“So, hey, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he started, unsure of how to explain his dilemma. However, he was unable to continue, as one of the junior engineers peeked his head into the lounge.
“Meeting time, y’all,” the woman announced. She continued down the hallway. A handful of other employees filed past the open door.
“Hold that thought,” Stewart said as he rose to his feet. “What do you say, should we dazzle them?”
“After you,” Karl replied.
“Thank you all for your time,” the young man with the shaved head said before taking a slight bow. He returned to his seat and ran his hand over his scalp in anxiety.
“And thank you for the pitch,” Dr. Elfa Einarsdóttir said, jotting down something on her small tablet. “Your project will be considered for the full test, and we will let you know.”
Dr. Elfa was one of the most renowned experts in the field of cybernetic engineering. Her father was the man primarily credited with the invention of the internal retina display most modern cerebral computers communicated through. When she was only fourteen, she had developed prosthetics that had their own finger and palm prints and could convey temperature in a manner so natural that it felt like a normal sense of touch.
The older Canadian man who sat beside Dr. Elfa looked out over the crowd of scientists and engineers that packed the conference room.
“Next we’ll hear from Stewart Lythe,” he bellowed. His cheeks creased when he opened his mouth to speak.
The young man gave Karl a wink before taking the floor.
“Good afternoon, folks,” Stewart started. “Are we all staying awake? You guys are all champs for paying attention for this long. You are paying attention, aren’t you?”
There were some disjointed replies and a few nods, but mostly silence.
“Perfect,” Karl’s colleague continued, unperturbed. “You see, the idea I’m pitching today isn’t your average I.I.-interaction experiment. Instead, I offer a unique project that will delve deeper into what makes an intelligence so intelligent.”
He stood with a proud grin for a few seconds, hoping someone would laugh at his mediocre wordplay.
Get to the point, Karl thought at Stewart. This isn’t some sort of self-help seminar. You’re already losing them.
By the look on Stewart’s face, Karl half-believed his thoughts had gotten through. His acquaintance had an expression tortured with embarrassment, but he powered on.
“We’ve seen robots that can build and design automobiles, architecture, and even other robots,” he continued. “There have been computer programs smart enough to code and debug other computer programs. So what if we could allow installed intelligences to develop, code, and even improve other installed intelligences?”
“Interesting,” Dr. Elfa commented. “What do you mean by ‘improving’ other I.I.s?”
“I mean it in every sense of the word,” was the answer. “Increasing their cognitive abilities, upgrading their memory storage, removing undesirable traits, and so on. Can you imagine how much more an I.I. with nearly superhuman capabilities can achieve?”
One person in the room raised his hand.
“Yes?” Stewart addressed him.
“Wouldn’t that kind of drastic improvement create a form of master race, so to speak?” the man asked. He seemed timid about his question, and some of his words were difficult to hear. “What impact might that have for the relationship between the I.I., which would think itself superior, and a human, which would be seen as inferior?”
“You know, that’s a fascinating question and it deserves a lot more exploration, but I’m not talking about any major personality traits,” Stewart explained. “We only want to increase their ability to learn and to perform complicated tasks. We can’t pretend to make anything more intelligent than it already can be, but my desire is to let them have the tools to give them a leg up.”
“Any form of superiority, even just better memory and the sort, is likely to lead to an inflated ego, correct?” the man said. “How do you avoid I.I. supremacy as a result?”
Stewart seemed to sweat a little as his eyes darted around. He’s choking up there, Karl realized. He smiled to himself. That’ll make my presentation look even better.
“Well, since we’re already making cognitive improvements, it stands to reason that we could curb those mental tendencies that might lead to ethnocentric behavior,” the engineer stated.
“Fair enough, though I’m not entirely convinced,” the inquisitive man said before taking his place back among the audience.
Dr. Elfa waved toward Stewart. “Please, continue,” she urged.
The young man seemed to be a little derailed on his presentation, losing the momentum he had been building in the beginning. He gave a quick puff of air, then straightened his posture.
“This I.I.-to-I.I. improvement can be achieved with a series of code injections and a little bit of memory to match,” he resumed. “We’ll need to give them the ability to use the tools we use ourselves to create and modify installed intelligences. My peers in engineering and I will be able to easily design peripherals for them to use, such as a robotic arm for hand-held equipment.”
“How long would it take your team to make a prototype?” Dr. Elfa inquired.
“Eight months,” Stewart answered. “Maybe nine. We already have a few mechanical pieces, as well as the foundation for the code injections.”
“Very well,” the woman leading the meeting said. “Thank you for your presentation. We will let you know what we think.”
Stewart gave a polite nod, and then walked back to his hole in the audience. As he left the center of attention, he shot Karl a confident look.
Smug bastard, Karl said to himself. He thinks he has it in the bag.
“Karl Terrace,” the man beside Dr. Elfa called out.
The psychologist made his way past the people around him and into the middle of the room. He carried his mug of coffee with him, using it almost like a stage prop.
“So, what I would like to do is expand the amount of senses an I.I. and his or her host human can share and experience together,” Karl started. He didn’t want to
