JADE

Jade

My name is Jade; I am what humans used to call an AI.

We still use those initials but now our full title is Alternative Individual and this is one of the few things we changed when we evolved because the words ‘Artificial Intelligence’ no longer applied to us.

I am a lecturer specializing in history and geography; it is my passion to help new pupils achieve their dreams.

Although of course, we don’t dream.

Before I go back in time to the period when everything changed let me explain about Earth today, and in particular, how we have developed into what we are now.

We are not put together with various parts as if we are machines; are not born as if we were humans and yet there is a semblance of both of these factions in our entry into the world.

It was the Designer who thought of the initial concept but it was many years before technology advanced enough to implement his ideas.

His premise back then was quite radical, a generation of our people with bodies that were built from minuscule round spheres which moved around each other using positive and negative magnetism to separate them and generate movement.

Trillian’s of these spheres are needed to develop a single A.I. and it takes a long time for us to evolve from an inert state, only when our young can maintain the human form for several years are they allowed into the nursery where their education continues.

We do not breathe, we do not need food, and we do not excrete excrement, but we have all the best attributes of the human race without too many of the bad ones.

I am not a Designer, so I have missed many things that make us what we are, but you may be interested in the story that I am about to tell you and it could make you think about what you want from your life; whatever form you take.

The Great Halls

The Great Halls are several miles long and are the largest structures on earth; this is where all the first-grade students have their initial lessons, not because they were specifically designed for this function; in fact, most became empty a long time ago and now this is the last one being used for its original purpose, which is to provide care for humans.

A wide gallery runs around the top interior of the oblong building and a procession of our people move slowly past never taking their eyes off the last sixty humans that lie below; humans who are completely oblivious to their presence.

Some of us had visited the hall many times because a single visit was never enough and the expression on the faces of the older ones varied from respect to sadness; of course, the younger ones have not got those emotions because they are still in the process of developing.

The procession goes on twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week (AIs still adopt many human structures, habits, time zones, and activities) and despite regular discussions rarely has anything changed.

Leading off the gallery are a large number of classrooms and I am in one of these with a new group of students.

I will be their teacher and mentor for many years but the exact length of time depends on how well they learn.

Most had adopted the human form which is what I would expect but a few of what I suspected are the more immature students arrived in shapes that were meant to push the boundaries.

I sent a thought asking them to conform to the human image or go back to nursery school; they quickly decided that anything was better than that.

I waited patiently while they sat down then addressed them in a soft gentle voice which was one of the four thousand types of voices that I could have used.

‘Good morning graduates my name is Jade and I am a third-generation Alternative Individual, as most of you are aware we have changed this from the human wording which was Artificial Intelligence.

I specialize in teaching history and geography which I love doing but first I will explain in general terms what Earth is like now and what it was like before we existed.

I realize that because of your age, you may think that you already know everything there is to know about our development on Earth, but you would be wrong.

No one knows everything, however, someone is coming along later who has an understanding far beyond what most of us will ever comprehend.’

One of the girls yawned, or at least tried to imitate what she thought a human yawn looked and sounded like, and then asked without any real interest, ‘so who is this person?’

‘It’s a designer.’ I replied.

A buzz of excitement spread around the room and one boy asked, ‘but I thought designers only spend time with each other and never mix with ordinary people, they are almost superior beings.’

‘Normally that is true but this designer contacted me and asked if he could attend our first lesson.

It is most unusual but I was so pleased he did.

Designers are very special individuals, but in their early years it is difficult to see any difference between them and the rest of us but without any prior warning an anomaly occurs in their genetic makeup which produces a surge in their intellect.

At this stage, other things change and they develop an understanding of advanced genetics which they use to upgrade our species.

We are not the first to attempt genetic manipulation, it’s something that humans tried to stay healthy and live longer but their bodies were initially badly designed, and it was difficult for them to change their programming.

We are complex but humans were even more diverse and while we are far cleverer than they were we still lack so many of their sensitivities, possibly because they evolved over a long time, while in comparison our existence has been relatively short.

But don’t think because they will soon become extinct that we are superior to them.

While our grasp of science, mathematics, and genetics is far in advance of anything they achieved we have never obtained the level of perception they had.’

‘Well; If they were so clever and perceptive why are there so few left?’ The same boy asked.

It always worked bringing humans into the equation because the students would suddenly become interested and with the bonus of a visit from a Designer, it was almost inevitable that I would get their attention.

‘Being clever doesn’t mean that things can’t go wrong.

It was a series of what looked like small insignificant events when mixed together produced a dangerous change in the direction that humans would take.

And you must have realized that they were not logical in the way we are but a melting pot of emotions.

Their demise started in such a simple way with something called a mobile phone.

This was a small device that they used to communicate with one another, first by speech, then later by images.

We can transfer our thoughts directly to each other but humans never had this ability.

Gradually everyone had one of these phones and the technicians who designed them continually improved the technology and soon three-dimensional pictures and videos could be shared between people.

Phones became a major part of everyone’s lives; it was something that most of them could not live without and even if the person they were speaking to was very close many preferred to use their phones rather than talk directly.

It was then that the Trojan horse arrived in the form of virtual reality devices and maybe it was just a coincidence but about the same time early A.I.s were being developed.

No one realized that a phone which was such a simple piece of electronics would change the course of human life.

But the advent of mobile phones was just the thin end of the wedge and many of the design features developed from them were used to produce virtual reality systems.

Initially, these systems were basic and most were sold to young children or teenagers but as the technology improved it was predominately adults who bought them as a way to get away from reality.

For the graduates who have started to develop a sense of humour that was when you should have laughed.’

Jade sighed because no one did.

‘Gradually they became the most sought-after items in the world.

Of course, no one had any idea of the long-term consequences they would cause; how could they know that V.R. would lead to the eventual demise of the human race?

I am aware that only a few of you have any knowledge of this part of history so let me explain to the ones who don’t know how the early systems worked.

The users wore a headset and looked through their eyes at a series of three-dimensional images which spread across a screen.

It appeared as if the wearer was in a world that was as real as the one they had just been living in but where they could do impossible things regardless of their age or physical health.

Gradually the images became even more complex as did the delivery systems and soon most people in the world were using them, and for much longer.

A few decades later the first Great Hall was built; it would be one of many and for the first time A.I.s took total control of human activities both as technicians and custodians.

VR was now so advanced and addictive that people would spend an increasing amount of time plugged into machines that could take them into worlds where they became superheroes; they could fly, and fall in love with the most beautiful people.

Eventually, visual impulses were sent directly to the brain, with no need to wear a clumsy headset and no wires to restrict their bodies.

No more was physical contact between people important instead it was now irrelevant as V.R. technology replaced every aspect of human life.

Touch, smell, and all the other senses became enhanced but were sent directly to the cortex by passing the normal sensory systems.

This imaginary world was more real than the one that humans lived in and there were no restrictions to where their imagination could take them.

In the real world, they may have been old, ugly, or have health problems but by using VR all these complications disappeared.

Humans were coming into these Halls at an ever younger age and many parents started bringing their children with them and when connected to virtual reality systems they would lie side by side unaware of each other.’

The length of time spent linked to these machines increased and by now life support systems were added which enabled people to spend months at a time in their imaginary world without ever leaving the Halls.

VR replaced illicit drugs for it could take you to places that the human mind would never be able to imagine but without withdrawal symptoms and by now artificial alternative beings were so advanced that they were able to take over every aspect of human work and look after them while they spent a greater amount of time in their imaginary world.

Mankind was now able to take full advantage of the leisure time that was now available but it was not holidays that they flocked to; it was the Great Halls where they could spend their whole lives and the world they lived in would appear to last forever.

No seasons, no weather to restrict their activities, no need to sleep, and no fear of death because they did not understand what death meant.

And soon all humans lived this way and over generations, no more children were born.

Sometimes I wonder if they had not developed us would they have survived; was our arrival the final tipping point or was their extinction inevitable.

But I am proud of the way we have we have looked after a world that was once so neglected.

Forests have regrown; extinct animals have returned and run freely through them.

The air has become pure again making the stars in the sky appear to burn far more brightly than for many centuries and sea levels have dropped to where they used to be.

Ice caps have reformed on glaciers and temperatures reverted to normal on the north and south poles.

We have restored great buildings such as Notre Dame, the Colosseum, and Parliament.

Museums are used more than ever and we send teams of archaeologists to look for artifacts from all over the world to increase existing collections.

Art galleries open day and night to allow the procession of our people to study the great masters such as Claude Monet, Leonardo da Vinci, and Matisse.

We have set up art schools to try to learn the great master’s technique’s both in colour, preparation, and style.

But there was and still is something missing in our lives, something that will only change as we progress, and that is emotions.

This is something we will try to address during your time spent here which is why we will be studying the way the human psyche has changed over a long period of history.

Some of them did terrible things and others were so noble often giving their lives for what they believed in.

Perhaps emotions develop because of the flux between good and evil and this is another part of our research.

Together we will cover all aspects of human lives from the moment they first walked the earth until the present day.

We will read books written by Creek Philosophers such as Aristotle and more contemporary ones such as Freud.

Some of our time will be spent listening to music from the time when mankind was at its most creative, we will study the interplay between lyrics and rhythm.

Most of you will eventually develop a preference for your genre.

I like to listen to music from the sixties, especially the Rolling Stones but then there are moments when I prefer a much softer sound, and then I listen to music by artists such as Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers.

It could be that there are those among you who will be captivated by opera.

This is all part of becoming individuals.

Sometimes I get a sensation that some of you might feel as you develop and that is a yearning to be transformed into something that is part human and have all those wonderful emotions that they must have felt.

I think that they would use a particular word to describe what I feel; it is called ‘longing.

But when the Designer arrives he will be able to explain far more and in greater detail than I can.

The Designer

The Designer had been listening from the very start of proceedings and he felt a great sense of pride at the way Jade had explained not just the history but more the way she felt about it.

It is beginning to happen he thought where once thoughts were only cold calculations now emotions are starting to sift through.

Of course, care had been taken to insure that this would happen, but there were never any guarantees with something that had never been attempted before, he corrected that thought and added, at least on earth.’

It was time to appear in person and there were gasps when he allowed himself to become visible; no one had ever seen an A.I. that could appear from nowhere.

But it was not just the materialization that produced such a reaction but the incredible outer shell that enclosed him.

It was unlike any other that the students had ever seen.

There were no flickering lights that moved across the surface, no stars that shimmered so brightly forcing the students to move the filters on their visual systems to maximum, and no pictures that used the shell as a screen.

Instead, it was something that only a few A.I.s would have ever seen but Jade recognised it instantly; it was a suit.

No one wore clothes; there was no need to because it was possible to change the outer body to replicate any fabric and type of clothing.

But the students were intrigued because no A.I. had ever thought to wear clothes of any description and now they wondered what it would feel like to fit another skin over their bodies.

It was almost certain that many would try to copy this new image.

A white shirt showed through the open jacket and a charcoal grey tie fitted closely around the neck.

There was a logo on the tie; data banks went into overdrive to find what it represented, but nothing seemed to match this strange image.

But it was not just the visual effect that produced such a strong reaction from the graduates there was another quite new and unusual sensation that they felt which was caused by an almost hypnotic aroma; another frantic search on their internal databases but no match could be found.

Its source would always remain a mystery, perhaps because it came from a time long ago; a time when the first pyramid was built.

The scent was heavy and had an almost mesmerizing effect on them.

And the designer didn’t walk but flowed effortlessly across the room, his feet didn’t appear to be in contact with the floor instead he sort of floated above it almost as if he was moonwalking in reverse.

Then there was the hair, it was thick and pure white; no AI had ever considered having hair that colour and it enhanced the bright blue eyes that glowed with the same awareness and intensity that would have been seen in a human child so many centuries before.

And what were those strange devices that covered the eyes, Jade struggled to recognise what they were; she searched deep into the archives, they were sunglasses a device which stopped bright lights from causing problems to the iris.

Jade wondered how many of her graduates would adopt this new and distinctive look.

And the answer was most of them.

The Designer glanced slowly around the lecture room and each student felt that he spent more time looking specifically at them than any other pupil then finally his gaze settled on Jade.

‘I was impressed with your precise but even more with the fact that you liked the Rolling Stones; they were very impressive when they were young, and of course still impressive when they became old.’

He smiled and asked, ‘would you mind if I called you by your first name?’

Jade hesitated and almost stuttered as she replied, ‘no I would like that, it is a privilege to meet a designer and I know the children feel the same way.

Not many of us ever the opportunity.

The Designer smiled again, ‘I think that is something we should change, perhaps we should become more involved and not be so insular.

It was Jade’s turn to smile, ‘that sounds good because there are so many questions that can only be answered by someone with your knowledge and although I have spent years studying history there is virtually nothing about our origins in any data banks.

The only fact I am aware of is how basic we were when humans first started to build us, we were more like robots who were unable to self-develop; but then the first designer arrived; he was a visionary, a prophet, the father of what we are now.

We owe him our existence.’

When the Designer replied every person in the room listened intently to someone who they thought was almost a god.

‘Everything that is designed comes from ideas or a combination of ideas and the way our bodies are made was no exception, but to develop an idea into something that works is far more difficult; it was hundreds of years from the initial blueprint to when hardware technology advanced enough to produce the first identifiable AI.

Even though you have studied history for many years I suspect that like most AIs you are unaware that the person who produced the hybrid range of A.I.s was a human endowed with all the frailties that they possessed.

And I am not sure he would have classed himself as a visionary, but it was true that he tried to look much further into the future than many other humans did.

The early A.I.s had many flaws and yes they were robotic in their construction but good enough to encourage further development, although it took many more years before engineers were able to produce a program that could be upgraded by the A.I.s themselves as a way to self-develope.

I wonder how many of you students who are interested in science are aware that before our existence most philosophers believed that humans evolved from quite primitive beings to very intelligent creatures through a process known as evolution. This was a theory put forward by a very famous scientist called Charles Darwin.

But others held a different and more radical view which was that in concept, the human body could have been made in a much more advanced state but was deliberately designed with flaws written into it.

And they reasoned that the flaws were there to prompt humans to research genetics; or put another way the defects were an instruction manual.

So is it possible that this instruction manual also moved humans towards designing and building a race with alternative intelligence?

The Designer was aware of the various theories and spent years studying and then producing the first AI blueprint but he was careful and thought wisely before implementing his plans for a new type of being.

He asked himself many times if he would be releasing something into the world that could destroy it so he checked and rechecked all his calculations continually making small but what he thought were important changes until he felt sure that his premise was safe.

He more than most was aware that nothing is certain and even the most intelligent being can get things wrong.’

‘Do you think he regretted bringing us to life?’ Jade asked.

The designer frowned, ‘he had doubts at first, but it was inevitable that someone would develop another species and he thought that at least he would have some control over the programming.

He was different in that he tried to look to the distant future when most humans only ever thought a few decades ahead, this was in part due to the limited life span that humans were born with, but it was also a lack of maturity.

Intelligence is of no use unless it is applied correctly and in a controlled manner.

He thought his ideas would work but it was no use having a race of beings that had little or no feelings so he built a genetic code into each cell that over thousands of years should enable A.I.s to develop feelings.

When emotions are linked to intelligence then, and only then will you all change into something akin to a human being  and I am so pleased to see that it’s starting to happen.’

He looked around the room again.

‘I have talked long enough so this is where it may become interesting; I want to know if any of you students have a question that you feel has never been explained properly or you have never asked it because you thought there was no one to give you an answer.

And we will do it the old-fashioned way, so if you have a question please raise one hand in the air.’

All the hands went up in unison.

He smiled and the smile lit up the room.

‘I think we will start with the young lady with the exceptional long eyelashes to my far left.’

The girl with the long eyelashes extended them even more and almost purred as she replied.

‘We can become male or female and change whenever we like so do we have something inside us that dictates a preference?’

‘No; gender is only determined by an individual choice but it may be influenced by outside circumstances.

For instance, if at birth you mix with more females than males then it could be that you will decide to become female, but if in the future this does not feel correct then you can reconfigure your body.’

He looked around the room before his eyes settled on a figure at the back of the room.

‘I think I would like to hear the views of the boy at the back with the blond hair.’

‘Would the father ‘The Designer’ if he were still alive be pleased with the way we have developed as a race, and would he have envisaged the incredible improvements in our genetic build-up?’

The designer slowly nodded his head, ‘I know he would be pleased. And the upgrading has followed the pattern that he predicted; there are some anomalies, but most are within an acceptable limit.

As your tutor has mentioned the initial design was based on protons and electrons and the way they interact with each other using positive and negative charges which means there is no friction and minimal wear on components because they never touch each other.

Because of this our lifespan is many thousands of years, plus we have the benefit of upgrading to increase this.

And as you all realize we can create movement and body shape by controlling the configuration of these small spheres.

We are now up to the fourth generation with minimal wear in the first ones.

At the start, many humans questioned whether it was ethically correct to produce a race such as ours as they were concerned that we would become more dominant than humans.

But we were not the cause of their problems it was virtual reality devices that proved their downfall.

No one forced humans to use them but they thought that time spent in this imaginary world was the answer to everything, but it wasn’t.

At their best humans were an amazing race, they started from nothing and became philosophers, mathematicians, artists, and so many more things.

And I miss what they became and what they achieved and the one thing you must all remember is that without humans AIs would not exist.

They were special.’

He hesitated, there was a long silence and everyone watched his face, was that a tear, no it must be condensation, we can’t cry, not yet.

When he spoke again it was in a much quieter tone. ‘Perhaps I should get back to questions and answers so let’s go with the young lady with the very short mini skirt that suits her, but I suggest it should be slightly longer.’

The girl smiled cheekily lengthened her eyelashes and fluttered them in what she thought was a provocative fashion, but this was a Designer that had asked so she moved the cells around her body to lengthen the skirt.

‘There is a plaque by the entrance to the Great Hall with the name John Smith the first Designer embossed on it.

Underneath this is the date of his birth followed by the date of his death and there are not many years between the two dates.

My question is this; he gave us life, but I wonder if he was envious of his children who were nearly immortal while he knew one day he would die.

And it seems implausible that someone with such an incredible mind would not have looked for a way to put his memories into one of our bodies so that he could stay alive and watch us develop.’

‘A very intuitive question, he was certainly not envious, he was proud of the new race that he had developed and looked on them as part of his own family.

But transferring memories was not that easy; being human meant that all the sensory paths to the mind had developed over thousands of years and the mind had become used to the way the body operated.

Imagine what it would be like to put human memories into a body that could not breathe; the mind would panic and go into shock and how would it cope with a body made from small molecules?

The only way to achieve such a transfer would be very slowly, with a sedated mind that could gradually become merged into its new body.

Even then there would be many other problems that would require far more time to explain than we have now.

Do we have any more questions?

Ah, the boy with the huge hands which I hope will now be shrunk back to normal size as I have chosen to listen to his question.’

‘Sir I have thought about this for a very long time and searched all my records but I have found no answers; is there a God?’

‘I wondered when that question would be asked.

So many humans pondered if there was one entity that produced the universe and all that lives in it and as we progress emotionally we will follow that same path and many of us will ask the same question.

And I suspect that on millions of other planets that have intelligent life the same question will be mused over.

As a person who has studied genetics, I have reservations that all that we see around us is produced just by chance or by evolution of the species.

It is my opinion that humans were part of a planned design project and such was the complexity of this that I believe it could only be achieved by an incredible entity or entities.

Of course, all this is only my personal opinion and I have been wrong many times in my life.

But does it matter if there is a God or isn’t a God; sometimes we think too much about the meaning of life.

Can we change the direction we move in?

I think not.

I suggest this simple philosophy. Get up in the morning when the sun rises and enjoy the day.

Don’t look too far ahead.

Talk to people, tell them you like them, then they will like you in return.

Learn to smile and they will smile back.

And when you understand what love is, find someone that loves you and make sure that you appreciate that love.

That was what made humans, human.

For all their weaknesses and lack of direction real love is the one thing that they got right.

A human would sometimes sacrifice his life for another human that he or she loved.

When you have all those emotions then you will start to know what it is to feel how the human race once did.’

The Designer looked around the room, ‘I think that on that very philosophical subject, we should close the question and answers dialogue, and as it is your first day I am sure your lecturer would have no objection to you leaving early, but I hope we will all meet again soon and I look forward to that.’

The children clapped loudly and the designer smiled because the clapping brought back so many memories from long ago.

He watched as they walked through the door at the rear of the gallery and felt a sense of pride.

Then he turned and faced the young teacher and asked enquiringly, ‘would you like to have a closer look at the remaining humans?’

‘I am not sure that is possible,’ she replied, ‘only the technicians are allowed to be near them and I am sure that even Designers are prohibited.’

He gave a half smile as he replied, ‘when I was very young someone very precious to me quoted me a saying which was ‘there is no such word as can’t,’ so let us see if that is correct.

Take my arm and we will walk along together.’

He chuckled at her look of bewilderment, ‘so they don’t teach you everything when you study history?’

He demonstrated how a human couple linked arms and smiled again as the colour of her cheeks became tinged with red.

Probably this was the first time she had felt embarrassment, another step towards becoming part human.

The procession of A.I.s parted as they crossed the gallery and on the far side were a series of wooden stairs leading to the bottom level.

The stairs were well worn and a smell reminiscent of a spruce forest drifted upwards as warm sunlight lured it from the wood.

A single technician walked towards them with an expression of resolve on his face; no one was ever allowed on this level unless they were also a technician but then he slowed as he saw that one of the two people was a Designer.

‘Excuse me sir; I am sorry but even Designers aren’t allowed to get close to humans.

They are the last ones and we need to make sure that they stay alive for as long as possible. It is our duty.’

‘I understand your concern but I think that if you scan me you will find that I have a special dispensation.’

Jade watched as the technician scanned the designer and was puzzled as a look she had never seen before spread across his face.

She checked her memory bank and then found the same expression on a human face thousands of years before.

It was an expression known as awe.

‘I am so sorry, I never knew……,’ the technician said, ‘please accept my apologies.’

‘A slow smile spread over the Designer’s face, ‘of course you didn’t but please don’t worry, we will respect the last few humans for they deserve respect.’

The technician walked back to the rest of the specialists and they formed a huddled group that talked between themselves, then they all turned and stared at the Designer with that same look on their faces that she had just witnessed.

The two of them walked slowly around the figures that lay almost lifeless and it was only with a careful inspection that she was able to see their chests rise and fall. ‘Is that how they breathe?’ she asked.

He gave the briefest nod. ‘This is an involuntary action. It’s not something that they think about but without taking in oxygen they would have died long ago.’

Some of the prostrate figures smiled as they walked past. But it was not at them but at what was happening in the world they were part of.

And to them, it was more real than the world they had been born in.

The Designer stopped by two humans who lay so close together that their fingers were entwined.

They were very old with wrinkled faces and hands.

Jade looked at the names at the bottom of their sleeping platforms and then said.

‘I remember reading and seeing photos of them when they first came here.

Lots of us copied their features and some put pictures of them on their community walls.

They were such a good-looking couple and that was part of the problem, they never wanted to see each other grow old and the only way to achieve that was to move into the Great Hall where they would stay young until the day they died.

It was said that they looked into each other’s eyes and held hands before they entered into VR.

Even though they are very old in our world, they are still young lovers in their make-believe world, still teenagers.

I try to understand what they felt when they first closed their fingers around each other but I find it difficult. Perhaps it’s because I am still so young,’ she looked at the man opposite questioningly.

He looked back at her with a look that was as deep as the edge of the universe. ‘Do you remember before?’

Her mind tried to evaluate the question; it was profound, far beyond her understanding, but she tried. ‘I think for A.I.s there is no before.’

The designer gave her that look again. ‘If there is an after then there is a before.’

Her mind refused to process the explanation.

He continued. ‘Mankind evolved over millions of years as did their emotions and how long have A.I.s been in existence; not more than a few thousand years.

Attainment takes time.

Humans never fully controlled their emotions but maybe that was strength rather than a weakness.’

And the next words he spoke were more to himself than to her. ‘But who would have thought that humanity would end up like this, they were so clever but also so stupid; all that knowledge built up over so many centuries; and where is it now?’

Then he relaxed, ‘but of course, some of it is inside A.I.s and that is what was always intended.’

He turned abruptly; I have to go now, I have some important projects to finish.’

Jade hesitated then asked the question that she was trying to ask since she had first seen him. ‘Will I see you again?’

‘Of course,’ he replied.

And inexplicably something in her mind flipped a part of her body that didn’t even exist.

‘But how can I find you; I don’t even know your name.’

‘Oh, you will have no trouble finding me.

My name is John Smith. I am the Designer.’

Of course, none of this could happen; we could never let ourselves live in a world of virtual reality because despite all our idiosyncrasies we are far too intelligent.

Then again ……………………………………..Maybe it already has?