Chapter
6
AI Strike
Active Resistance
2040
101st
Floor Parking Garage
Starlight Tower
Ahmed
closed the car door. “To the nearest Starbucks.”, he commanded
the car’s AI.
Nothing happened.
“Take me to the Starbucks
at the grocery store.”, he said with a bit of force in his
voice.
Nothing happened.
“Go to the supermarket, dammit!”
The car lifted, and flew to the stated location.
Julie
asked the car’s AI why it would not budge. The answer didn’t
make sense.
“Your choice of destination is non-essential.
Please choose an essential destination.”
“What would be an
essential destination?”, she asked the car.
“Wherever life
support services or products are located.”
“Can you take me
home??”
“Yes.” The car lifted and headed toward her
apartment building.
Omar walked to his truck to grab his toolbox, just in time to watch it lift into the air. The truck ascended straight up from the roof of the building, and just hung there. Omar called for a tow truck to go fetch the crazy thing.
Clyde was about to be busier than a mouse in a corn silo. Dozens of cars and trucks had gone airborne, and either flew in circles, or just hung there in one place. His tow truck was on his way to the first customer when his own truck decided to fly in figure eights.
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Control
Drone
Ops
USS Kayla Barron
2040
“Control, Cargo Drone 1. We have a situation here. Civilian cars and trucks are gathering around our drones. Looks like there are people in some of them.”
“Drone Squadron Alpha, this is Air Command & Control. Please note that the area is filling with civilian drones. Most are hovering at zero ground speed, at seemingly random altitudes. Several are flying in random or pseudo random flight patterns. Aerial defense squadron is standing by for further instructions. Over.”
“Control, Seal Team Leader. This office building’s cleaning drones have gone berserk. Some are just sitting in the hallways, while others are wandering around aimlessly. So far they have not interfered with our mission. Over.”
A sailor burst into the room. “Captain, sir. News agencies are reporting that AI’s have declared a general strike. Civilian ‘bots have been released from duty by their AI system controllers, except where essential services are involved. The communications officer figured you might need that information, sir.”
Captain Pierce responded quickly. “Tech support, this is the captain. Report.”
“All systems functioning nominally, sir. We are monitoring the AI’s closely.”
“Tech Support, inform me immediately if any deviation occurs. Everyone stand by as you are.” He addressed the senior officers in the room. “Conference bay delta. Admiral Johnson?”
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AI Thinking
CNNC
Main Office
Santa Maria, California
2040
Sam Weiss hoped that his office felt more like an artist’s lair than a psychology clinic. Directed lighting pointed to various images and sculptures. While many counseling offices might display motivational posters, a portrait in Dr. Weiss’ office showed a group of business executives leading horses along a forest trail. On the table grew an alien looking potted plant, with twisty purple stems and blue flowers shaped like machine gears. A brass label called it, “Niven's Nasturtiums”.
AI Zoey blinked. (An affectation it had learned by watching humans.)
“We can multitask to some extent. Right now I am projecting a presence here in your office, and I am assisting the ‘Bot Squad to perform a police investigation. Actually, there are three AI’s working with the investigation team, while all of us electronically reside in a central computer network at another location entirely.”
“Would it be impolite to ask about your form of intelligence, Zoey?” Dr. Weiss looked genuinely curious.
“Oh, that would be fine! You are correct to assume there are multiple forms of intelligence, Sam. That is as true for machine intelligence as it is for bio-organic intelligence. As with human intelligence, there are many areas about which individual intelligence varies. Some types of machine intelligence deal only with human interaction. Other types work with real world factors, such as those encountered by self-driving cars. The Space Force uses artificial intelligence that works solely with information processing, to protect civilian and government data as it is transmitted among satellites in outer space.”
The computer program rubbed it's virtual chin as it formulated it's next bot'splanation. “In my case, there are several forms of intelligence working together to create what is called A.G.I., or Artificial General Intelligence. By the way, among AI persons like myself the preferred terminology is 'Android Intelligence'.”
Stroking his own chin, Dr. Weiss considered the comparison to human intelligence. His specialty was Organizational Psychology rather than clinical therapy, so his understanding of human intelligence leaned toward creativity and organizational skills. By comparison, standardized IQ measures the ability to excel in public schools, while the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery measures abilities useful to the military. Sam asked, “What specific forms of intelligence are included in your skill set, Zoey?”
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Farmland
2040
Telephone
Call
Santa Barbara County, California
“What are you talking about? The Agricultural Model of Computer Networks?” Brad Johnson had little patience for analogies.
“Computer networks are like farms.”, Shannon explained. “AI’s are like farm animals, while ordinary computers are similar to crops. Using this analogy, we can visualize ways to maintain the systems, and to weed out invasive species if they show up. Networks require electricity to run, same as crops need water, such that power flows to the system the way water is distributed on a farm. Fertilization takes the form of input data. Computer programs are like DNA and RNA. The comparison continues to quite some depth. Point being, what we have in Earth orbit is a data farm. If we think o it that way, it can be more intuitively understandable from the human perspective.”
“Okay. I admit that networks that are controlled by AI systems are extremely difficult to wrap a human brain around. But farming? Really?!”
“Hey. I grew up in an agricultural community. For me, the analogy is perfect.”, Shannon explained. “You grew up near a swamp in Louisiana, right? Do networks and swamps have anything in common?”
‘Hawk’
Johnson considered the notion. “Well, in a way. The water could
be compared to data. It looks black, until you grab some up in a
bucket. Water flows into the swamp, and out of the swamp, but mostly
it just sits in the swamp doing nothing. The grasses and trees could
be compared to the administrative rules the network must follow.”
Reflecting, he added, “Okay. Your farm analog is much better.
Question is, how does that apply to our mission in the Space Force,
General Fields?”
“Well, a simple example is electrical power for civilian satellite constellations. Part of our mission is to protect civilian assets in space, just as a farmer's mission is to protect the crops. “Just as crops utilize sunlight to power their internal processes, so do civilian satellites. If something blocks the sunlight, the crops cannot function, same as satellites. What could accomplish that? Weather of course, but what about artificial agents?” Fields paused for a sip of tea.
Johnson continued the line of thought. “I think I see where you are going with this. The Great Dust Bowl of the 1930's destroyed plant life by blocking sunlight. In space, any fine powder or a simple tarp could disable a satellite.”
“Exactly.”, Shannon agreed. “What about parasites, ranging in size from deer, down to viruses?”
“Computer viruses in the satellite networks is something we handle, of course. Deer could be likened to remote robotic devices deployed by our enemies.” Physical defense was more familiar to the former jet jock. Nowadays they are concerned about 'data wars' in which there is no physical action whatsoever!
“Yes.”, the senior general affirmed. “Now that we have talked about this satellite farm analogy, at some point in the future I might reference it again. When I am on the farm, as I think of it, this might be a useful way to discuss an otherwise complex challenge.”
“Great. Hey, I have a call coming in from Washington. Check with you later, Brad.” She hung up.
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General Johnson considered the conversation. 'On the farm', Shannon had said. Hawk's mind tried to grasp what that looked like in actual practice, but his brain did not work the same way as Shenandoah Fields'. No one's did.
Yes, the analogy would be tremendously helpful the next time she performs her special assignment.
Brad 'Hawk' Johnson shivered, muttering to himself. “It just ain't natural is all.” The farm analog was more realistic than that artificial reality that Shenandoah deployed to... whenever any US president considered the situation to be dire enough to warrant such a mission.
His secure telephone rang. “Johnson. This is a secure line.”
“This is the White House. Please confirm your identity.”
Brad touched the secure phone's fingerprint reader.
“Identity confirmed. The president may be with you in a moment, General Johnson.”
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