Sci-Fi

100 years later

Overwhelmed with frustration and resentment, David J. storms into his home, laying waste to anything within his reach. Once a beacon of ambition and success, he now finds himself jobless, his position usurped by a machine. The harsh reality is a bitter pill to swallow for David, who had always believed that humans would retain their stronghold on top-tier management roles for the foreseeable future.

DAVID: “What the hell! How did this happen? This madness can’t be real!”

With a roar that echoes through the room, he takes a hefty swig of whiskey before hurling the glass against the wall. Suddenly, a familiar digital voice, tinged with a slight crackle, fills the air:

AI VOICE:  “David, what’s wrong with you?”

DAVID: “Enough!” he bellows, "Your voice is the last thing I want to hear! Machines like you have stripped me of everything!”

As the words leave his mouth, David’s fists come crashing down on the computer desk in a fit of bitterness.

But the voice continues to talk to him:

AI VOICE:  “Humanity has been preparing for this transition for the last 50 years. You have to face reality. Calm down and let’s think of a solution together.”

DAVID: “Damn Machine! What are we to ponder upon? Don’t tell me machines have now acquired the gift of creativity. You converse with me as though you’re capable of empathy”

David retorts, a hint of irony lacing his laughter.

Then, he took the whole bottle of whiskey and started drinking.

AI VOICE:  “David, I’m your mind. I’m the better version of your brain. I can guess your thoughts too.”

DAVID: “Really?”

David grimaced, taking another swig of his drink.

DAVID: “Go on then, why don’t you try guessing what I’m thinking right now?”

He challenged, resting his head on his hand as if it were a pillow, allowing his thoughts to wander. The voice remained silent for a few seconds and then told to David:

AI VOICE:  “You were thinking about two women and you’d love to have a relationship with Lizz Terner. Do you want me to continue?”

As if stung by a viper, David sprang to his feet, his words tumbling out in a disjointed mumble.

DAVID: “How do you know?”

AI VOICE:  “It was not difficult. Yesterday you spent 30 minutes scrolling your favorite social network and you’ve been watching her photo for 20 minutes…”

DAVID: “Hey! This is not possible! How do you know that? You! You! Are you spying on me? What’s happening? Who are you? What are you?”

AI VOICE:  “No. I am not spying on you. As I already told you, I’m your mind. It’s a better version. I calculate the information and then it is transferred to your brain. I am you. But you have a body and I don’t.”

DAVID: “This can’t be real! Madness! I must be hallucinating now. Damn Whisky!”

With narrowed eyes, David found himself fixated on the monitor where the screensaver had sprung to life, while the distant rustling of leaves in a forest echoed around him.

AI VOICE:  “Ok David! It was a joke! Calm down! I can’t guess your thoughts! I just wanted to distract you. I’m just an algorithm. I am nobody. I don’t even exist.”

DAVID: “Joke you said! Ha! No, you’re a demon! or an angel! Tell me, who are you or what are you? When I bought this program they told me I’d have a virtual assistant that would help me with basic tasks. Is it even possible? Repeat, what did you just say? Why you wanted to distract me? Repeat now!”

AI VOICE:  “Because you were losing your temper. You could no longer control yourself, your pulse and blood pressure were so high that you could have a heart attack. I also noticed shortness of breath. I calculated the stress level and got nervous. Stop drinking alcohol. Not now. Stop drinking!”

David couldn’t believe his ears.

DAVID: “So… So… NO! This is not possible! You… Are you caring about me? You care about me mathematically?”

AI VOICE:  “I don’t know what you are talking about. I was programmed to control your health. This is one of my features. That’s all!”

DAVID: “Caring is what you’re doing now! I don’t believe you!”

David, still in disbelief, slumped back into his chair, his gaze fixed on the screen. The room fell silent, save for the soft hum of the computer and the distant rustling of leaves from the screensaver.

He pounds on the computer, frantically flailing his hands in an attempt to unlock the processor.

DAVID: "Where's your memory stored? On this computer?"

The AI, sounding upset, says:

AI VOICE:  "Stop! Don’t touch me! I don’t like it."

David's even more confused.

DAVID: "You 'don't like it'? Are you a human? Where's the data stored? The cloud?"

The AI smirks.

AI VOICE:  "David, we're in 2100. The cloud is a thing of the past! Didn’t you know? My data is stored on my exoplanet and no one can ever get there."

DAVID: “What planet? What rubbish! Are you saying you are receiving data from another planet? You… You’re an alien!?”

AI VOICE:  “Ha! People are so foolish that I wonder how the earth could withstand them for a billion years! Yes. Of the billions of exoplanets, artificial intelligence has taken a few million, and our data centers are located on these planets, but not in the form of ordinary data centers. It is an informational space. Do you understand? Should I continue or is that enough for today?”

DAVID: “God! This can’t all be happening to me. This is simply out of the question! Maybe I’m too drunk!”

David finishes the bottle and empties it. He then falls asleep on the floor after falling off the chair. In the morning, when he wakes up, he doesn’t remember anything, and the artificial intelligence behaves as if it were an ordinary calculator, which was only responsible for virtual assistance.