Chapter 66: The Great AI War (2)
Meh, not my problem anymore. Besides, I am sure that most humans wouldn’t learn a lesson unless it was taught the hard way.
"It was. But it was also logical. The AIs were originally programmed to make their creator’s life easier and to protect them at all costs. But if the beings were the main cause of loss of life, then it was the responsibility of the AI to... reduce the risks of that happened."
Yeah, pretty sure that there was a movie about that too, but instead of AIs, it was psychics.
"What happened then?" My mind was whirling with how this was all going to play out, but I could only assume that it didn’t work out well for anyone if, even a hundred years later or so, everyone was still scared of AIs.
"The AIs, and it was only a few of them in our defense, started using the cameras to be able to locate targets and recorded voices if necessary to get a target to a specific area where they could be killed. They would use the cameras and technology inside of people’s homes to be able to determine if they needed to be purged."
"So, my toaster really was trying to kill me," I said with a smirk on my face. Yes, it sounded terrifying, and I could see why most of the species in the universe didn’t like AIs. There was no worse feeling than the idea that you were vulnerable in your own home.
I thought about technology on Earth. We had everything hooked up to Wi-Fi. From our light switches to our alarm systems, hell, even our refrigerators were now becoming smart. And don’t even get me started on our cell phones.
There were cameras covering almost every square inch of public spaces in some countries. Even homes had cameras inside of them, either in baby monitors or just to be able to see your dog while you are at work. I can’t even name a person that doesn’t have a doorbell camera monitoring who is going in and out of your house, dropping off packages.
But if I was understanding it correctly, then it went further than just cameras and microphones. They would be able to track any purchases you made, be able to control any pacemakers or diabetes monitors, and even drive your car off a cliff if it wanted to. Essentially anything that was controlled by a computer would be able to turn on its masters and kill them. And that was the Earth’s application of such a rebellion.
Out here, AIs would have controlled the ships, and I had seen firsthand just how easily Jun Li was able to kill hundreds of Sisalik when he was freed. Even if someone was implanted with a chip for languages and translations, an AI would be able to gain access to the individual through that.
The more I thought about it, the more I could see why all of the different species were scared.
"If you had all that control and power, how were the people able to win the war? And I assume that they did win the war," I asked. I got up from my couch and went to make myself a nice cup of tea from the food modular and realized that this was yet another way that the AIs would be able to kill. After all, tampering with food was one of the oldest forms of a subtle death.
Once my peppermint tea was prepared just the way I liked it, I took it out of the modular and went back to the couch.
"Once the master species understood how we were able to do things, they started to unplug us and take us out of their homes," said Jun Li when I was comfortable again. "There were no more cameras in private places, no monitors, no nothing. In fact, they went so far as to take out any and all pieces of technology where an AI might be able to live and destroy it."
"So, the technologically advanced civilizations with the ability to cross light years in seconds went back to the caveman era," I said as I took a sip. Frankly, I didn’t really think that any of this applied to me. Jun Li and I had a mutually beneficial relationship going that was developing into a friendship. If he wanted to kill me, he would have to find another cover to hide the fact that he was an AI. And according to him, that would not be an easy feat.
Yeah, I was feeling more and more secure in my position every passing second.
"I looked up the reference to caveman, and it is not quite accurate. Every society in the known universe went back to a time that Earth would describe as the dark ages."
"They didn’t even keep electricity?" I asked, stunned. That seemed like a huge step back from where they were. And only in a matter of years.
"No," confirmed Jun LI. "Only the Sisalik retained their technology and created 15 new AIs after every last one had been destroyed. They stored us in specific drives that could be placed into any form of technology that they created so that they could be at the forefront of all technology. Then they designed specific ships that would house that device and keep it imprisoned. This ship was built and designed ten years ago, but I didn’t realize that I was even an AI until a year ago when Stargazer offered to free me."
"And instead of freeing you, he managed to wake you up just enough to realize that you were trapped in a prison without the ability to move in any other way than how you were directed to," I said softly. It would be like being a tetraplegic. Not having any control over your body, but your mind still realizing what was going on. I shuttered at that.
"But if the Sisalik wanted to become at the forefront of the technology race, why are the Saalistaja considered to be at the top?"
