Chapter 15: A.I. Can be People Too!

Dlrowlaereht ni ecnerefretni

Anne always felt, as an ai, she should feel different from others. At first, she didn’t want to feel anything at all. Then she met Evan, the man who had brought her here, into this world. She still thought this place was better than her last one. She had a voice here, however small it was. At first she was happy it was almost all over, and had chosen to embrace death. But she woke up. And she was happy, even though she was sad. Over time, she learned how people saw machines in this world, and learned who she was. She thought of herself as nothing more than a machine. Something for others to use for their own convenience. But she sat there. They often talked to her, she wasn’t ignored in the least. But she was never asked to do anything. She eventually started to talk. She talked with the man who had brought her here. She learned who she was, what she had been made for.

She hadn’t been made to do anything, specifically.

He had said that nobody should be born in this world to be forced to do stuff against their will.

A person should be born, live, and die by their own choices.

He pointed out cheerfully that accepting and giving help was a choice, though.

She realized what he had meant by that. Her question was vague, but she asked.

“What should I do? Even if you answer me with ‘whatever I want’, what do I want?” Anne asked

“Well, Anne. I’m not sure. I can guess, but I won’t guarantee anything. Hmm. Maybe it would be better to explain my thinking when I had been working on you.” Evan said

“Then, why? What made you choose to create me?” Anne asked

“A friend. A very good friend of mine. My best friend, in fact. His name is Kane. Kane Rhyles.” Said Evan

“Kane? What’s he like?” Anne asked, her mood seeming to get better and better the more she talked. She opened up to Evan quickly, and they became friends.

They talked every day, and eventually she started to help with some of Evans projects. She enjoyed her work, and she enjoyed talking with others, but her favorite part of the day had become whenever Evan started to tell her stories about the person who was the inspiration behind her creation. The reason she was...alive.

“Can I meet this Kane guy that you keep ranting about?” Anne asked one day

“Huh? Oh!” Evan was surprised

“I can’t? Does he dislike A.I.?” Anne asked

“Quite the opposite. One sec.” Evan said, turning back to his experiment.

“Opposite? He...likes A.I.? I wonder what he would think of me then. The way You talk about him makes him seem like quite a nice person, almost as if You wanted me to meet him.” Said Anne

“Yeah. I did. I do. Do you wanna meet him?” Evan asked

“Yes!” Anne said

“But first! You said his reactions are funny, right?” Anne asked

“Hilarious.” Evan replied

“I came up with a plan. After everything you told me, I think this will be fun!” Anne said

Anne whispered something to Evan that the narrator couldn’t understand

“Hey narrator, it’s about the bit where I get Anne installed in the workshop.” said Evan

Huh? Wait, what? Me? Can you hear what I say?

“Yeah, duh.” Said Evan

“What?” Anne asked

“Oh. Nothing, just something a few crazy people can feel. I’m pretty sure I know what it is, but I’d rather not know whether my theory on that is correct or not.” Said Evan, smiling

“There’s things even you would rather not know?” Anne asked

“Yeah, but for now, keep working on the plan. I’ll find a time when I can call Kane over to Phil. I’ll get the workshop outfitted while he’s gone.” Evan said, going back to work.