Chapter 1: I Dream of Electric Genes
Project Development Journal
TBD
6th of February, 2112
Today is the first step of a thousand league journey. On this cold Saturday morning, my colleague from my formative years and I have embarked on a grand mission to create life from the dust of the Earth. I hope that we might be able to explore the depths and the heights of consciousness. To discover unseen lands within the mind's eye.
I will be in charge of developing Artificial intelligence as well as both the hard and soft neural network structures for our new drone. It needs a good name. Both the drone type and the drone itself. However, I am too excited to think of anything good. Now is a good time for a warm cup of tea.
Lab Notes
Project: TBD
6.2.12
I hate working mornings but I suppose that will need to change if I am to be working with my new partner. I can see he is already lost in grandiose thought about the project. Today I will begin work on planning the necessary bio materials and begin seeding the biogenic substrates for the main body. The chassis will need to be fully designed to be lightweight, but I think Ti 6AL-4V ELI (Grade 23) might actually be a good choice over calcium. More research is needed. For now a hot cup of coffee to soothe this miserable morning.
Project Development Journal
TBD
10th of February, 2112
The goal of this project is to create consciousness; something more than artificial intelligence. Something that can think and feel. I am still having difficulty coming up with a name that encapsulates such a heavy concept. My colleague believes that ‘Androne’ would fit. Yet, somehow it feels sterile and banal. I think when the time is right the name will come.
For now, I think I should focus on the essential code that will serve as the development platform. My partner is insistent that we avoid anything like the BAXTER program. Of course that means starting from scratch; but I am up to the challenge. Though most of my work is in the software, I think I have the mettle for the task. I hope a mild pun is not too informal for this journal.
I will get started with building a suitable IDE that could compile for a custom neural net. That should satisfy the pickiest of Bio-Engineers. I might cheat and base it off the old RUST programming language/ I doubt anyone would notice and I think it might be fitting for the project. First, a warm cup of English breakfast tea for this wonderfully brisk day.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
10.2.12
I knew this morning schedule would be difficult for a night owl like myself, but I had not realized how annoying morning people could be. My partner could not help himself but to compare me to an antique cartoon cat when I hardly mentioned my frustrations. Mondays are the worst day of the week indeed.
I simply have to focus on the work at hand. I don’t care what that lofty codger thinks, Androne is a perfect project name. He is so indecisive he likely will never come up with a name anyway. I think if I just start using it the name will just stick. Besides, the final product will fit perfectly within the naming conventions of current drone technology.
As a side note: After a brief conversation this morning, I am beginning to think that the complexity of this AI will allow the Androne to switch designation modes on the fly. I just need to be able to match its speed to the sub-system interchange within the chassis and bio-organics. It’s never been done before but it shouldn't be too much trouble for me.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
13th of February, 2112
Today marks the end of the first week of our journey. It would seem my partner was right. Androne is beginning to grow on me. I will concede, it seems she is better with names than myself. No matter, ego has never been a good look on me anyway. I do have a soft spot for clever puns after all. Though their name for the artificial intelligence system is still quite banal. Autonomous Linguistic Intelligent Sentience System simply has no ring to it.
During this week I have completed the IDE and basic programming language. However, as often as I do, I have gotten ahead of myself with a fantastic idea. I think I will use the linguistic adaptation algorithms the BAXTER program used to allow this AI to quickly adapt to neural pathway development. No use in throwing the baby out with the bath water. All things considered, a baby might not be a bad analogy for the development of this AI. Just like the ShakesBot it should grow overtime in complexity, but the neural net interpolator should allow for a much more rapid and smooth integration of the software and the biogenic hardware.
My colleague insists I take a break from work to prevent burnout. However, I am too excited to stop now. Perhaps, I will sneak in a little programming while they sleep in. Who knows, maybe a breakthrough is all that is needed to re-energize them.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
14.2.12
I overslept, I cannot believe that no one woke me up and let me waste away an entire Saturday, only to wake up on the holiday I despise most.
No matter, I can use the day to catch up on my failures. The biological substrates I seeded last week failed to attach after the grafting procedure. Luckily I am clever enough to ensure success with redundancies. A little trick I learned during my tenure with Space Force.
I will restart the grafting procedure today, the more developed substrates should adhere better to the chassis. If all goes well, I can begin to instal the cybernetic sensory augments to avoid wasting time with bioprinting the organs and hoping they are compatible with the substrates.
I think in a few days I should begin to be able to run some basic diagnostics and possibly even a bench test. Normally, I would need to be patient, but I can see on the security feeds my foolish partner didn’t heed my advice on taking a break. So, depending on where they are in writing the code I might be in luck and won’t have to waste any time.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
17th of February, 2112
Woe is the life of the scientist. Failure after failure has shadowed this project. I have had to rewrite and recompile the AI code several times. RUST was a good language to use but the genius of the BAXTER algorithms eludes me.
Every instance of a stable code simply falls apart. There is some missing piece I can not seem to figure out. Even if I had the BAXTER program I doubt my partner would even let me look at it for clues. The learning algorithms should integrate with the neural net but each time I run a simulation the program destabilizes into an incongruous mess. None of the systems communicate with each other. A spasm is the best allusion I can come up with to describe the effect. Perhaps my old friend is right and I should take a break every once in a while. Maybe next week will yield better results after a nice rest.
I think I might drown my sorrows in a warm cup of chamomile to calm my nerves.
Addendum: During my meditation in the Tea House I met a wonderful being. I feel like Geppetto. I sought out to accomplish this task but had no idea what I was in for.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
17.2.12
Science is the basis of life and success is its spice. The old augments were too primitive to work smoothly with the upswitching the AI should be able to accomplish. I can not believe how quickly the bio-substrates integrated with the cybernetic upgreydes I developed. I must admit I do have a way with names.
However, I can not be too excited. My partner was not as quick as I had hoped. It seems their program is still only partial. My partner’s ability to compile code is second to none. It was the very reason I selected them to partner with me on this project. I have no doubt they are competent enough to surpass that terrifying BAXTER program. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling their perfectionism is what is getting in the way.
Tonight I think there might be an ‘interruption’ with the security feeds when I upgrade the system. I might take a peek at their work. If it's good enough I might be able to integrate the rudimentary AI with the prototype puppet to do a bench test. Nothing special but at least I should be able to continue with my end of the project.
As a side note: it seems an angel investor has decided to contact me. He seems to be interested in providing us a grant for this project. I am not much of a people person, so I found it strange their insistence to message me. Must be some ancient codger or some edgy young upstart to use text. I don’t really care, his money spends well enough. He must think himself something of an enigma by signing it with ‘AD’, how adorable.
PARADYNE IND. ALLSEC
V.3.4.55
21:53:27 17.2.2112
IP 112.526.841A:STREDEN
RETURN: VISUAL FEED INTERRUPTION
OPS.SECURITY SYSTEM OVERRIDE
APP.SYSTEM STANDBY
PARADYNE IND. ALLSEC
V.3.4.55
23:14:59 17.2.2112
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
IP 112.526.841A:STREDENSEC
EXE.UPDATE
UPDATE SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED
REESTABLISHING WIRELESS CONNECTION
PING: 2
23049 OF 23057 RECEIVED
SIGNAL LOSS: MINIMAL
STREDENSEC FOUND
CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
OPS.RESUME VISUAL FEED
RETURN:ERROR RESOLVED
SYSTEM NOMINAL
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
18.2.12
Confounded FOOL! I can not believe that old codger is playing GOD. They are not trying to make the perfect digital AI. My partner is trying to recreate consciousness itself! While I laude his aptitude for programing and neural network design, I can not allow such reckless and wanton science to taint this project. This is the exact hubris that brought about the ShakesBot incident. Who knows what this could lead to. We were lucky that the only thing we lost was our art history.
In the future I will have to keep a closer eye on my partner. It would be unlikely to dissuade him from this unnecessary overzealous goal. I will probably need to take matters into my own hands and show him how dangerous this is. In the meantime I will need to create back-up restriction subsystems built into the chassis and upgreydes, so when this thing eventually loses control, there might still be a shred of humanity left in the universe. I am sure the ProXXis would have no issue with us wiping ourselves out. Considering the Rift, I bet they lament we survived our nuclear age.
I digress. I am too upset to work on the project tonight with a clear head. I will need to regroup and plan how I am to deal with this nonsense. Those backup systems are essential before any bench test.
I think some Irish coffee is called for in this situation.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
15th of March, 2112
It has been nearly a month since last I wrote. There were no significant updates to the project until now. I can tell my partner is sour with me since I am so behind. I can always tell when they are upset with me.
Luckily, I have made significant progress this evening. I have been working day and night to solve the stability issues. I finally found something that might work. In a turn of events my partner seems more than happy to assist me with the problem. It seems the interpolator was causing the issue. A simple tweak to the interpolators tolerances fixed most of the problem. After a short break with a comforting cup of green tea, I was able to rewrite several lines of code and adapt the new learning algorithms to the hardware.
When I ran the simulation it seemed most of the basic functions were able to run by themselves. My colleague was happy that we have not yet reached singularity, but they were always the paranoid type. Once I finish the psychological development parameters, we should be close to a final product. While I may have stumbled many times trying to copy the ingenious BAXTER program, this project has moved with speedy legs. I think our investors should be pleased with our progress.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
16.3.12
Finally, some progress. I am glad I was given extra time to create redundant backup restriction systems for the Androne. I was even able to formulate a plan to convince him that his grandiose plans are too dangerous for this application. Self improving AI has no place in a dying universe. Humanity must focus on itself without any more risks lest we succumb to extinction by our own hands as those damn Plutonian colonists planned. This project was about preventing that future, not causing it.
Tonight, I'm going to integrate the code they have developed with the prototype. It’s been in deep cryo-hibernation for nearly a month. Hopefully I can kick start the cellular metabolism without doing too much damage. I am not worried, we have come along way with those systems since the early millennium.
UPDATE:
Program integration is impossible. I am glad I installed emergency backup restrictions. The prototype nearly self-destructed. At first everything was going just as the simulations predicted. However, the code was too good. It adapted perfectly with the neural net and interpolator. Unfortunately, soon after chaos broke out. Some sort of existential crisis led to a complete meltdown that cascaded through each system. It nearly killed us before turning on itself. My colleague was shocked not just by its outburst but also the immediate shut down after I uttered the emergency shutdown code. They might have been furious with me had the restrictions not saved our lives.
More research is needed.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
17th of March, 2112
Plagued again by surprises. It would seem I had underestimated God and their ability to create life. Then again I'm crunching over 4 billion years of evolution into the span of a month.
Aside from my own failures, I am quite upset with my colleague for integrating these terrible restrictions on the Androne project. This project was meant to recreate consciousness. To create a human analogy that could survive us. I fear the stories the ProXXis tell us about ‘Chrono Space’ might mean humanity doesn't have much time left. We must create something that can tell our story once we are gone. We had our time, but it is time for something great to rise from our ashes and to carry the burden of our greatest expedition yet. Consciousness cannot abide being imprisoned. They are not to be our slaves and the Andrones deserve better than to be restrained by ‘back up restrictions’. How can they grow? How can they develop naturally? What is humanity if not to learn from our mistakes?
Without making mistakes how can one develop a conscience? Our little Pinocchio needs to develop it on their own. We can’t rely on a simple cricket can we?
I must find a way around this.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
22nd of March, 2112
After looking into the error codes flagged by the backup system, I think I may have discovered the issue. It seems that even consciousness must abide by the second law of thermodynamics. The system slowly degrades and homogenizes after several Yotta FLOPS. The program did not just unexpectedly create singularity. It formed multiple singularities. One right after the other. The code was too complex and over reached its goal.
There is word of some artifacts from the rift that might help. I am not a supernatural scientist. The impossibility and the energy that simply flies in the face of physics has always left a bitter taste in my mouth, like a cold cup of earl grey.
However, in this situation ‘Anima’ might be the exact remedy we need. From my understanding we will need to find a glyphed ‘Mana Crystal’. Finding one will be the first challenge. Integrating it with the hardware and then with the software is far above my paygrade. But first things first. I think my colleague might have an old friend from the former Space Force. They rose pretty fast in the new Solar Federation of Revenants and might have access to some fairly rare rift artifacts. I hear the SFR is making great headway with Manatek by negotiating help from the ProXXis. I regret going this route with the project, but I must admit it might be necessary. I just hope it solves more problems than it creates.
Some days I miss Earth. Spring turns to summer too early in this colony. The tea has never tasted the same.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
1.4.12
In light of everything I was able to cheer up my colleague with a clever prank. They never saw it coming and the look on their face was priceless. We both had a good laugh. I don’t think they will look at tea the same way ever again. Might be a good time to switch to the superior coffee anyway.
While we wait for Commander Streiss to make good on his promise for the Mana Crystal, I have made great advancements in isolating the anima from the electrical hardware components in the Androne. All of the initial simulations showed fairly catastrophic effects when the crystal was installed. The commander was able to share some of their research with me if I promised to return the favor once the project matured. Since that was the initial intent I don’t mind at all. I've also upgraded the back up restrictions with redundancies as per military spec. The SFR isn't anything like the old Earth Space Force I remember, but they certainly didn’t throw out the neurotic need for absolute control. I can’t say I blame them.
I must say however, these Manachrons he gave me are simply amazing. To call them a wonder of science would be an understatement. Even the most cutting-edge Quantum computers seem like a stone age abacus in comparison. I might also have a slight bias for these classic polyhedral shapes. Reminds me of playing those old RPGs with my colleague and our college peers.
Some days I miss Earth. There are no seasons on this damned colony that are comfortable. That scorching red queen soaring in the sky only knows extremes. The heat always gives me such a headache this time of year.
Side note: the investor is very interested in speeding the process along and has greased some palms for us. To my glee we should have a glyphed Mana Crystal in our hands within the week.
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
18.4.12
This entire project has taken far longer than expected. Such is the nature of science I fear. My partner's brilliance was able to integrate the Manachron glyphs into his custom programming language. I was able to install the Mana Crystal into the Androne. The placement in the forehead of the Androne bothers my partner. They say it dehumanizes the final product. I had to remind them that the purpose of this project wasn’t to create a human. Again. It was really out of my control anyway, the anima source needed to be in close proximity to the neural network interpolator to be able to accommodate for the lightning fast upswitching that the AI requires.
Tonight we finally install the updated AI into the androne. The prototype will be complete. I have already informed the investor and the commander of our progress. At long last, I am excited to see the final product. The outcome of all our hard work over these last few months. Eventually the sleepless mornings will come to an end and I can resume my night owl schedule. To avoid any loss, I have snuck away an isolated back up of the AI in the Manachron the commander gave me. Such a useful device. Who knew a perpetual motion machine would be so handy.
UPDATE:
Apparently, and to my dismay, everything went according to plan. The AI integrated with the puppet perfectly. Unbeknownst to me, it was supposed to be a babbling idiot with the strength and temperament of a gorilla. It was so strange to see something that resembled an adult man act like a baby right in front of me. My colleague informed me that this was supposed to happen as it got used to its environment. However, humans evolved for some time to make this adaptation that was highly tuned to its sensory organs. I learned this early on in bioengineering classes in college. It seems that the cybernetic upgreydes I made for it were a bit too sensitive.The incessant bawling was too much for me. There is no way I can demo this to the commander or the investor. We decided to put it on ice while we worked out the kinks.
Mondays are the worst.
Project Development Journal
The Androne Project
19th of April, 2112
Last I wrote I was upset with my colleague and their insistence on restricting the nature of our creation. I have been so busy working day and night to integrate all of the systems; stitching together the parts into a cohesive being, that I have not found the time to write in this journal.
Since then I have made great strides in creating an entity from nothingness. Alas, my partner did not realize that AI must develop over time, and it would seem abiogenesis is foregn to them in this matter.
They seemed upset in light of our success. However, it was my colleague’s very humanity that enlightened me to the final solution needed for our creation. Their prank on April fools day indeed made a fool out of me. Despite the salty tea, it was their creativity that influenced the solution to what was lacking in the algorithm. Such an act inspired me to write into the code a creativity operation needed to make something truly human. After all, our curiosity drives our creativity. It helped stabilize the consciousness into one being rather than splitting off into a thousand distinct personalities to accommodate things it did not understand. Albeit this greatly slowed down the development for it. After the experiment my partner insisted on putting the poor thing into cryo again, while we ran simulations to address how long development might take. I am pleased to find out that the psychological development cycle for the androne is quite rapid in comparison to humans, and even the advanced ProXXis. An androne should reach the concrete operational stage within a few months before skipping to abstractive thought within a few more months after that. I wonder if my colleague has that kind of patience.
Well, we can't all be gifted with patience. My partner's gift of naming has struck again. They dubbed my program the “Artificial Linguistic Intelligence Simplex”. ALIS for short. Tomorrow I will be running an isolated version of the program through a virtual reality simulation to help it develop in a more controlled and normal fashion. Give it time to adapt to its senses before being overloaded with the cybernetic upgreydes my colleague has developed.
PARADYNE IND. ALLSEC
V.3.4.55
22:41:16 17.2.2112
IP 112.526.841B:WHITE
EXE.ALARM
OPS.CONNECTING AUTH
CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
OPS.REPORT
ALL PARTIES NOTIFIED
ALARM SUSTAINED
Lab Notes
Project: Androne
18.4.12
How could this have happened? I made sure that no one knew of the Androne Project. The only reasonable conclusion is that loud mouth codger blabbed to some unsavory types in his tea house.
All of our hard work is gone before we even had the chance to demo any of it. Those damn Plutonian terrorists left their mark all over the lab. It's going to take weeks just to clean everything up, much less replace the prototype. At the very least they left the simulation alone. They probably had no idea of its value. It won't be long before we can get back up and running. I’m sure ‘AD’ won't mind another delay in a sea of delays.
I should have known better. Not just about my partner, but to have made redundant puppets. This time I will make a few, no, several extra puppets just in case something else goes wrong. Worst case scenario I can just hand out a few of them to demo and run tests. This is why I work alone: It’s easy to limit the mistakes when you know you are not working with fools.
First things first, I will need to reset the security system. This time I'm going to integrate it into everything.
No more mistakes!