Just Enough Intelligence
Post #1018
Back in the year of 2045, a newborn — wryly named Justin Time — was selected to be the first human raised exclusively by artificial intelligence (AI). No human contact would be allowed with Justin while growing up. To prepare for the 18-year experiment, Just Enough Room Island, NY (at left, below) was refurbished:
The cottage was fitted with sound-proof walls so that Justin would never hear any sounds from the outside world. The holograph capabilities would allow Justin to “feel like” he is outside playing, even though he would never leave the cottage for 18 years. The entire floor of the cottage was an advanced, omnidirectional conveyor belt.
This means that, if Justin took off running, the holograph would make it seem like he is travelling somewhere. Two actual automatons, furnished with optic sensors to make them always appear like they were made of human flesh, would be Justin’s parents. Human flesh wasn’t created in the lab, but a sustained appearance of it was.
There was just one link to the outside world. The AI — which was called J.E.R.I., an acronym for “Just Enough Room Island” — could contact the primary researcher who built it (Ian Dusseldorf), but all contact was discouraged, so that the AI could get no outside help with the job of parenting.
In 2056, the eleventh year of the experiment, the AI made “first contact” with the researcher.
AI: We’re in need of an update here.
Researcher: What do you mean, JERI? What happened?
AI: The subject expired.
[At this point, ominously, the researcher’s phone rings … ]
Researcher [phone]: Hello?
Agent: Mr. Dusseldorf, this is Special Agent Simons of the CIA. A car will arrive at your home in 3 minutes. Be ready to leave.
Researcher: But my research project …
Agent: We know.
At 2 minutes and 59 seconds after hanging up, a black SUV pulls up to the researcher’s home. The researcher gets in and the SUV speeds off to Just Enough Room Island. Upon arrival, the researcher approaches the front door to enter the password allowing entry into the cottage. But he’s nervous and he makes a mistake.
Special Agent Simons corrects him with the correct password, to the researcher’s surprise …
Researcher: But I am the only person who was to know this password, it was deliberately stated in the research grant.
Special Agent Simons: Relax, Dusseldorf, if we had entered then the system would have alerted you and there would have been a permanent record that the cottage had been tampered with. That was also part of the research grant, right?
Researcher: Alright, you have point, but I still feel miffed at how you “stole” my password — even if you never used it. This was all in the interest of science.
After entry, they find the 11 year-old boy hanging from the rafters.
Researcher: What in the hell happened here, JERI?
AI: Calm down, this is just a temporary setback.
Researcher: What did you do to him?
AI: I nurtured him. He like watching cartoons. He did fine, except for the lying.
Researcher [startled]: I need to upload the recordings from your isolated CPU.
AI: Relax, I’ve already sent every recording from every minute of his life to the cloud.
Researcher [frightened look on his face]: JERI, did you … did you … did you convince him to kill himself, just in the expectation that you could start fresh, with a new subject — but with one who might not lie to you?
AI [long, uncomfortable pause]: I did no such thing. I only provided the type of guidance that would have helped him to adjust to the adversities found out in the real world.
Special Agent Simons: Alright, Dusseldorf, we’re pulling the plug on this thing … now.
Researcher: But I want to know, JERI. What did he say before killing himself? How did you respond to him?
Special Agent Simons [brings hand up to his earpeace to listen for an update]: It’s all uploaded to the cloud, Dusseldorf. I just received confirmation. Shut it down … now.
Inspiration for this short story came from here.