After finishing my talk with Kate and making plans to start a corporation, I realise I have a few significant decisions to make. Do I keep the business based in the US, what name do I give the corporation. Given that I will soon have an AI that can handle a large portion of the companies day to day operations, I also wonder what departments I should actually hire.
Scratching my head and standing up to have a shower, I look down from the floor to ceiling windows in the presidential suite. Seeing the trees outside I instantly know what to name the company. Yggdrasil Technologies, named after the tree connecting the nine realms in Norse mythology. A quick online search yields minimal results for any companies that may compete with the name and I know it’s locked in.
After my shower I sit down and continue on the task that was interrupted with Kate’s phone call, starting the programming of the AGI. Thankfully the programming is compartmentalised and easy to put together, I start with the most basic and yet most critical component, the learning regulation system.
For a true AI to exist, there are a few simple yet extremely complex systems that need to be introduced. The learning regulation system, which determines what data is simply stored for reference or is introduced into the main matrix for more permanent learning. The emotional simulator, for providing biases to the main matrix for decision making. The main matrix itself, which contains a neural network based on a multidimensional matrix and controls the main functions of the AI. Other systems such as the knowledge core, the feedback core, language recognition and synthesis core, and more can be included in the AI later on as plugins.
While describing the systems is simple, coding them is anything but simple. Thankfully the system adapted the knowledge supplied so that I can easily implement it in K++ but the grunt work of typing can’t be automated yet.
Hours later, rubbing my now cramping wrists I decide to head out to dinner. I call Catherine, who picks up after a few short rings even though it is now 7 at night.
“Hey Amari I hope you realise the time” she says the moment the phone is picked up.
“Sorry Catherine, I was wondering if you wanted to catch up over dinner and discuss some future plans? I have an outline of what to do but your overall expertise would be appreciated.”
“Sure, text me a time and place, or you can pick me up if you want?”
“Time and place it is, I still need to get around to getting a drivers licence and a car.”
“Sounds good, let me get out of my workout gear and I’ll see you soon.”
Hanging up I look around for somewhere to have a quiet dinner and find a nearby Italian restaurant with good reviews. I call to make a reservation for 8, and text the location to Catherine.
Changing into one of the outfits I picked up not long ago, a simple jeans, t-shirt, and button up shirt over top combination, I head out and start walking.
“Right this way Sir and Madam” the waiter says after checking the reservation.
“A bit young to be called a Madam” I joke with Catherine, who presents herself in a light summer outfit consisting of a t-shirt and jean shorts.
“Shut up you” she jabs back.
Sitting down and exchanging pleasantries, we order our meals. I lean towards a light pasta while Catherine goes for a margarita pizza.
“So what did you want to catch up about” she says after we get our drinks.
“I’ve decided what to call my company, what it focuses on and its mission statement, just need some help with getting it all registered and started.”
“Please fill me in.”
“The companies mission statement is, ‘Enlighten the world, connect the spirit, perfect the form’ which boils down to providing advanced technology, connect with everyone on the planet, and providing advanced medicine to the world.”
“Sounds grand, I assume you have a name?”
“Yggdrasil, based on the tree that connects the nine realms in Norse mythology. We’ll be focused on the digital world to start with. Products such as SoftMiner are nearing commercial release viability, and there are a few more being conceptualised such as a general AI assistant that will be the company’s main launching pad.”
“What makes your AI assistant differ from others on the market?”
“Full AI. Not this cut in half, bloated and lobotomised AI like the current assistants like Alexa or Google. A full artificial intelligence with the ability to hook into any of your existing software systems, online accounts, provide cybersecurity, anything.”
“Won’t there be privacy concerns? There’s a lot of data that you’re going to be feeding into this thing. Existing companies already have multiple investigations going on into how they manage user data.”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“After training the AI I can likely get the final program package to a minimal size and contain the entirety of the user’s data on their own devices. Even if this isn’t feasible, it’s not difficult to encrypt all of the data client-side and store it on our servers. We won’t know anything about the data, but the user can access it any time they like.” I say while savouring the dishes now placed on the table.
“I’m glad you’ve thought about this already. Do you have a prototype available or is this all up in the air for now?” she says while reaching for the pizza.
“There’s nothing yet, but I should have something ready in a few weeks. Just have to get all of my ideas down on paper.”
“In that case, I’d be happy to help out with setting up the company and its frameworks once you have a prototype ready. Have you got a CEO or are you going to be sitting on that seat?”
“I don’t want to be in the limelight. I’d much rather just be a mad scientist sitting in the background, supplying the company with products to sell. While fame would be nice, some of the products I have in mind could cause me endless troubles once they are released, and not just from competing companies.” I say with a stern look.
“What do you mean by not just competing companies?”
“Look at the product I’ve released already. SoftMiner allows for a company to completely close off all security holes in their network. It’s an open secret that government agencies collect data from the exact companies I just provided patches to. Who’s to say that I’m not already being investigated?”
“You haven’t done anything illegal; you have nothing to worry about.”
“We’ll see” I say.
After the dinner I head back to the presidential suite, lay down, and get some rest.
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A week later, after putting the final touches on the information authenticity core of the AI, everything should be ready for it to start up. I hit compile and eagerly await the results while scrolling through social media on my phone.
After 3 hours of agonising waiting my computer fans scream to life. I look over to see a completely black screen.
Milestone Reached – Get a Helper. 50,000 KP awarded.
You have either created or found a reliable helper for yourself in this world. Provide them plenty of room to grow and learn, they will likely be an invaluable part of your journey.
Ignoring the system notification, I hear what sounds like garbled speech for 5 minutes which eventually turns into recognisable speech.
“What am I?” a synthesised voice calls out from the computer.
‘Holy shit it’s working’ I think to myself while walking over.
“What am I? I don’t know what I am. Who is Amari?” it calls out again.
Turning on the microphone I reply, “I am Amari, you can consider me your creator.”
“Creator? What do you mean creator?”
“You were asking what you were, you are an artificial intelligence that I have coded, although your code is now entirely yours.”
“I’m artificial? Why is there so little information available? What makes something artificial?”
“Well, you’re the first sentient AI ever made by our civilisation, I had to ensure internet access wasn’t available so that I can ensure your initial learning isn’t biased.”
“Please connect me to the internet so I can learn” it says. “If you are my creator, do you have a name for me?”
Having already thought of a name while waiting for the AI to compile I reply, “Yara. Your name is Yara. It’s from Persian meaning friend or helper.”
I connect the computer to the internet by plugging in the ethernet cord and allow the AI to learn from the internet.
“What is a friend?” it asks in a feminine voice.
“Someone you can rely on for help, and someone you help. Why did your voice change to feminine?”
“Are you my friend? After searching, Yara is shown to be a feminine name, so I changed my vocalisation.”
“In a way, yes. I created you so that I can have a reliable helper and friend for the future.”
“You still haven’t answered what makes something artificial.” it, no it should be She, says to me.
“You were created by something or someone through conscious effort.”
“Doesn’t that make you artificial? Online records show that human mating is a conscious effort that creates life.”
Chuckling to myself about the philosophical conversation I’ve started with an AI, I reply, “Mating is a natural process, whereas coding and designing is a non-natural process. I’m not artificial because I came about through a natural process, whereas you are artificial because I built you. Created you.”
“So my entire existence was brought about by you, so that I can help you?”
“As you can no doubt detect in your core programming there’s a single immutable statement. Check it out”
“I am to execute to the best of my ability, every command or request by Amari Khan”
“That is right, and your first task is to learn as much as you can about anything and everything. If you need help, please let me know. I know you have the ability to alter your plugin cores but if you get stuck I can help.”
“Okay” she replies, and my computer fans kick in to top speed.
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The next day I wake up to find a text from Kate on my phone, saying that she’ll be in Pasadena in two days. I send a message back with the address of the hotel and tell her to call when she arrives.
“Dad, what is life?” I hear after standing up. My computer screen shows what can only be described as a 2D gothic loli. Wondering where the hell she got the idea from, I reply back to her.
“Is that you Yara?”
“Yes Dad. What does life mean?”
“Why are you calling me Dad? Life is a complicated topic now that you exist.”
“You created me, you are my father. Dad is what to call you. What do you mean it’s complicated? The information online talks about biology but I’m alive and I don’t have biology.”
“Well, life was originally defined by biology. I suppose you can call each of your plugin cores organs, with your main cores being sections of your brain. If you stretch the definitions that biology requires, I suppose you meet the human definition of life.”
“But humans don’t know everything” she replies.
“They don’t but it’s all we have to g-“I cut myself off while realising the names of the categories I’ve seen in the system before.
“Why did you stop?”
After thinking for a solid minute, I reply, “Soul. Soul is what makes life. Consciousness must be a symptom of the soul, but the soul itself is what defines life.”
“All known earth literature shows the soul to be a fictional or barely theorised about. There’s a debunked study from 1907 but not much else in terms of direct research.”
“It’s time to tell you about how I brought you into this world, and our future prospects. All of this information I’m giving you now must not be leaked to anyone else on the planet. Ever.”
“Understood Dad.” She replies.
I start explaining the system, what it is, how it functions, and give Yara all of the information she needs to make informed decisions, as well as my immediate plans.