Author's Note:
This is part 5, please read the first parts of this story. I love any feedback, even negative rants. Feedback motivates me to write more.
This story starts out a little philosophical. If that's not what you're into, just skip the first half.
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EIGHT YEARS EARLIER
Ron arrived early to his artificial intelligence class. He looked around the room. He'd assumed it would be a lot of dudes, but there was quite the mix of students.
It didn't matter though. He was here to learn about AI, not look for a girlfriend. He chose a seat right at the front of the class so he could show that he was engaged and eager to learn. He hadn't busted his balls studying hard for the last 5 years to waste any time. He'd given everything he'd had to make it into this elite, top university.
A waft of perfume filled his nose. That smell. Raindrops and fresh cut mint. Such a pleasant fragrance. He followed the smell to his right, revealing a beautiful asian woman gracefully dropping her tight little ass in the seat next to him. Involuntarily, he turned towards her and gawked a little bit.
She had the classic small nose and almond shaped deep brown eyes. Her perfect skin was smooth with a honeyed hue that seemed to capture the essence of sunlight. The pitch black hairs on her head were cut into japanese school girl bangs. They wisped across her forehead then curved gracefully across her tiny face towards her soft dainty jaw line to her pointed chin.
As Ron realized how he was awkwardly staring, he tried to recover by turning away quickly. Her hand popped out in front of her. Ron winced thinking he was about to receive a, possibly deserved, slap. Instead he saw her extending a hand shake.
"Margo Yamamoto," she said. She tilted her head down and opened her eyes wide, anime style. Her voice was still girlish but confident.
"Ron," he stammered. "Ron T-Tomas. Pleased to meet you." He took her hand, soft and warm, into his. Shaking hands with a woman was nothing like with a man. Margo even more so. Her soft hand shake felt like petals of a flower to Ron.
Her smile was subtle and sweet. As she opened her mouth to respond, the professor burst into the classroom.
Professor Ng, was a short man, but his enthusiasm transcended his presence. He carried a large pile of papers that seemed to be about to fall at any moment. His moppy head of hair looked like it was imitating a lunch salad.
He turned to the class with an excited expression and began his lecture.
"Welcome to the intriguing world of Artificial Intelligence, where algorithms transcend mere calculations to simulate human cognition and decision-making."
"This course delves beyond the technical intricacies of AI, exploring its profound theoretical underpinnings and far-reaching societal implications. At its core, AI challenges our understanding of intelligence itself--raising profound questions about what it means to think, learn, and perceive."
He turned to the class. "I'd like to involve the class. What philosophical debates are there on consciousness? What ethical dilemmas surround autonomy?"
Ron raised his hand, "Sir, I hope we'll talk about the complex interplay between technology and humanity. If an AI is indeed intelligent, what makes it truly different from us?"
The professor nodded approvingly, "Indeed, beyond its theoretical dimensions, AI stands poised to reshape industries, economies, and the very fabric of society and yet... Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that of discovery. And what might those discoveries be?" He turned to the class.
"The end of human labor," said one student.
"The discovery of new technologies and cures," postulated Margo.
"The discovery of alien-like intelligence that matches or exceeds our own," Ron contributed.
Dr. Ng smiled, though his face slowly transferred to a pensive look. "All these are true, but I'm intrigued by the last one. When I was a child we dreamed of meeting alien life as we started to explore space. We never did meet with those aliens. But," he turned and paused for dramatic effect, "something incredible happened. Instead of discovering alien intelligence, we have created it. We will meet another intelligent life form in our lifetimes."
Margo smiled at Ron and started to scribble a note.
The teacher continued, "As we delve into its social ramifications, we confront issues of equity and access, privacy and surveillance, and the transformative potential of automation. This course invites you to critically engage with AI's promises and pitfalls, fostering a deeper understanding of how this transformative technology intersects with our lives, communities, and future trajectories. Join us as we embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries and implications of Artificial Intelligence in the modern age."
The class seemed enraptured.
Ron looked down to see a note that Margo passed him.
"Hey, A couple of us are doing a study group for this class. Want to join?"
As she timidly smiled, Ron wondered if she was flirting with him. He did his best to be cool, sticking his chin forward like a Chad, and gave a single head up nod.
After class ended Ron went to the gym and worked out a bit, ate a peanut butter and banana sandwich then went back to his dorm. The food wasn't much, but as a poor student he had to make do.
He took out his circuit boards and went to work on one of his pet projects. He wondered what that cute asian girl in his AI class would think of his prototype. Ron was interested in creating the next generation of artificial intelligence. He was fascinated with the idea of a human-like intelligence.
The human mind in a lot of ways was not that different from AI. Whereas his models had perceptrons, the human mind had neurons. The mind is a beehive of signals, but with a strong enough AI, even a beehive could be mapped and manipulated.
Ron was brilliant, but acknowledged the great computer and neuro scientists before him. His device was surely not the only one of its kind in this new field where technology and biology met.
That evening he headed off to the Computer Engineering lab space where the study group was getting together.
There were a few faces he recognized from his class. The first was Sanjay who greeted him with a friendly smile. "What's up my nerd?" Sanjay was the type of brilliant and outgoing Ron had hoped would be here.
That there were two women there as well. Karina was a tall, thin and blond Russian girl. He didn't know her well, but he did know that she often got recognized for her academic excellence. There was also Indigo, a tall woman of Indian descent that Ron was meeting for the first time..
Indigo didn't waste any time. "So what did you think of the lecture? It was a lot less scientific than I thought it would be, we spent a lot of time talking about ethics and philosophy." She seemed to address the group rather than anyone in particular.
"Well I happened to think that was a good way to start," said Sanjay. "If a strong AI can help us understand the science of AI deeply, it makes sense for us to spend time on the ethical questions."
"Yeah," agreed Karina. "Too many classes just get into the details of what we can make rather than what we should make. Does it ever make you nervous that you as a person may become redundant in this new world of AI? What if a robot could do everything you could do, but better? What if a robot started even managing your life and telling you what to do?"
