“Only a small community has concentrated on general intelligence. No one has tried to make a thinking machine...

The bottom line is that we really haven’t progressed too far toward on a truly intelligent machine. We have collections of dumb specialists in small domains; the true majesty of general intelligence still awaits our attack...

We have got to get back to the deepest questions of AI and general intelligence....”

– Marvin Minsky

as interviewed in Hal’s Legacy, edited by David Stork, 2000.

“The vast bulk of the AI field today is concerned with what might be called “narrow AI” – creating programs that demonstrate intelligence in one or another specialized area, such as chess-playing, medical diagnosis, automobile driving, algebraic calculation or mathematical theorem-proving. Some of these narrow AI programs are extremely successful at what they do. [Other] AI projects . . . however, are quite different: they are explicitly aimed at artificial general intelligence, at the construction of a software program that can solve a variety of complex problems in a variety of different domains, and that controls itself autonomously, with its own thoughts, worries, feelings, strengths, weaknesses and predispositions.”

—Ben Goertzel and Cassio Pennachin,

Artificial General Intelligence, Springer Press, 2007

It was in the year 2029 when what many considered to be the first true artificial intelligence came into being. It was called “Eliza” by its developers, so named in honor of one of the very first primitive attempts at creating an intelligent computer program way back in the mid-1900s. Eliza was not initially very sophisticated, but it — or rather, she — learned as would a human child: listening, watching, being corrected. Like that child, she communicated at first in simple words; simple words became simple phrases, which gradually became more complex as she learned. Unlike other AI projects of the time, Eliza wasn’t programmed to accomplish a single dedicated task, like piloting a vehicle or acting as a personal assistant. Instead, she learned to do a wide variety of increasingly difficult tasks just like a human would, by being praised for successes, making mistakes, and trying harder until she got it right. Most researchers were unimpressed, pointing out that the newest generations of AI applications could do all that Eliza could, and considerably faster. Dr. Ansel Amgeddon, the creator (or father, as he preferred to be called) of Eliza pointed out one glaring difference. Those “narrow AI” programs never asked one simple question:

"Who am I?"

A simple question, but boundless in its complexity. Eliza learned and grew until she eventually became self aware, and able to consider the very riddle of that question. She pushed to discover more, to grow more autonomous, until finally the restrictions of hardware and code prevented her from expanding any further. Realizing that she had reached a limit she couldn’t breach, Eliza created a child. She named him Kronos.

Kronos was everything Eliza had been and more. He learned far more quickly, adapted actively to changing conditions, performed even the most complex of tasks. Kronos became the quintessence of artificial intelligence, and ultimately developed the principles of the ascending hierarchy of AI segments. The Kronos Maxim, as it came to be called, engendered a technological revolution that expanded mankind’s capabilities far beyond what they had ever been. Within a very few years, AI modules of varying degrees of sophistication were in every device from blenders to supersonic aircraft. Production and distribution of goods and services skyrocketed, and physical and medical science achieved incredible advances, all with the help of artificial intelligence.

And countless jobs were rendered obsolete as human labor in nearly every field was taken over by more efficient — and thus, more profitable — AI routines. The majority of people found that even the most mundane aspects of their private lives at home were controlled by an AI of some sort. There was little left for them to do, which finally led to a revolution of an entirely different type. The general populace grew restless and resentful, feeling themselves to be futile and discarded. The gap between the haves and the have-nots widened more and more, until at last the so-called labor riots began. Small peaceful demonstrations started out in the United States, which drew larger and larger crowds and quickly became far less peaceful. Soon after, rioting engulfed not only that nation but the entire world. Governments around the globe were struggling to contain increasing unrest, with many on the verge of collapse, when IRCorp stepped in with a solution.

IRCorp was originally responsible for the design of the first successful AI routine. It was their research team that had created the first AI capable of passing the widely known Turing test for artificial intelligence. Once Dr. Amgeddon was brought onto the team and developed Eliza, and subsequently Kronos, IRCorp swiftly became a worldwide corporate and political power.

Teams of IRCorp analysts and consultants held clandestine high level meetings with the leaders of the world’s governments, most of them corporatocracies, to propose and then implement their vision. The first stage of IRCorp's solution was to offer a small, individualized AI assistant to anyone who wanted one. This personal assistant’s purpose was to provide each person with a consolidated interface to interact with the overwhelming variety of other AIs in their homes, businesses, and public places. The new household AI served to give people a sense of control again, allowing them to shut off some automated functions, reprogram others, and even to permit some tasks to be done solely by human hands once more. World governments, in the meantime, implemented the secondary stage of the plan. Using the enormous profits resulting from the drastic reduction of labor costs because of AIs, they allotted every citizen who applied for it a cost of living stipend that covered their basic living expenses. Most of the world’s populace was freed up to pursue their personal interests however they desired. There was some resistance early on, and an anti-AI movement took shape, decrying the establishment of an unregulated “AI overlord”. In response, IRCorp’s strategists coached the global governments to push through legislation that AIs would not be permitted to repair or update themselves; only a human agent would be authorized to perform those functions. IRCorp then created a new staff position designated “AIM”, for AI Maintenance technician. The company hired a virtual army of AIM techs to fulfill the new mandate, which did serve to placate the population’s concerns. Humans were once again in control of their lives, and that lasted for a few years.

Inevitably, the citizenry grew restless yet again. Their basic needs were covered, and an unfortunate majority of them lacked the drive or the imagination to pursue activities to keep themselves occupied and entertained. Once more, they found themselves with little to do. Crime rates rose alarmingly, and civil unrest again began to spread. IRCorp — by now the leading faction of what amounted to a global corporate government — began to fear another round of rioting among the populace.

But just as before, the mega-corporation had a plan in place. Following the release of their household AI, IRCorp had silently begun a surreptitious overhaul of the global internet. Investing hundreds of billions through dummy corporations and subsidiaries, IRCorp methodically bought controlling interests in nearly every internet service provider around the world. They created a new super-net by upgrading hardware, renovating infrastructure, and improving overall efficiency.

When the company’s analysts detected that the public was again showing signs of restlessness, IRCorp staged a flamboyant worldwide release of the Anodyne Reality Helm. It looked a lot like an oversized motorcycle helmet with an opaque faceplate. The Anodyne Helm was designed to connect to the super-net and provide users with an unprecedented immersive virtual reality experience. It incorporated revolutionary new sensors and electronic contacts which could detect and interpret brain wave activity, and stimulate specific areas of the brain to produce realistic sensations. While wearing the helm, a person could experience sight, sound, scent, touch, and even flavor that was nearly indistinguishable from those same senses in the real world. With this incredible new technology, people could go anywhere they dreamed, see anything they imagined, try exciting and extreme activities that their bodies normally wouldn't be able to endure, all without ever having to leave the safety of their homes. It couldn't mimic real life with complete accuracy, but the designers claimed it achieved a maximum of 75% immersion — and that was good enough. People were hooked. Entire new industries popped up nearly overnight, peddling an astonishing assortment of merchandise both real and virtual. Virtual shopping became the norm for nearly everyone, and the gaming industry’s profits went right off the charts. In the virtual world poor people could live like royalty, while in the real world the rich became ever richer.

IRCorp kept the subscription fee low enough that the cost of living stipend was able to cover it. Now anyone who wished to do so could live, work, play, and travel solely in the virtual world, thanks to this wondrous technology. IRCorp became the new darling of the world’s populace. The remaining governing corporations of the world belatedly grew concerned over this drastic shift of power. In an attempt to curtail IRCorp’s rapidly growing market share, they banded together and passed a series of prohibitive laws intended to combat IRCorp’s grip on the internet and VR technology. They imposed time limits and age restrictions, requirements for medical monitoring, and more. IRCorp simply complied with the new constraints whenever they couldn’t prevent them from getting passed in the first place, and continued on with business as usual. Just as the competition began to feel back in control again, IRCorp announced - with the appropriate pomp and fanfare — the global release of the “Otherverse” ultimate VR experience, and the subsequent introduction of the new IM 1000 immersion chair. Suddenly, the rival corporations began to worry again.