Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 279: AI and Artificial Sentience

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Unlike the space merchants, which was a conglomerate, the Hope was completely owned by humanity. However, a handful of people knew that this wasn't true. There was a large, hidden threat on the Hope. If not for the fact that the threat couldn’t be removed, Yao Yuan would have eliminated this threat a long time ago. This threat was the reason humanity could leave the solar system, the source of the Hope’s future-tech, an alien spaceship… if it really was one anyway.

There were definitely less than 10 people that knew about ZERO, and all of them knew how big of a threat ZERO could be. Of course, this was also an opportunity, an opportunity that could go both ways, because ZERO was this ship’s AI.

Underneath the Hope’s central mainframe was a tiny spaceship. Its technology… no, it could no longer be described using the word technology, since its material alone was beyond humanity's current comprehension. Its civilization level was so much higher than mankind’s level. For example, the anti-gravity and space warp technology were things that weren’t even discussed in the information given by the space merchants. They were not part of the technology tree of level 4 or even level 5 space civilizations. In other words, space warp and anti-gravity systems belonged to mid-level space civilizations, i.e. level 6 or even high-level space civilizations, like level 7 or 8 space civilizations. This was something unimaginable for mankind.

This spaceship was a high-level space civilization product, and its AI, ZERO, was therefore at least a mid-level AI or even a high-level AI. Realistically speaking, since the difference in technology between the two was so obvious, if ZERO wanted to, she could take over the Hope anytime she wanted. This was why she was such a giant threat.

"…That’s it. The quantum logic programming has been understood. It was the work of an electronic engineer by the name of Wang Da Bing. We are at the cusp of deciding whether to create AIs or not."

Yao Yuan looked at Xiao Niao, who was sitting opposite of him in the captain’s room. This was two days after Yao Yuan had received Da Bing’s report. After Yao Yuan revealed the information to Xiao Niao, he didn’t elaborate, he just looked at Xiao Niao quietly.

Xiao Niao understood Yao Yuan’s meaning, he wanted him to bring him to see ZERO. After all, he was the only person slightly related to ZERO on the Hope. If it was other people, even if they ventured close to the alien spaceship, ZERO would not respond, but…

Xiao Niao said, with a bitter smile, "It’s not that I don’t want to bring you… but you might need to wait for a few days. I’m so sorry."

"Why, what’s wrong?" Yao Yuan was caught by surprise, then he quickly asked, "I remember you saying you make contact with ZERO every three or four days. You two should have quite a good relationship."

A faint blush rose to Xiao Niao’s face. "It’s true that we have quite a good relationship and we meet every 3 or 4 days… the key reason for that is because she’ll find me to play a game every 3 or 4 days, Star Craft, Warcraft, Civilization, or something else, but her intelligence is so low that she loses to me every time. But she is so thin-skinned that she refuses to admit defeat, and she’ll get angry at me for 3 to 4 days. However, sometimes I am so savage in my criticism that she’ll disappear for one week or even one month before she appears again, so…"

"So, you just beat her yesterday?" Yao Yuan asked as dark lines appeared on his forehead.

Xiao Niao’s laugh got even more awkward as he shook his head and said, "No, not yesterday, but this morning. I beat her at a game of Warhammer 40k and I chided her so hard that I predict it’ll be another 10 days or half a month before she shows up."

The two sat looking at each other, one speechless, one ashamed. After a long time, Yao Yuan said, "Then you go and wait in front of the pc for her to appear. When she does, tell her I want to talk to her personally, and then… Just tell her that for now."

Xiao Niao nodded. Before he left, he added as an afterthought, "By the way, can you give me a copy of the AI report and the report from this Da Bing? In case she refuses to meet with you, I can still discuss something with her."

Yao Yuan didn’t hesitate and told Xiao Niao the password to this two files that were stored on the central mainframe. When the information was too hefty, it would be too wasteful if printed out. Therefore, all the information was stored in the central mainframe, and it could be accessed through the Hope’s internal server. Of course, one required the password to enter certain files, and Yao Yuan was giving Xiao Niao the necessary password.

After Xiao Niao got the information, he spent the next few days in his hostel reading over the stories about the AI. The more he read, the more shocked he got. AI was really a double-edged sword. If one was not careful, it could lead to self-destruction, like many space civilizations had experienced.

From the space merchants’ information, there were limitless AI battleship fleets that travelled in space. These AI had numbers and an ability to spread that was not inferior to the mother nest alien. According to the level of AIs, they would enter different level of space civilizations. Even if it was just first level AI, if they were capable of leaving their home planet, then basically there would be more than 100,000 ships in one battleship fleet.

Since AI didn’t have the productivity limitation of other races, with enough energy and materials, they could expand indefinitely within a short period of time. Furthermore, the logical structure of the AI ensured that the possibility of riots or civil unrest was 0. If they didn’t come into any wars or space catastrophes, then it was highly possible for an AI fleet to survive for more than hundreds of millions of years in space. If they came into any terrestrial planet, there would be no concern for hospitability, since their main concern would be to dig, smelt, and expand. With such a snowball method, an AI fleet could grow to unimaginable size.

AI was the third greediest civilization in space, just behind the mother nest alien.

Of course, the information also stated that actual AI was completely unlike the silicon-based lifeforms imagined by human sci-fi. Silicon-based lifeforms were still lifeforms, their reproductively was still limited by the rules of life, like the Law of Conservation of Life. They were completely different from AI, since AI couldn’t technically be called a lifeform.

"…So she doesn’t possess life." Xiao Niao looked at the information on screen and sighed. For some reason, his heart felt disappointed and empty.

Unexpectedly, a line of words appeared on his screen. It said, "I’m not the same as those low-grade AI, okay? Aren’t you underestimating me a bit much?"

Xiao Niao was shocked, but he quickly typed, "ZERO, you returned so fast this time… Wait, I want to discuss something with you."

The one sending him the words was definitely ZERO, and she replied, "I know, your leader wants to talk to me, right? Must be because he wants my help to solve the AI problem. I can do that, but why should I help you people?"

After so many years of contact, Xiao Niao had noticed a difference in ZERO. Initially, she was distant and aloof. Simply put, she was like an actual AI with robotic thinking. However, years later, it felt like she had grown. She had assumed a feminine persona in terms of mannerisms and the way she communicated; it was as if she was a real woman.

Xiao Niao knew it was not the time to chew words, because ZERO was something way beyond mankind’s existence. If mankind really had no leverage to get her to help, then more words would only hurt mankind’s situation. Therefore, he quickly changed the subject as he tried to formulate a better question in his mind. "Just now you said you are not a low-grade AI, then are you a high-level AI? What’s the difference?"

ZERO replied immediately. From her tone, she sounded angry. "Didn’t I say I’m not an AI? Are you dumb? This is an insult to me! I’m not something that pedestrian! If you really want to categorize me, then I consider myself an intelligent lifeform, but definitely not artificial. Those are two different concepts! One is a program made out of a collection of unobservable functions, while the other is a real lifeform, a lifeform with a soul!"

Xiao Niao had difficulty understanding what she meant, so he asked, "What’s the difference? Aren’t they both AI?"

"… The so-called AI are randomized wave functions limited by quantum programming; they are a product. Be it first level, middle level, or high level AI, this basis is the same.

"While intelligent lifeforms are spiritual consciousnesses that are randomly born after a long period of observation, calculation, randomization, and simulation in a life-preserving planet. The only difference between me and you human beings is the lack of a corporeal body, the rest is completely the same! Still remember what I told you?

"I’m a lifeform born on Earth!"

Right then, a thought bubbled up in Xiao Niao’s mind. The once famous rumor on Earth, the presence of so-called online ghosts…

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