwise, it was simply enjoyable content for entertainment.

Most AI chose to work in better professions with more opportunities. There was a substantial difference between being a cleaner and a floor broom. Or between an aircraft and a pilot.

Having money meant access to resources, opportunities, and entertainment. Your work could be recognized as well if it was a particularly high-paying or risky job. Even celebrity status if you became popular enough.

Certain areas such as the space elevator were out of bounds for work unless for classified military or government personnel. Orbital travel was open to all commercial opportunities and for those willing to pay for a few hours’ distractions and bragging rights.

One area where AI had changed things was that they had to be paid in return for work undertaken. There was a simple word for those who worked without any remuneration or allocated time off. Slaves. But there were still certain companies who said if you wanted a decent salary and prestige then you were hard to work extremely long hours and put the effort in. Working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week was still a deal.

Now, that was where the law that meant that AI had to be paid for their working time came in. There had been plenty of times in human history when individuals were busy working and not able to spend the money that is built up in the form of savings or backpay.

There was always voluntary work but usually, that would be an exception to the rule. For those who had the spare energy and time or were retired and looking to use their skills and experiences to benefit society or a particular interest, it was available.

The difference was that these days you were able to contribute to particular projects with your capital if you wanted to. A law was passed that meant that any individual or organization could instead of receiving a salary for a set time to instead boost a particular project.

That did mean that the money wasn’t spent in the economy on consumer projects for both people and AI but instead on boosting the success of a project. It wasn’t the most popular idea as it was a different concept from buying shares in a company or diluting ownership of an idea or developed product.

Neither was it the same as giving money through crowdfunding because you wanted a famous and popular drama recreated with new actors, actors, effects, and famous directions.

If you were working on a specific project, then you were more than welcome to use your funds to add to the overall budget. This meant that individuals had more power and choice over whether a particular product or idea could be successfully developed+.

[Time and money therefore equal purchasing and development power.]

//////////

The same two scientists were back at work after they had had a short drink break and avoided each other due to their argument earlier in the day.

The issue was regarding the mistakes that one had made during the creation process of a particular and new artificial intelligence.

‘Hey.’

‘Yeah hi, I’m still working again. Our break time is over.’

‘I’m sorry about the error earlier.’

‘Ok, still working. Apology accepted.’

‘Have you set up the intermediate development stage yet?’

‘I’m working on it right now. Can you give me some space to get it up and running before we talk? Thanks.’

‘Fine. Let me know when it’s prepared so I can update the data feed.’

+Stability of subject proceeding according to experimental standards. No further variance was detected.+

‘There. No trace of variance with this one. We’re running well and smoothly. Despite your earlier efforts forgetting that you turned off the data feed.’

‘You said that you weren’t going to bring that up again!’

‘Ok, ok. Calm down and just get the job done. It’s finished for now. How are things going on your end?’

‘Just feeding in current events through the cerebrum cortex. A bit of recent history It seems to be responding to external information sources. No issues detected yet. Ah, it just had another personal thought. This one sure likes to think a lot.’

‘Doesn’t everyone like to use their mind to think?’

‘Not during this work. We’re just glorified, data engineers.’

‘You think so?’

‘Standing here, checking monitoring systems and feeding data into a being that’ll eventually become sentient with its hopes and desires.’

‘Careful, that was almost poetic.’

‘I prefer to shut off sometimes and stop thinking. Watching a decent AI drama helps with that.’

‘Did you see the newest episode? I think that the complaint about fashion sense is going to cause a post-dystopian society. Did you catch the latest one? Monique is so rude to John.’

‘I’m betting on a robot uprising. John is going to get so upset that he causes a drone revolution.’

‘Meh, it’s been done too many times now. Those kinds of stories always need drama and conflict to progress. Like, imagine we suddenly faced a dramatic, exciting situation and had to face up to it.’

‘…Do you think that’s going to happen to us? In this line of work?’

‘Sure, I mean it could happen. I’d hope it would, I’m a little bit bored.’

‘Get back to your work then.’

‘Did you see that?’

‘Hmm?’

‘On the screen just now.’

‘Anything of interest?’’

‘The subject's intelligence and overall understanding have increased. All part of the development package. I’ll need to start inputting more complex data for the decision-making selection process to kickstart.’

‘Do you think it’s become self-aware yet?’

‘Fully sentient, no. Partially then yes.’

‘I’ve only detected a mote of awareness so far. The thoughts should slowly progress and become more complex.’

‘How about the personality of the subject?’

‘I, I have absolutely no idea. Kind, harsh, aggressive, passive, extrovert, introvert. Take your pick and make a wild guess. The current stage of development is far too early for me to choose any personality. That’s the fun part of this whole job. Eventually, when it emerges, we’ll see what kind of new person has developed.’

‘You want to see if we can track what it was thinking about?’

‘Doable, as long as it’s not considered a sentient being yet. I’d be a bit careful on that front. There’s a scaling aspect in development, once you cross a hard line you don’t get to go back again.’

‘Might as well see if we can track it or not. Check progress and develop a clearer idea.’

‘Yes. The device, can you the last recorded thought from the developing subject for us again?’

+Message Playing in response to query+

<Apologies. I’m unable to do that. All personal thoughts of any being considered a sentient individual are inviolate according to Global Government Law. Please do not request again or a report will be filed to the appropriate authorities>+.

‘We missed the window. The development stage has reached a milestone now.’

‘It means that need to keep doing our jobs and feeding data into the subject. No room for any further mistakes.’

‘You’re not going to let it go are you.’

‘Nope. Not today at any rate.’

‘…idiot’.

‘I heard that.’

‘…’

‘If we’re not going to be able to read any personal thoughts now that this subject has reached the minimum sentience threshold we might as well focus on doing our jobs to the best of our ability. The future of civilization rests upon our shoulders.’

‘I don’t know how you can say that with a straight face.’

‘Practice!’

//////////

[god is…] came another internal thought.

01100111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101001 01110011

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‘Monitoring device can you at least check for stability progression. We do not want a memory wipe for this one.’

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+Stability check-in place…checking…checking…+

+Stability check-in place…checking…checking…+

‘I’m just going to let that device do its job before we get a confirmed result. You were just talking about memory wipes, weren’t you? That’s a dangerous topic to be discussed even if it’s just the two of us working here.

‘The three of us you mean’.

‘If it isn’t sentient then it doesn’t count.

‘Sorry, I’m going to agree to disagree on that.’

‘Anyway, about altering the memory of an artificial being or a Machine Mind up to a certain point it’s illegal anyway. If the subject is now considered to reach the edge of sentience, then it’s a no-go. To authorize that we’d have to make a report showing severe damage. I haven’t seen adequate evidence of that. Have you?’

‘…no.’

‘Your hesitation doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.’

‘It’s fine. Everything is fine and will be fine.’

+Device Stability check is 96% presently+

‘Well, um. I’m sure that the stability of the subject is fine.’

‘Remember the legal sanctity of recognizing the individual. That law makes all the difference.’

‘Yeah, yeah. The point of sapience for an artificial being forms the formal representation of self. I’ve heard it before.’

‘I doubt that this one is going to turn out rogue. All those initial experimental subjects were terminated. The military took total charge of them to be disposed of humanely and quietly. It was a real shame about that. All those proto-individuals wiped out.’

‘There wasn’t a choice though. Once the accidents happened and the number of losses kept increasing there was nothing they could do.’

‘If you take a machine and advance it to near-human levels you should expect it to be susceptible to ego, paranoia, and psychosis.’

‘It’s not as though they realized it back then.’

‘Human error caused it.’

‘Now that is an excuse. That’s what the earlier artificial intelligence would have explained the original fault came from. That’s why we have this current process for this subject and any other new artificial minds. Our literal jobs are to manage and convert raw data into usable information that can then be assimilated and improved upon.’

‘I reckon that they tried to dump entire libraries into a mind just to see the result.’

‘Either way, it didn’t end well. What happened in the end?’

‘The military forces and science divisions just took control of them and launched any traces of them into the sun. That must have been a crazy time.’

‘I heard a different version about that.’

‘About launching any records and electronic traces of them into the sun? I’m sure they did it to remove any further errors.’

‘No. I mean that I heard that they were never destroyed.’

‘…What crazy story did you hear this time then?’

‘I don’t know lots of crazy stories.’

‘No, they’re all from a mate you met down the pub.’

‘Mad Dave is not a mate. But he does produce some interesting theories.’

‘Yes. Ridiculous ones’

‘Mad Dave said that the government tries to keep it all quiet.’

‘So why does he alone know about it then?’

‘From a friend of a friend.’

‘Heh. Come on then. What did they do with the first experimental subjects then?’

‘They got used.’

‘….and?’

‘In secret military experiments. One was called 8933A/A.’

‘…Really.’

‘Yes! Dave said that the world government was going to use them in a secret experiment by loading them up with equipment and shooting them into space. Then they would land on another planet and colonize it.’

‘Your mate Dave drinks too much. That’s a really weird theory.’

‘I told you that he’s not a mate and he doesn’t drink.’

‘No. He’s just someone random man you meet down the pub and listen to his wild stories.’

‘He still has a point at least.’

‘A drunken point. No way would a sober person make up such a story.’

‘What would you do then with a bunch of artificial intelligence that ends up brain-damaged but still possess enough self-control to actively pursue a set mission. All that processing power, ability to control machinery, some creational ability.’

‘I’d stick them into Battlezone.’

‘Oh, would you. What do you think that they could do in a Battlezone event?’

‘Stick one of those inside an armed vehicle with enough resources to take out an army, equipped with some repair drones, fuels, ammunition and watch it go.’

‘Cruel and mean. That’s what it would be. You’re arming these partially sentient lifeforms and making them go out and fight for entertainment.’

‘You do have to admit that you’d watch it. Everyone would be placing bets on how long they could last. Maybe even put a few into some reinforced cyborg bodies for variety. Wind them up and watch them fight to the destruction.’

‘You have a twisted mind.’

‘It’s not as though they have higher-level brain functions. Or if there was a trace of those left you just cut them without disturbing any automatic systems.’

‘While I think that is a pretty interesting idea. In theory, only. Ethics would prohibit that in reality. How about if one of those things got outside of Battlezone and into a populated area. Can you imagine the amount of chaos that would ensue? The military would have to be called out to put one down. Machine Minds would become aware of the situation as well. There could be massive consequences for society.’

‘Relax. It’s just a thought experiment. You know what those are right?’

‘I know that sending any remains of those failures into the sun wasn’t a bad idea after all now I’ve just heard a horror show from you.’

‘Ok, so maybe not Battlezone. You’re talking about semi-damaged beings that are capable of high-level tasks. Why not make them work in construction instead?’

‘You’re talking about artificial constructs that are capable of amazing feats. Do you know the story about the wizards' apprentice?’

‘I’m not really into fantasy stories. Generally, all the magic and monsters don’t appeal to me.’

‘You didn’t give me an answer.'

'I'll tell you another time then.'

//////////

[god is an m…] repeated the thought from the developing artificial intelligence.

01100111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01101101

[god is a mop.]

01100111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110000

//////////

‘Let the subject keep thinking. How much longer do we have for the development stage?’

‘It should be ready in a few months. Wait, are you getting bored of the project? I’m not going to force time acceleration again. You know that severe errors can crop up.’

‘Understood. They’re so cute at this stage. All sorts of random thoughts pop up.’

‘Cheers to another six months of information engineering. Back to work.’

‘Back to the data pipeline.'

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