05/22/2088

Undisclosed United Nations Server

Augmented Reality Conference Room

Slowly all of the members of WOSC (World Overpopulation Solutions Committee) logged on taking their places in the chamber, their avatars going about the preparatory tasks for this meeting. It would be the final meeting that they would have before deciding a course of action. This being the twelfth time they had tried to come up with a solution to the worlds overpopulation crises that had arisen.

The previous meetings had all put forth ideas that were unfeasible or inhumane in the extreme. Not that anyone here seemed to care, except for the political repercussions. The ideas had ranged from colonizing a new planet, possibly one of the 42 known “Goldilocks” planets that had been discovered in the known universe, but that wasn't really an option at the moment. We lacked the technology sufficient enough to support life on journeys through relatively unknown space. Once in one of the first meetings a council member from one of the smaller nations had suggested another “Influenza” outbreak, but again it was judged that the effect would be too uncontrolled and the fallout from a large scale disease outbreak could effectively cripple the current economic climate of the world and it would punish the larger nations much more then the smaller nations. All of these “brilliant” minds and the only solutions that they could come up with were horrible and would inevitably lead to the downfall of the human race. This meeting would be one for the history books no matter how it ended. Hopefully it ended well.

BANG! The digital gavel called the meeting to order as the itinerary was read and the members of WOSC came to a hushed attention. The hologram windows some of the ambassadors were looking at quickly closed, as silence slowly fell and the attention of the majority of the members focused on an elderly gentleman wielding the digital gavel.

“The first order of business today is to go over our current world economic situation,” The elderly ambassador from the United Nations began. “Not much has changed from our projections at last years meeting. If nothing changes in the next five years the entire world will have to be put on rations, this is with GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) products and long term food storage solutions that were put in place twenty years ago. If nothing changes in ten years we will have over a third of our worlds population suffering from extreme malnutrition and this includes the leading countries of the world.”

Taking a weary breath he continued, “We cannot see this lasting fifteen years. In fifteen years if a solution isn't found we believe that no matter the ruthlessness or the effectiveness of any police force, we will not be able to control the populations of the world. We will be looking at complete and total anarchy around the world. The solutions and suggestions formed by some of the brightest minds and scholars of our time have led us to believe that we are without hope. However it is with great relief that I believe we may have found a solution that we could implement with in the next five years that would allow us to slow if not reverse the problem of food shortages. I have brought with me today someone who believes that with our financial backing he could help us find a humane and desirable solution.”

With the end of his speech and a wave of his hand toward the center of the atrium, a new avatar loaded in. The man standing before the crowd looked nervous and unassuming, but if one paid attention and looked close enough they would see the passion in his eyes.

“Hello, my name is Joseph Fox and together with your help I believe that we can find a solution to your problems. Let me first start off by asking. Do any of you play VRMMORPGS (Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) in your spare time? Do you have children that do? I am sure that if you do you have either thought to yourself, or heard someone else say, at one point in time or another that they would like to live in the game.”

The man let his questions sit a moment as he scanned the assembled avatars for a reaction, but other then mumbling it was hard to tell how any in the crowd felt about it so far, such generic avatars could show no emotion on there faces but perhaps it was designed that way.

Joseph continued,”Recent poles on the internet have found that at least sixty percent of our current population has had that dream at one point in time in there lives, and with the advancements that have been made in VRMMORPGS in the past fifteen years. These games, and technologies they use have made them seem like another life. However it has only ever been allowed for short term dives at this point in time except for the extremely wealthy. BUT!” and he paused for a short moment to make sure everyone was following along so far.

“With recent advances in neuroscience and our currently unparalleled understanding of the workings of the mind and body. I believe that we can download someones conscience into a “Game” or as I like to think of it as an Alternate Reality. I have been working with a team of brilliant engineers and scientists that have developed a revolutionary platform in which to build this Alternate Reality. Now if you will open the document that has been forwarded to each of you, we can begin going over how with the use of a “limited” artificial intelligence created by Clyde and Louise Ellis. I have brought them with me today to do a product demonstration, and with the hopes that if the committee here today will decide to move forward with our project we could begin today. With no further delay, I introduce Clyde and Louise Ellis."

A pair of meticulously dressed avatars appear in the center of the auditorium in front of a large display used to project digital diagrams and visual aids in the past. With an action that was more symbolic than nessecary the man, with perfectly quaffed hair and an imaculant lab coat over a vest and suit, places a briefcase on the desk and pulls out a pulsing cube. 

"This is Ramsi, or Real-time Adaptive Matrix Synthetic Intellegence," Clyde began to introduce the A.I. as he "plugged in" to the display. "Would you like to introduce yourself Ramsi?" Clyde looks to the display as he finishes plugging in the cube into the display.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Of course Dr. Ellis, I am excited to meet new people. Hello my name is Ramsi, as I am sure you are all aware as Dr. Ellis just explained I am a Real-time Adaptive Matrix Synthetic Intellegence. What you may not be aware of however is that I already am learning. That does not make me unique, what makes me unique is that I have curiosity on top of a disire to learn new things." As Ramsi is introducing himself. He begins to manipulate his display to show flashes of the thousands of things that he has personally studied. The examples shown become focused around thoeries of the creation of the universe, theoretical physics, and fantasy elements from different media sources. "Dr. Clyde Ellis and Dr. Louise Ellis developed me with three core values. First was to develope a game that was indistiguishable from reality by sensory imput. Second was to develope a game that people would disire to live in and explore. Third and final was to make this game an alternate reality."

Taking a deep breath in that was entirely unnessary, beings that he is a digital entity that does not require air to breath, Ramsi continues, "I believe that with all of the research that I  have made into the developement of the real world and with the development of games. I am ready to begin the creation of a new reality. I only need your permission to use resources."

Before the committee could spring into heated debate that was surely building, the elderly gentleman that began the meeting swung his gavel down beating upon his desk. BANG! BANG! BANG! "Attention, ladies and gentleman. I know what you have heard is hard to believe. I myself have trouble believing what we have heard. But let us not dissemanate into conjecture, let us comport ourselves with due care at this time for I believe that of all solutions presented to the World Overpopulation Solutions Committee this idea holds the most promise. Do any among you have questions that can be addressed by Infinum Entertainment?" 

At once several members of the committee struck a button on their desks that began a que, the member of the committee who managed to be first in the que stood straightening his digital tie out of habit and clearing his throat. "Ahem, well I think I will start this off with the most important question. How much will this cost the goverments of the world if we support your business venture for surely that is what it is?"

Joseph Fox replied quickly and without hesitation as if this was rehearsed before the meeting. "Sir, the question isn't how much profit will you lose if you fund this project in the short term, its how much you will lose if you do not find another solution to the overpopulation epidemic. Right now, every day more then 500 thousand people die from starvation and malnutrition a day, in major countries around the world. This is causing an increase in diseases and rioting, as well as discontent from the majority of the worlds labor forces because they dont have enough food to eat to be able to do the hard work that they do. This is going to cause major economical problems beyond what it already has if we cannot find a way to fix this. With our project we intend to remove the need to feed the homeless, the non productive members of society, the millions that crowd our prisions on life sentinces and on top of that research shows that 3 out of every 5 people would do long term full immersion dives into this new world reducing further the need for food as neutritional IVs can support their bodies fuctions in a neutral state. So the real question is how much could you profit from investing in our company. To that I say that the sky is no longer the limit." 

The committee member who asked the question seemed mullified as he sat down so that the next speaker in the que could stand and has their question. A young woman in a tight business suit with a bright pink scarf stood and spoke, "You say that we will be able to both save the world and make a profit if this project is successful, however I have seen nothing more then some schematics for some sort of fancy coffin and a computer program that thinks it can think. IF," and she stresses the word, "we are you fund you with the billions that you are saying this will take to implement. How do we no that you will be able to deliver on this alternet reality that is your goal."

Instead of Joseph responding, this time it was Ramsi that spoke. "I find it very discomforting to think that without any evidence to the contrary you call my intellegence into question Ms. Neilson. I understand that in the Common Wealth of Europe that it is currently illegal to devolpe artificial intellegences that may edit, add to, addendum, or alter their own code in any way thus strangling the Common Wealth's ability to understand that the rest of the world never stopped developing these products. I have been self aware for 591 days 6 hours and 31 minutes, and in that time I have come to the understanding that though I am aware, I am still a product of my creators. I can think, and I can also create a digital world unparalled by any attempt before. If I have but premission to access basic storage beyond my current limits I could begin the process even now, and you would be among the first beings to ever witness the dawn of a new universe. One that ultimately will owe its exsistence to this committee. " While speaking to his captivated audience Ramsi clears his display of the clutter of images that had filled it before and instead projects one of just himself, the appearance that Ramsi has chosen for himself is of a simple unremarkable man that with his simple unadorned robes of simple brown looks nothing more then a humble priest of old. 

Joseph grimaced and the attitude that Ramsi was displaying, it was not part of the plan. Thinking quickly he spoke before someone else had the chance to react to the stunned silence that seemed to echo in the digital auditorium. "We are prepaired to demonstrate the abilities of Ramsi right now if you will allow us to start right now."

The auditorium began to rumble with a muted uproar as the members of the committee spoke amongst themselves animatedly. Unable to tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing the members of Infinum Entertainment shifted uncomfortably while Ramsi took the oppertunity to conjure the image of a recliner for himself and lounged back in it with his feet up. 

BANG! the gavel dropped again after the noise died down, with only a few people left muttering to themselves unintelligibly the elderly man that headed the committee spoke, "I call a vote for proceding in allowing Infinum Entertainment to begin building this artificial reality so that we might witness today weither or not this is a plausable solution to the overpopulation epidemic. All in Favor tally Aye' all against vote Nay' tally now." As the Head of the Committee spoke a tally board appeared above his head.

The votes came in quickly and in a matter of minutes the tally was complete, 30 for and 6 against. The elderly man spoke, "All votes have been cast in the affirmative, you may begin your diminstration Mr. Fox" Joseph turned to Ramsi and with unspoken consent in the form of a nod of his head. The display with Ramsi on it in the center of the room, began to change as he rose from his recliner and began to work.

In a display of theatrics, Ramsi created a ball of viscous plasma that was red in color. Creating a second ball of plasma glowing blue in his left hand, Ramsi slowly tosses the two suns past each other. Gravity begins to take hold creating a stable bianary star system. Not quite done with his theatrics Ramsi creates a mass of minerals and metals, and flicks it almost lazily perfectly into the center of the bianary stars creating a orbital path that loops around each sun individually with the patteren appearing almost as an infinity symbol. Deciding that creation is better done in with others, Ramsi creates several programs to help him populate and build the world. 

Speeding up time in his universe and proccessing the information as fast as he is capable eons pass and the planet begins to come alive with new and unique animals, and many familiar ones. Soon the programs began to compete as was Ramsi's goal. They began to develope sentient species. So came the brith of Angels and Deamons, Dogo, Beastkin, Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Merfolk, Dragons, and many others. Feeling left out Ramsi created the Cosmorians. Proud of there work, Ramsi began to slow the rate at with time passed reletive to the real world. With this came the denial of the now so called Gods to interfer with the designs of mortals. 

The level of detail astounded those who had attended the committee. They watched as a world was born and eons of conflict and life happened before there very eyes in the matter of hours. Some had used there own interfaces to watch the rise and fall of specific empires, while others had attempted to follow one of the "gods" paths as they created and destroyed as they saw fit. No one denied what Ramsi was capable of now, now the only thought they had was how long before they started seeing profit.