A clink of glasses followed by a loud, “To CIPS!” rang throughout the room. The two men threw back their drinks, slamming them back into the table. Sending what little alcohol was left onto Alen’s face, causing another burst of laughter.
They had been out partying all night, celebrating the recent success at their company, GenuTec. They had successfully launched an AI system called C.I.P.S, pronounced ‘Sips’ and stood for Complex Information Processing System. Someone could easily integrate it into a wide range of products and learn how to assist users based on what it was installed into. If the consumer integrates it into a vacuum, it would learn to clean. If they incorporated it into a mower, it would learn to cut grass.
They were on the fifth pub of their bar crawl, and Alen was beginning feeling the effects more than he would like. He clapped Morris, his longtime friend, on the back,
“I don’t think I could have another drop.” He let out a hiccup mixed with a small, warm burp.
“You can’t go out driving like that!” Morris replied, insinuating there was more behind what he said, raising Alen’s brow. “It’s been so hard not mentioning this! Follow me.” He gestured, throwing his arm over his shoulder towards the exit. When they made it out of the poster-ridden double doors, a bright red Schall sports car, one of Germany’s luxury exports, waited outside.
“What’s this?” He asked, assessing Morris, who was holding his arms out toward the car as if to say ‘Ta-Da!’
“Schall purchased our AI system and integrated it into their new line of sports cars! They gave us a prototype, one of a kind.” Another bout of excitement hit Alen. If he had a drink in his hand, he would have likely pounded it in celebration regardless of the growing sickness in his stomach.
“Man, people love giving you all the goodies.” This gaining a look of defeated confusion from his friend, “What?”
“It’s yours, man!”
“No—”
“Yeah! I’ve been the recipient of many a gift simply because I’m the face.” They had researched and built the AI system together, but it was true that Morris handled the project’s social complexities. “I thought the brain had earned his share.”
“Oh, you don’t do yourself justice.” Alen said, approaching the cherry red beauty, the blue touch screen lighting up the dark interior. He looked inside the open window. “This is really for me?”
“Of course!” Morris went to the driver’s side, opening the door in a grand gesture for Alen. He laughed and crouched into the driver’s seat, noticing the familiar mannequin-like face of the AI they created on the bright touch screen. Morris was quick to run around and hop into the passenger seat. “You do owe me a drive home though.” He said, a smile crossing his face.
Morris handed Alen the keys and he immediately put them into the ignition, the hum and vibration of the engine sending a bolt of exhilaration through his foot, up his spine, and exploded like a firework at the base of his brain stem. Alen began signaling to pull out of the parking spot, but Morris interjected, “Oh, you don’t want to use the AI, huh?”
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Alen was excited, being behind the wheel of a sports car he had all but forgotten about the AI living within.
“It can already drive on its own?”
“How do you think it got here?” He said, slapping his knee. Alen examined the screen, noting it likely worked from voice communication since it was meant to be as distraction-free as possible, which made him wonder why they opted to display the face of the AI.
“Did they keep the same activation name?”
“No, they customized it to the owner of the company’s name: Otto. You can change it in the settings, but we can worry about that later.” Alen adjusted in his seat before announcing his command.
“Otto, take me to Morris Tap’s home at 4521 Senko Ave, Apartment Number 5.” The screen changed to a map showing the current location with a green line showing their route. Otto’s face shrank to half his original size and moved to the corner of the screen.
“Starting route to Morris Tap’s home, arrival in approximately fifteen minutes.” Otto said, displaying complete facial animations. Another feature he was surprised an auto company would opt for.
“Come on man; it’s a suite.” Morris whined, preferring to call his run-of-the-mill apartment a suite to preserve some of his class.
“It wouldn’t have taken me to the correct address and you’d be walking home.” Alen relaxed back into his seat as the car accelerated and merged into traffic. Morris grunted disapproval and took out his phone to look at before motion sickness made him decide differently. Alen’s hand kept wandering towards the steering wheel, not being used to being driven around by an invisible entity and wanting to take back control. Morris looked more confident in the technology and looked like he could fall asleep worry-free. By the time fifteen minutes had passed and Morris’s apartment was in sight, he was sleeping. Alen had to shake him with some force to rouse him. “You’re home. Hop out, ya lightweight.”
“Let me remind you, you’re the one who called it quits tonight.” He slurred out before tumbling out of his open door and shambling to his doorstep. Before entering, he turned around and waved goodbye before absent-mindedly slamming the door. Alen smiled and took a breath in to enunciate his following command.
“Alright Otto, take me home. 1010 Newel St.” It was a box of a house, but it was a house, and he was glad to have it. Housing was expensive and only getting more so as time went on, but he lived alone and frugally, so could afford himself a small property.
“Starting route to home, arrival in approximately half an hour.” Otto answered in its broad but pleasant German accent. He relaxed back again as the car began its start-up procedures, watching the screen. He couldn’t help but feel dozy. Without the manual labor of driving, he found it incredibly hard to stay awake, and the alcohol coursing through his body hadn’t been helping.
He turned on the radio, the rock station he liked already pre-programmed in by Morris, apparently. The loud crashing of drums and buzz of electric guitars had helped keep him alert, but he still had to fight the ever-increasing weight of his eyelids.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blue screen flash between black and blue before deciding to stay black, a few specs of Otto’s smile still frozen on a few bright blue pixels. Alen shot up, his hands went to the wheel and foot to the brake, but the car didn’t seem to be slowing but actually speeding up. He stomped the brake pedal to no avail. It was fighting him and wouldn’t budge an inch, neither would the steering wheel; Not that turning at this speed would do him any good.
“Otto, stop the car!” He yelled, but no gentle German voice replied; Just the growl of the engine as it accelerated towards a large truck.
He yelled his command again, pointlessly mashing the brake until the inevitable occurred. His body jerked violently forward as the cherry red Schall smashed into the back of the truck at practically full speed, leaving Alen in a crumpled heap, pinned between hunks of metal and choking on his blood until he lost consciousness to the sound of oncoming sirens.