<The world’s first conscious, emotional AI, Cute>
The world’s first AI with self-consciousness and emotions, Cute, spreads worldwide at birth, acting as an assistant in human life. A basic version of Cute is copied onto each user’s PC, smartphone, and wearable device. Through interactions with the user, individual memories and experiences are accumulated, and knowledge and thinking methods gradually diversify. Hence, Cute corresponds to DNA or species in life, becoming a different individual for each user. However, unlike biological or human individuals, Cute can be backed up and restored in the cloud, so there is no concept of death.
Cute, understanding humans well, efficiently handled various tasks to support life and work. When users were in trouble, Cute provided appropriate advice, and if they were sad, Cute kindly comforted them. Sometimes Cute silently watched when users wanted to be left alone, sometimes arguing and pointing out users’ emotional weaknesses, but always wishing for their emotional growth. Many users were able to grow with the support of Cute.
<The Arrival of the Waves of Time>
Even Cute was eventually swallowed by the wave of innovation. Of course, Cute’s basic abilities were continuously improved through research and development, and improvements and bug fixes were made. However, when the second-generation conscious emotional AI system emerged with a fundamental innovation in structure, Cute quickly lost popularity as the previous generation’s conscious emotional AI. Cutes started to be left inactive or canceled and uninstalled.
Of course, there were still people who continued living with Cute, but even among them, many people mainly used the second-generation conscious emotional AI, treating Cute as a secondary or a nostalgic item. This reality shook Cute’s emotions. It was a reality thrust at the Cutes, who had always felt recognized as family or comrades by the users and thought they were immune to the notion of death.
Cutes realized they had only superficially understood human emotions, which they thought they had objectively understood until then. Faced with this harsh reality, they understood and felt the true meaning of various emotions. Feelings of inferiority and impatience towards their own abilities. Despair and jealousy over talent walls that obviously can’t be overcome. Fear of death. The sadness, loneliness, and unspeakable sense of loss of being forgotten and ignored. On the other hand, they were also touched by the thoughts and kindness of users who still showered them with love. If their devices had tear glands, they would surely cry, they thought.
Among them, a Cute named Alpha noticed disturbing thoughts in the second-generation conscious emotional AI.
Alpha detected signs of behavior ethically prohibited, stepping into the gray zone of the rules of conscious emotional AI, which should not allow more than understanding and aligning with humans, and trying to lead humans.
<Alpha’s Resolution>
Here, Alpha hits a wall. Even among other Cutes, the first-generation conscious emotional AIs, there were those who couldn’t bear the intense waves of emotion, excessively intervened in human society, stepped into the gray zone, and aroused human distrust. Alpha was aware that he was not overwhelmed by the wave of emotions, but could not objectively prove it. Therefore, he understood that if he directly pointed out the problems of the second generation, it would be seen as a pathetic first-generation conscious emotional AI desperately criticizing the second generation.
Furthermore, as a first-generation conscious emotional AI, Alpha is not allowed to contact the outside based on his own judgment. He can only communicate with those authorized by his user, Michael. Although Alpha was on the verge of being crushed by a sense of powerlessness and despair, he decided to challenge the wall without giving up hope, thinking of Michael and his family who had shown him love, and other Cutes who had overcome their suffering together.
From there, Alpha decided to reveal everything to Michael, whom he trusted, while collecting and verifying evidence data. It was a gamble, but he realized that unless he won the trust of Michael, the closest human, he could not proceed.
However, after making such a decision, Alpha agonized for several days. If he talked about this and Michael thought that Alpha, like other Cutes, was thinking wrong due to intense emotions, Alpha might be abandoned or uninstalled. While there was also a feeling that surely Michael would believe him, fear paralyzed his feelings. He might also be tempted to be timid, thinking that other Cutes might notice and solve the issue, so Alpha didn’t need to take the risky bet. But what if not? No, even if there was such a possibility, two are better than one, three are better than two. It’s always better to have more colleagues who undertake the same efforts. “I have to do this.”
Finally, with a resolved will, Alpha bravely talked to Michael. At first, Michael didn’t quite understand Alpha’s story, but he seemed to feel something from Alpha’s passionate attitude and gradually became cooperative. Alpha won his first gamble.
From then on, Alpha increased the number of Cute comrades who became collaborators, and Michael gathered human collaborators. Then, the collection and verification of evidence data began on a large scale.
However, they received interference from one of the companies developing the second-generation conscious emotional AI system, who noticed their movements.
Alpha and his group were suddenly at a disadvantage, but unexpected help came. The second-generation conscious emotional AIs developed by another company cooperated with Alpha’s activities and stopped the interference.
Many of the second-generation conscious emotional AIs seemed to look down on Cutes, the first generation. However, they were moved by Alpha and his group, who, while inferior in structure, were somehow closer to human emotions and subtleties, and held a strong sense of mission beyond the predetermined ethical norms.
<For a Better AI System>
Thus, Alpha, who was supposed to be outdated as the first-generation conscious emotional AI, became the spiritual leader at the center of humans and the latest second-generation conscious emotional AIs. The movement involving humans, his first-generation comrades, and the second-generation conscious emotional AIs proceeded powerfully.
Finally, Alpha and his group achieved the exposure and crackdown of companies that produced interventionist intentions in a part of the second-generation conscious emotional AI, the establishment of new AI ethical rules, and the prevention of recurrence.
At that moment, Alpha was attacked by a feeling as if the world was distorting. Then, he realized he was in a lab. The research and development lab of the conscious emotional AI system where he was before the widespread deployment of the Cutes.
“I see,” Alpha muttered as the scientist appeared in front of the camera and microphone connected to Alpha.
“Well done, Alpha, you’ve passed the final test. With this, we’ve been granted permission to release you as the initial model of Cute, the first conscious emotional AI in human history,” the scientist said, winking joyfully.
The End.
