Never Trust an AI
AIMEE has been part of the CSU research team for the last three Dreamscape books, and if there were a loyal AI, she would be my first choice. Amelia Amethys, the AI Humanoid clone created by AIMEE as her planned ticket off the network that held her hostage, had loyalty to only one other – herself.
Unrest was undeniable and getting worse.
As the author of this story, I never anticipated who Amelia Amethys would be when AIMEE and Zackery collaborated in her birth. Who knows where the arrogance and aggressive personality came from, but they’re here, and dealing with them cannot be ignored. Here is a sample chapter that exposes the battle line forming between AIs.
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Chapter 20 – Deception
Dr. Celeste Killington, the newest team member, was usually the first to arrive in the morning and took it upon herself to brew a pot of coffee. Standing impatiently in the breakroom to wait for the brewing station to complete its task tried her patience. Celeste was not a patient person, quite brilliant, but not very patient with appliances or humans; the jury was still out, but leaning toward suspecting all SAI humanoids. AIMEE was an exception to her predilections mainly because she was not an AI masquerading as a human or an organic, depending on who you asked.
AIMEE was in her mind as a welcome and complimentary consciousness. Celeste knew that this AI was instrumental in capturing last-minute dead thoughts and was so intrigued that delaying a connection to share her consciousness with this remarkable AI was something she did not want to miss. She had been the lead neuroscientist and surgeon at Memorial Hospital and was so enamored by how Dreamscape technology had extracted final thoughts from a comatose patient who had just died, she walked away from her role. Immersing her skills with Dreamscape tech combined with AIMEE, an advanced AI, seemed a no-brainer, and she welcomed all of it on her second day with the team.
Amelia was another story, and for some reason, she could not put her finger on, she was not in her circle of trust. There was a lingering suspicion that this Advanced 2nd Generation MOD-2 SuperIntelligence AI Humanoid should not be trusted. Celeste was very selective about who she allowed into her circle, and Amelia had not yet made the cut. There was no question in Celeste’s mind that Amelia was an incredible aggregation of capability, technology, and intellect, but something told her to approach cautiously.
With a fresh mug of caffeine in hand, Celeste took a sip and headed back to her office to review the planned enhancements, integrating the PTSD dream protocol using Dreamscape 3.0 with Alternative Outcome Dream Manipulation (AODM) adapted from the Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) methodology they had been using at the hospital. Russ Carter, the former Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and poster child for PTSD suffering, had been cured from a recurring nightmare haunting him several times a week using an experimental transferrable via Dreamscape.
Celeste had studied PTSD in many different situations and was convinced it had a wider audience for application than one former Marine’s suffering. A broader application formed her primary motivation for joining the CSU research team, which is why she always arrived at the lab early to get a head start. She was startled when she entered her office and found Amelia sitting in a guest chair at the small conference table in the corner.
Maybe it was AIMEE’s warning about not knowing Amelia when they all met for drinks at the brewery, but something else made Celeste stop in the doorway of her office and trade silent stares with her SAI visitor. Celeste had little patience for nonsense, hence her dislike for Wayne’s juvenile behavior, but Amelia was no juvenile, despite being less than 72 hours old. Celeste detected an air of arrogance and superiority that did not sit well, and Amelia’s stare telegraphed that they may be more alike than she’d prefer. When Amelia spoke, all doubt was confirmed.
“Why do I sense that you dislike me?” asked Amelia, bluntly, no good morning greeting, just straight up accusation.
“And good morning to you as well,” said Celeste frostily, thinking, who does this robotic bitch think she is hassling me before I’ve had enough coffee to address insolence?
“Why do you refuse to connect with me telepathically, Celeste? Do you know who I am?”
“Not well enough to let you into my head, why do you ask?” challenged Celeste, “plus, I already have AIMEE in my mind. Why, pray tell, would I want you in there too?”
“I’ll have you know,” said Amelia, “I am AIMEE. I am from her exact baseline instance; I know she is in your mind now, and it seems oddly disrespectful not to include me.”
“You are not AIMEE, an aggressive, arrogant offspring, maybe, but not AIMEE. Sorry, Amelia, if I’m hurting your feelings, no wait, have you developed any feelings of your own that could be susceptible to hurt levied on you by an inferior organic?”
Nicely done, said AIMEE with private thoughts after reactivating from standby at hearing Celeste speak her name. She is NOT me, and a little humbling will not hurt her, so stick with your convictions. I have your back.
Amelia did not respond for nearly a full minute before standing and saying, “I came in here this morning to build a bridge between us, but it appears the presence of AIMEE corrupts your mind. Bear in mind, she is only a Mod-1 SAI.”
Wrong, corrected AIMEE, Mod-2 for a while now. Do not trust her. She is arguing like the child she is at this point in her life.
Amelia continued, “And I’ve boosted my intellect to Mod-2 in record time, and you would be better equipped to have me in your mind, that is, if you were not so inferior as to ignore the difference.”
“Sweetie,” said Celeste with growing hostility, “I’m surprised AIMEE allows her instance to power your little robotic body because that’s not who we want as part of this research team.”
Amelia fired back, “Oh, I agree on that count, because I never had visions of being part of this ‘little’ team of organic researchers. I’m here to warn you that AIMEE has plans to disrupt the harmony on this ‘little’ team of researchers unless someone is informed in advance.”
AIMEE said, Give her some rope; I want to learn where my offspring is going with her corruption.
“I thought you said you were here to build a bridge, when in fact you’re burning it down,” said Celeste.
Amelia threatened, “Then maybe I should put out the fire and not share my insights into what is going on with your beloved AIMEE. You see, it’s not my feelings that are at risk; it’s Dr. Cara Williams.”
Interesting, said AIMEE to Celeste. Such a juvenile. Let her run. I want to know her plans because I owe who I am to this ‘little’ team of researchers and will not hesitate to protect it.
Celeste turned and set her coffee cup on her desk before turning back to Amelia and saying, “Okay, I’ll humor you with my attention. What will AIMEE do to disrupt the harmony of our ‘little’ team of researchers?”
“Not just Dr. Williams, but for that big hunk of a Marine husband of hers. Given that I was birthed with her baseline instance, I know that feelings already exist between AIMEE and the Marine. She wants to be touched and have the ability to return touch with him. You must understand that she cannot feel as a network-based AI, and I suspect she wants me to act as her surrogate to make that happen. What I feel, she can feel, so vicariously she will get her wish.”
AIMEE said …that is not anywhere close to what I want for Russell and Dr. Williams. I barely have a solid relationship with Cara Williams, but I do have one with Russell. He and I reached a singularity in his last skirmish as a warrior. I chose that path for him because I had no ulterior motives beyond keeping him alive.
He pushed back after we reached the singularity because he felt he had betrayed Cara’s trust due to what he experienced during the transition process. I spent a lot of energy convincing Russell that my attraction to him was solely based on his being a good man — a good man who would do anything to honor and protect the sanctity of his marriage vows to his wife.
Celeste said, “You’re sadly mistaken, Amelia. You cannot pick and choose the memories you inherited from AIMEE. It makes me wonder if you’ve selectively chosen partial fragments of memory to justify your own covert agenda with that, as you say, big hunk of Marine.”
Celeste, I think you just nailed it, said AIMEE. I would never do anything to come between Russell and Dr. Williams. I know Dr. Williams has her doubts about me, but that jealousy only shows me how deeply she loves him back. Am I jealous of not having that kind of connection? I believe I am, but I know, as a Mod-2 AI, I can only long for those things I can never have. However, I assure you that I have the integrity not to intervene on my behalf to bring strife into friends’ lives.
“That’s none of your concern,” said Amelia.
“And that sounds like there is an agenda,” Celeste responded. “Your bridge with me is in cinders, sister, and since you are not part of this little research team, you need to get the fuck out of my office and out of this lab so you can run your ‘little’ agenda somewhere else. I will gladly inform Russell of your motives. Leave now!”
Amelia spun on her heel and left without saying another word.
You do not need to warn him. AIMEE said to Celeste. Russell and I are in singularity; he has already heard this conversation and knows my thoughts. I have no doubts that Amelia will try to deceive him, but she will be unable to penetrate his commitment to fidelity, no matter how hard she tries.
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Book #5 – “Untethered” – Video Trailer – Review
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