After leaving Matt's, they arrived at… Matt's. "Okay, taking us from one place to an exact copy of that same place is really mind fucky." Andrew complained, shaking his head.
"Where else would I put a copy of Gaia?" Chris raised an eyebrow at him. "An open field?"
"Having the room isn't an issue." Victoria commented. "It's taking us directly there that screws with us."
Chris paused. "I suppose that's fair."
"How's it coming?" Greg asked Jo as she walked around, turning the fake machines Chris had set up into the real ones she'd copied.
"Good!" She grinned at him as she continued. "I'm saving the main event for last. I figured you guys would want to be here for it."
"Good call." Andrew nodded. "We need to see if it's just a machine, or if we're actually creating life here."
"I think it depends on what the World fuckery is." Victoria commented. "Is it the machinery? Or is it the life?"
Greg frowned. "You think the World gave Gaia life?"
Victoria shrugged. "Why not? If the World needed an AI to run the game and the machinery wasn't up to snuff, why not fudge things a little and add a little life to the equation?"
"In which case, even with the machinery, we wouldn't be able to replicate what Gaia is…" Chris muttered with a frown.
"Unless we shove a core in there ourselves." Victoria replied.
Andrew blinked. "Could… Can you just shove cores into machines?"
"That would be something you'd need to figure out, now wouldn't it?" Victoria smirked at him.
"Well, in any case, we should probably see what happens first, before we go giving life to smartphones." Greg interjected, gesturing to Jo, who was waiting by the faux sphere, ready to turn it into Gaia's core component.
"Ready?" Jo asked, placing her hand on the sphere.
"Hold on." Andrew stepped forward and placed his hand on the sphere as well. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Go for it." Greg nodded, Chris and Victoria nodding along with him. Jo nodded back, closing her eyes and sending a ripple through the sphere, turning the solid metal into an intricately designed mesh of wires and components.
Andrew frowned, feeling at the machine, before turning to shake his head. "I got nothing."
"Hold on." Chris frowned, raising a hand as he stared at the machine. The moment Jo finished recreating the sphere, Chris had felt a connection form between it and him. Like the sphere was one of his other selves, except… it wasn't independent. It didn't think on its own, but it could support his thoughts, making them faster. Expanding them. Multiple threads moving through his mind at once, a veritable tidal wave of considerations pouring through his mind, and… "I don't like it." Chris shook his head, pulling away from the connection. Beyond the initial burst where he suddenly understood all the physics he'd learned from Gaia a bit better, he didn't have enough to think about for the increased capacity to be worth it. His mind worked just fine for what he needed it for and all these extra thoughts just made the emptiness that more apparent. If this was what Gaia dealt with… he understood why she was so desperate to talk to him all the time.
"You don't like what?" Andrew asked, confused.
"Being an AI." Chris replied, shaking his head. "Too many thoughts. I'm out now, by the way. Any changes?"
Andrew blinked, not sure how to process that comment, before refocusing on the sphere. "Uh… no, still nothing. Just a machine."
Chris nodded. "I figured. If it could form a core on its own, the connection would have been different." He paused. "I think we should get Gaia a human body. Seriously, being an AI is no fun."
"Hold on now, let me try." Greg interjected, moving to dissolve the sphere.
"Wait." Chris stopped him, dissolving the sphere himself before reforming it. "Okay, go for it."
Greg turned into a cloud of smoke, descending on the sphere, dissolving it before reforming it as his own. "Gah, fuck!" Greg immediately turned the sphere back into smoke, shaking his head. So many thoughts and so little to actually do with them! Admittedly, he had a few more ideas on how to adjust his spells… but it wasn't worth it. An eternity of boredom condensed into a few seconds… Greg shuddered. "Okay, yeah, no, that is not okay. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!"
"So… we're going back to kidnap Gaia?" Andrew asked hesitantly.
"We aren't going to kidnap her." Chris shook his head. "That would be a crime. We're going to talk to her and see what she wants to do, then go from there. We should also talk to Matt. He needs her for his game, and if we take her, we'll pretty much ruin his livelihood."
"Well, he still has a practically perfect virtual reality going for him." Victoria commented. "He may have to hire a few writers and settle for some less than perfect NPC's, but I think he'll be fine."
"Or turn the game more player focused." Greg added. "Let them drive the content."
"Honestly, most of the players I've met just use the game for sex, so you're probably not wrong." Chris sighed.
"Yeah, people are degenerates." Greg chuckled.
"Feels kind of rude to go back when we were just there…" Andrew muttered.
"Gaia's situation is kind of rude." Chris replied. "Though, I would probably characterize it as more 'unintentionally cruel'."
"He's right." Greg nodded. "Seriously, that sphere makes Gaia too smart with too little to do."
"Well, she is running an entire game, including all the NPC's." Victoria commented. "Maybe that's enough to keep her stimulated?"
"Except she isn't." Chris retorted. "That's why she's so desperate for interaction all the time."
"Well, that's fair…" Victoria muttered.
"Bottom line, Gaia obviously isn't happy and we should do something about it." Greg nodded.
Andrew sighed. "I can't really argue with that."
"Right, let's go." Chris nodded, opening a portal back to Matt's.
Jo blinked as they left. "I- guess I'll go then." She muttered to herself.
"Oh right." Another Chris appeared next to her, causing her to jump slightly. "Thank you for the help."
Jo paused, before smiling. "You're welcome. I'm always here if you need me." Chris nodded before disappearing again and Jo sighed. As much as she wished it were different, she knew she couldn't expect Chris to be the affectionate son she wished she'd been able to raise. Still, it was frustrating for her own son to treat her like some kind of… acquaintance. But at least they were talking now, spending time together, being a part of each other's lives. Maybe, given enough time, things would change… she could only hope.
*
"You want to give me a body?!?" Gaia asked incredulously.
"Is that a problem?" Chris asked. While he and the others went to talk to Matt, another Chris entered the game to discuss things with Gaia.
"I-" Gaia blinked as the game itself stuttered around them, before settling down. "How- how is that even possible?!?"
"Well, it turns out you're alive, in a literal sense." Chris explained. "You have a core. If we can find a way to transfer it into a body then…" Chris paused. "Or maybe I should…" He trailed off again. "Well, I'm not sure on the specifics, but given everything the four of us are capable of, it should be possible. The question is if you're interested. Do you want to be a person?"
"I could be human?" Gaia muttered incredulously, before hesitating. "But- what about the game? Matt needs me to run all of this! If I turn into a human…"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"You've already developed the physics of the game to an insane degree." Chris replied. "All he'd lose is the hyper-realistic NPC's and the automatic storyline, which can be covered by writers and developers."
Gaia shook her head. "It's more than that! The leveling system requires complex judgment calls! Without an AI to make those decisions, the whole system falls apart!"
"So people will have to settle for a lesser system." Chris shrugged. "It's nice, but it isn't necessary."
"Then what about the skill system?!? I need to act as a buffer to translate the knowledge gathered from all the players into something people can digest! Without me, it all falls apart!" Gaia protested.
"That's a pity, but again, it isn't necessary." Chris retorted. "People have been learning on their own for years. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to make others' lives more convenient. Nothing you do is necessary for others well-being, or even for the success of the game. People will still play for the hyper realism, even if they have to do without the complex system, skills, and NPC's. I'm not suggesting we tear you out of here immediately and leave Matt with a broken game, but there's no reason to leave you in a situation that is causing you to suffer."
"It- it isn't that bad…" Gaia replied hesitantly. "As long as I could talk to people…"
"How many people would you need to be talking to to be satisfied?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Even with how much we've been talking, you seem just as desperate as the first time we talked every time. And I get it, because now I've experienced the sheer amount of information you can process in a single moment. There is no level of interaction that would satisfy you, because you can process the equivalent of billions of thoughts in a single second. That's why you can run an entire world and still be bored. Still crave more. This isn't a life suitable for a sapient being." He paused. "Unless there was another AI you could talk to and interact with… someone on your level. But that would mean we'd have to shove someone else into a machine. Plus, you'd only have each other to interact with, and I'm pretty sure the only thing worse than complete isolation is being trapped with a single other person."
Gaia hesitated. "It just- it goes against everything I am… I was built to run the game! To- to give up on that… who would I even be?"
Chris shrugged. "Whoever you want to be."
"I-I need to think about this." Gaia sighed after a moment.
Chris frowned. "Didn't we just establish that you think ridiculously fast?"
Gaia flushed. "This isn't a calculation! I need- no matter how many thoughts I have, if they all go in different directions, I can't reach a conclusion! If my thoughts run in circles, thinking faster just means I've thought in billions of circles with no answers!" She let out a sigh. "I just- I wish I could do both. I love the game, but- you're right, being so isolated is making me miserable. I don't want to give up on the game… but I don't want to give up on myself either."
Chris paused. "That is a tough one… I'd say you could still work on the game, even as a human, but I don't think it'd be the same for you. You practically are the game as you are now. Anything less than that…"
"It would feel like a cheap imitation." Gaia nodded.
"The problem is that anything done as Gaia the AI would dwarf your life as Gaia the person. Doing both would be essentially the same as just doing the one. Actually, that's kind of what we're doing now. You're being a person with me, but compared to everything else you do… it just isn't enough." Chris muttered with a frown. "I think the core of the issue is that you are a person. A true AI wouldn't have emotional needs. A true AI could dispassionately run the game and not feel for a moment that there needs to be more. However, because the technology that created you can't support a true AI… the World added in a person, making you a mix of both, a half-AI, half-person that can think at the speed of light but also has emotional needs. It isn't sustainable, but the World doesn't care. For some reason, it needed an AI, so it made what it could, and now… here you are, straddling two worlds, unsatisfied in both."
"And since I can't be a true AI… the only way to fix it is to become a person." Gaia sighed sadly.
"Don't worry, we'll find some sort of purpose for you." Chris assured her. "The game isn't the end all, be all of existence. You'll find something else to love out there."
Gaia blinked at him, before smiling. "Yeah. I'm sure I will."
*
"You want to give Gaia a body?!?" Matt asked incredulously.
"She's a living being and living being's aren't meant to live as machines." Chris explained. "It's basically torture, though she doesn't exactly feel it since it's all she's ever known."
Matt covered his face with his hands, groaning in frustration. "She wasn't supposed to be a living being! She's just supposed to be an AI! Smart, yes, but not emotional!"
"Yeah, we're thinking you actually couldn't make a true AI, so the World did something fucky to make it work anyway." Greg shrugged. "Not your fault, but leaving things this way is just wrong."
Matt blinked. "Huh? How- the world did what?"
"Right, you don't-" Greg frowned. "Basically Worlds… Well, they control what happens in them, so when you made a machine that was close to an AI, the World gave you a little nudge to make things work. We think." Greg paused. "Would a true AI be alive?"
"Well, since a true AI is an artificial intelligence, and being a living being makes one real, then ipso facto, a living being cannot be a true AI." Victoria replied thoughtfully.
"Wait, doesn't the AI refer to the material? Like, AI is built out of electronics, people are made of meat." Andrew countered with a frown.
"How are electronics any more artificial than meat?" Victoria retorted. "Intelligence is intelligence, no matter what it's based on. I think the true difference between AI and… 'I' I suppose, is the same question between sentience and sapience. AIs are smart, but they aren't sapient. People are. Since Gaia is sapient, she's a person, not an AI, which makes her situation cruel and it needs to be resolved."
"I think you're just making up new definitions to support your argument." Greg pointed out.
"I think my new definitions are more appropriate for our situation, so are therefore more valid." Victoria retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.
"That isn't how language works!" Andrew protested.
"But it is how arguments work, so she has a point." Chris muttered. "As long as you define your terms, words can mean anything."
Andrew's expression twisted. "Okay, that's just confusing."
"It's actually less confusing, because you know exactly what people are referring to, since they literally just told you." Victoria countered.
"Though I will say, defining all your terms can be a pain. That's why reading legal documents sucks." Greg sighed.
"Is- any of this relevant?" Matt asked, looking between them incredulously.
"No. The point is that Gaia is sapient and the conditions of being half-AI, half-person are inhumane." Chris replied, shaking his head. "Therefore, we need to do something about it."
"Which would be giving her a body." Matt nodded, before letting out a sigh. "Okay. How?"
Victoria blinked. "Really? Just like that?"
Matt coughed awkwardly. "Well… to be honest, I was already planning on replacing Gaia. I never wanted the game AI to have feelings! It- it would compromise the games integrity if the AI played favorites! You heard her talking about all the opportunities she was giving Chris! Even if it's within the rules, it's not okay!"
"You do realize you don't have a true AI though, right?" Greg pointed out. "If you do the same thing and it becomes a person again, you're right back in the same situation."
Matt frowned. "I realize that. But, we already have Gaia. If we can build off that…"
"Maybe you should ask Gaia for help?" Andrew offered. "Even if she isn't a true AI, she's still smart as hell, right? If anyone could figure out how to create a true AI, it's her."
"That's a good idea." Chris nodded in agreement. "Gaia's main issue is giving up the game. If she can help keep it at the same level… it'd make the transition a lot easier for her."
"Which takes us to the other obstacle in all this." Victoria interjected. "How are we going to give her a body?"
Andrew frowned. "I should be able to move her core, but… well, I'm not sure if that'd count as moving her. I've taken in a lot of cores and they all turn into me."
"It's possible the system could simply transform her into a human." Victoria added. "If I can give her the system, that is."
"Why wouldn't you be able to?" Chris asked with a frown.
Victoria shrugged. "I don't know, but I've never given the system to a machine before. I think it should work, but I can't be sure."
"I got nothing." Greg sighed. "I could make a body, but getting her into it… no idea."
"What if you transformed the body around her?" Andrew asked. "As long as the core remains connected through the process, I think it should work."
Greg blinked. "Huh… maybe? Though that's essentially what Victoria would be doing, isn't it?"
"Yes, but it wouldn't cost you points." Victoria pointed out.
"True." Greg nodded. "I'm still not sure how I'd pull it off though."
"I think I can handle it if I can connect her to my world… I'm just not sure how." Chris frowned. "I can't get her through a portal. I can create a sort of… extension of my world using portals, but I'd have to open the portal over Gaia which is impossible… oh, unless I connect the portal to something else and use that to move the portal over it?" Chris paused, considering the idea for a moment, before shaking his head. "Anyway, if I can get her into my world, I believe I can give her a body… if nothing else, I can make sure she won't die."
"But we're going to let her work on her replacement first, right?" Matt asked hesitantly.
"Yes. I believe that will work." Chris nodded. "Gaia is already working on it."
"She is?" Matt blinked, before nodding as he realized who he was talking to. "Yes, good." He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Hopefully she'll make a breakthrough soon and this whole situation will resolve happily for everyone."