Stanley Duncan's Robot: Genesis David III (english reading book .TXT) 📖

Stanley shrank away. “Oh, no. I’m not — ”

Dan kept his arm around him and didn’t let go. “It’ll be fine, Stanley. Just say a few words. You are an expert, after all.”

Stanley’s stare oscillated between the two boys with the Sessen Specs. “Sure, I guess I could say a few things. I did seriously modify Dan’s programming, so that does make me rather qualified to explain the differences that make him unique.”

“Exactly!”

“So, you know, Dan learns recursively. He can evolve, while others can’t.”

“That’s it?”

Stanley shrugged.

“Oh, no. Come on, Stanley. If that was one of your student’s assignments, what sort of a grade would you give them?”

“Well, this — ” Stanley felt flustered. “Fine, but to do it right, I have to start by talking about similar AI.” He paused, as if hoping for a protest. Instead, curious and alert faces stared at him. “Let’s consider four of them: androids, human-born cyborgs, cyborgs, and Dan.

“Let’s start with androids, which are basically computers made to look like people. They have no biological parts, and their brain is pure electronics. Some androids utilize larger computers to think, sort of like how a Fermi drives with the fleet, or Darlin’ Donut’s Annie can make all the coffees and sandwiches without saying anything. There are better examples, too, like in war, but I don’t want to bring up bad memories.” Stanley remembered the military drones that were employed during the riots, and how effective they were at suppressing people.

“Human-born cyborgs are humans who have had surgery to insert a Cerebral Stitch.”

“Getting Stitched,” said one of the boys.

“Stitched-up,” said another.

“Snitches get stiches,” said the one without the Sessen. The other two turned to him and shook their heads.

“Yes. Yes. We have all sorts of fun names for the special threads that are implanted into the brain after boring through with a laser. It permits high-bandwidth communication with computers. In other words, while most of us are limited to explaining things through words, someone with a Cerebral Stitch can send tons of digital information super-fast. After training, this allows them to control a cursor with their mind, control a mechanical body, revitalize body parts that had been disabled through nerve damage, or interface with computers at previously impossible speeds. Nowadays, because of provably unhackable technology, it is more common to have wireless communication integrated with them.”

“But how can we know that someone isn’t going to be messing with our minds?” asked Frank.

“Great question,” said Stanley. “Nothing is ever truly hackproof. Take that from someone who — ” He looked at the inquisitive eyes of the boys and wondered how many young minds were watching him. “Er — just take my word for it.”

“But it’s unhackable,” said Sessen-less boy. “So you kinda can’t hack it, right?”

“Well,” said Stanley, playing with his hands. “Yes and no. For example, if there is a secure transmission between two parties over an unhackable line, someone need only hijack one of those parties to bypass that line’s security. There have also been rumors that the Cerebral Stitch changes the neurosynaptic organization of the brain to make it more efficient. That would mean it used some sort of additional software, which is illegal if someone didn’t know it was being installed. Such a thing could be done even if the transmissions were hackproof.”

“Scary,” said Frank. “But maybe still worth the risk.”

Dan nodded to Stanley.

“Ah, yes. So, moving on. Lab-grown cyborgs are generally what is meant when someone says ‘cyborg.’ Like a human-born cyborg, they have a Cerebral Stitch except that it is much larger and threads across the entire brain. At its core is an electronic computer, which can process and store data. It comes preconfigured with different data sets, which enable the cyborg to have certain skills, like cooking or marksmanship — ”

“Or blow jobs,” said one of the boys, igniting a cacophony of laughter, howls, and praises from all three boys.

“Aren’t you a little too young to — ” Stanley sighed, turning to Dan for help.

“Go on,” he said, after the tumult had settled.

“So you have the electronic computer, a Cerebral Stitch which branches out in all directions like a starfish, and a human brain that develops over it all. Altogether, this is called the dual-brain system. Like the human part of the brain, the bodies of cyborgs are created using genetically engineered tissue from humans who have responded well to the Cerebral Stitch. An adult human body is grown in a lab, and its brain forms around the large Cerebral Stitch, forming the dual-brain system, which is advanced enough to be programmed. They create an adult with no memories except those that are programmed into the dual brain. Because of that, virtual sense organs can be created that mold according to how you use it. For some, it might be photographic reading, seeing words on a page and instantly understanding them, or even more crazy, being able to download a file, like a book or a movie, and processing it immediately.”

Muffled snickers and wheezes continued to erupt, but they didn’t distract Stanley. He eyed the boys, warning them not to interrupt him. They turned red, lips and cheeks threatening to burst, but they managed to hold in their silliness.

“Then we have Dan, here,” said Stanley, squeezing him. “He is a lab-grown cyborg. I programmed him, creating a new sense organ that enables him to experience anything virtually, and encoding that as memory. So, if he wanted to learn how to play the trumpet, he could download instructions and videos on playing the trumpet, creating conceptual ideas on how to play, and then test and improve these concepts virtually. For him, it would be like waking up from a dream and knowing how to play the trumpet.”

“Interestingly enough,” said Dan, “I don’t know how to play the trumpet or any other instrument.”

“Do you want to?”

“No. Not really. It doesn’t serve any practical use for me.”

“Maybe that’ll change when you meet a girl you like,” said Stanley.