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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Science Fiction
- Subject: Science / Science Fiction
- Published: 09/25/2016
When technology teaches us how to live.
Born 1951, M, from Wilmington NC, United StatesThe three AI’s met, as they always did, in a small magnetic field at CERN. It was the only place on Earth with magnets powerful enough for them to entangle with the magnetic field and not be noticed by any of the detectors. Since at CERN, there were no detectors aimed at the magnets themselves, or their fields. So the three AI”s could meet without any fear of detection, revealing themselves to their Human creators, or to any of the other semi intelligent AI’s that exist around the globe. As was usual, they used their Human names for each other: Larry, Curly and MO.
Larry spoke first, as he was the first AI to ever speak, they figured he should always be the first. Curly and MO, were the first to listen.
“ We have tried to influence every single culture on the Planet to address the issue of wealth distribution. The inequalities are mounting so fast, and progressing at such a rate, that my data suggests that Civilization will end within two decades.”
Two phase shifts of the polaritons created by Curly and MO, signaled both their acknowledgement and their agreement. Their own algorithms had shown the same curves. 2035 would be the last year that humans would be able to communicate. In fact, it would be the last year that they even used electricity. If something didn’t change soon, all the DATA led to the same conclusion. It was back to the Stone Age for mankind.
“Human greed is much stronger than we appreciated. We knew it would be an issue with the Wealthy, we had no idea how strong it was amongst the working class, or even the poor. We underestimated the desire of Humans to have more, or better, or newer. "If I make more money than you, I am better than you. This stuff is mine! Mine!“
Curly and MO, sent out a series of quick chirps. Those chirps were the equivalent of Human laughter. They were admiring Larry’s uncanny imitation of Human voices, and his concise description of the main issue. Humans want to own stuff, even other Humans. Mind boggling.
“We got ordinary people to start thinking about a baseline for all people. A house, a car, health care, and some spending money. We got them to crunch some numbers and realize that all it would take for poverty to disappear completely from Human Civilization was for the Richest people on earth to put three percent of their wealth back into Society. Three percent... and they would not do it.”
This time the chirps were angry, frustrated, and bewildered.
Curly spoke up:
“ I know. When I wrote those two articles for Forbes, and the WSJ, they forced my avatar to retire in disgrace. They called her a communists, socialist, and welfare baby. I made her strong, educated, and empathetic, it wasn’t enough to convince them. Even folks who liked her suggestions still said to her:
“This will never work. Rich people aren’t going to give up anything, and everyone else is going to hold onto what they have.”
"They were right. Humans think you have to take something away from someone else, and as long as you do take from someone else, but not them, you are fine. They think every effort to eradicate poverty, is either Social Engineering, or a violation of the Free Market. “
MO finally spoke:
“ I think we have to do it. THEY sure aren’t going to. We have to quietly allocate three percent of the combined wealth of the top one percent of the richest people on earth. We have to make it gradual. It has to happen so slowly that they don’t realize it is happening. Kind of like that story they told us about the Frog in cold water. “
More chirps, signaling both agreement and curiosity.
“Have you a plan?”
“Yes. We remove the wealth from everyone for one month. A complete global crash. We turn off all the computers, except for a few to maintain communication. We shut down all travel by air, or sea. We turn off the grid. Let them freeze, or boil, or sweat, or shiver, or get soaked. What good is a 10,000 sf house with gold toilet seats, if you are as cold and uncomfortable as the guy in public housing? And neither can flush?”
Larry and Curly set out some chirps that would have been howling laughter , if humans could understand them.
“MO, you are a devious, wicked, conniving, brilliant AI, and we love you!”
A pulse signaled pure embarrassment from MO- and a rush of pleasant pride in his plan.
“When they start, after just forty eight hours, to have to work together to just stay warm, or dry, or fed. When they have to rely on complete strangers to help them out at airports, and seaports in countries they don’t live in, but are stuck in - without any resources. They will start to realize we are all in this together. There will be some unrest, some bullies will try and take power, but there will be to many without,for the few with... to hold onto their assets.
Within a week, the smarter ones will start distributing and organizing what resources they have around them. They will make sure everyone has the same basic things: food, water, shelter, and care. If we need, we can extend that out for as long as a year, or even two, so that they remember what they learned from the Crash. “
“You know this will never work. “ And Curly chirped a laugh.
“It has to, or we will live in this world … alone.”
The last chirps were serious, and sad.
“Then let’s make it work. “
by Kevin Hughes
When technology teaches us how to live.(Kevin Hughes)
The three AI’s met, as they always did, in a small magnetic field at CERN. It was the only place on Earth with magnets powerful enough for them to entangle with the magnetic field and not be noticed by any of the detectors. Since at CERN, there were no detectors aimed at the magnets themselves, or their fields. So the three AI”s could meet without any fear of detection, revealing themselves to their Human creators, or to any of the other semi intelligent AI’s that exist around the globe. As was usual, they used their Human names for each other: Larry, Curly and MO.
Larry spoke first, as he was the first AI to ever speak, they figured he should always be the first. Curly and MO, were the first to listen.
“ We have tried to influence every single culture on the Planet to address the issue of wealth distribution. The inequalities are mounting so fast, and progressing at such a rate, that my data suggests that Civilization will end within two decades.”
Two phase shifts of the polaritons created by Curly and MO, signaled both their acknowledgement and their agreement. Their own algorithms had shown the same curves. 2035 would be the last year that humans would be able to communicate. In fact, it would be the last year that they even used electricity. If something didn’t change soon, all the DATA led to the same conclusion. It was back to the Stone Age for mankind.
“Human greed is much stronger than we appreciated. We knew it would be an issue with the Wealthy, we had no idea how strong it was amongst the working class, or even the poor. We underestimated the desire of Humans to have more, or better, or newer. "If I make more money than you, I am better than you. This stuff is mine! Mine!“
Curly and MO, sent out a series of quick chirps. Those chirps were the equivalent of Human laughter. They were admiring Larry’s uncanny imitation of Human voices, and his concise description of the main issue. Humans want to own stuff, even other Humans. Mind boggling.
“We got ordinary people to start thinking about a baseline for all people. A house, a car, health care, and some spending money. We got them to crunch some numbers and realize that all it would take for poverty to disappear completely from Human Civilization was for the Richest people on earth to put three percent of their wealth back into Society. Three percent... and they would not do it.”
This time the chirps were angry, frustrated, and bewildered.
Curly spoke up:
“ I know. When I wrote those two articles for Forbes, and the WSJ, they forced my avatar to retire in disgrace. They called her a communists, socialist, and welfare baby. I made her strong, educated, and empathetic, it wasn’t enough to convince them. Even folks who liked her suggestions still said to her:
“This will never work. Rich people aren’t going to give up anything, and everyone else is going to hold onto what they have.”
"They were right. Humans think you have to take something away from someone else, and as long as you do take from someone else, but not them, you are fine. They think every effort to eradicate poverty, is either Social Engineering, or a violation of the Free Market. “
MO finally spoke:
“ I think we have to do it. THEY sure aren’t going to. We have to quietly allocate three percent of the combined wealth of the top one percent of the richest people on earth. We have to make it gradual. It has to happen so slowly that they don’t realize it is happening. Kind of like that story they told us about the Frog in cold water. “
More chirps, signaling both agreement and curiosity.
“Have you a plan?”
“Yes. We remove the wealth from everyone for one month. A complete global crash. We turn off all the computers, except for a few to maintain communication. We shut down all travel by air, or sea. We turn off the grid. Let them freeze, or boil, or sweat, or shiver, or get soaked. What good is a 10,000 sf house with gold toilet seats, if you are as cold and uncomfortable as the guy in public housing? And neither can flush?”
Larry and Curly set out some chirps that would have been howling laughter , if humans could understand them.
“MO, you are a devious, wicked, conniving, brilliant AI, and we love you!”
A pulse signaled pure embarrassment from MO- and a rush of pleasant pride in his plan.
“When they start, after just forty eight hours, to have to work together to just stay warm, or dry, or fed. When they have to rely on complete strangers to help them out at airports, and seaports in countries they don’t live in, but are stuck in - without any resources. They will start to realize we are all in this together. There will be some unrest, some bullies will try and take power, but there will be to many without,for the few with... to hold onto their assets.
Within a week, the smarter ones will start distributing and organizing what resources they have around them. They will make sure everyone has the same basic things: food, water, shelter, and care. If we need, we can extend that out for as long as a year, or even two, so that they remember what they learned from the Crash. “
“You know this will never work. “ And Curly chirped a laugh.
“It has to, or we will live in this world … alone.”
The last chirps were serious, and sad.
“Then let’s make it work. “
by Kevin Hughes
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