In the not-so-distant future, humanity will achieve global peace in a post-scarcity world. As a result, crime, poverty, bigotry, and greed become almost non-existent.
Nearly everyone experiences a feeling of contentment.
In their complete state of egalitarianism, the United People of Earth participate in free and fair elections for all. So every Sunday morning, each individual is obligated to plug in and vote as part of their contribution, duty, and service as a citizen of Earth.
Dr. Suzanne Higgins, a retired AI scientist with a former top security clearance level who helped to develop the first sentient AGI, sat beside her husband on the living room couch while holding a cup of coffee.
They both had their headsets on and had entered into a metaverse trance.
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Her husband Robert retired early as an airline pilot because of the AI-driven auto-craft industry takeover.
She took her headset off. And so did he.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to plugging in to vote. I feel so out of control in there," said Robert.
"But, Robert, it does give us instantaneous access to all the information. In the old days of voting, we'd have wasted too much time reading convoluted paperwork, and we'd still be confused about the candidates' positions or what the propositions really meant."
"That's true." Robert nodded. "It's weird, though. For some strange reason, when plugged in, I feel compelled to retrieve only certain types of information. They give me a sensation of overconfidence, almost like a euphoria ... as if … I don't know how to explain it. It's difficult to put into words, but I do wonder …"
"Wonder what, Rob?"
"What if … I mean, I know there's the AI coordinator. It's supposed to be neutral, but how do I know if …"
Suzanne silenced Robert by gesturing with a finger and shaking her head.
"Wait, Sue, what are you getting at … ?"
She coughed loudly to interrupt him again, smiled, sat up, looked around, and asked him, "Aren't you hungry, honey? What would you like for your Sunday breakfast?"