“It’s important to realize that these are human emotions, not simple emulations. A program cannot get frustrated, nor can it become excited. It is a human mind, through and through.”
One person got up and left.
“A human mind, however, comes with human flaws,” Karl said, transitioning to his next topic. “A colleague of mine specializes in the study of installed intelligence mental health. She has encountered a vast spectrum of human disorders and syndromes, from simple anxiety to advanced autism. Some organic mental health patients may feel as though their ailments are being de-legitimized by testing I.I.s, but few realize the benefit of such a merger.”
He took a look at the clock in his internal retina display to check how much time he had left. He was cutting it close.
“My friend recorded her study of disorders, and many progressive professionals have used her research in application to organic patients. Of course, hormones play a large part in a person’s emotional state, but the base concepts of mental health remain the same in both I.I.s and organic patients.
“In fact, since I.I.s cannot receive medication for their ailments, we’ve seen research into alternative treatments increase tenfold. It suggests that, since several I.I.s have already overcome serious depression and anxiety through various therapies alone, you or someone you know could as well.”
Someone off the side of the stage gave Karl a wave. He nodded in response.
“Well, as my time here wraps up, I just want to urge you young folks to consider the field of installed intelligence psychology. Every additional mind we add to an effort, the easier it becomes. That remains true whether the body it belongs to is made of flesh or not. Thank you.”
Feedback
The camera panned to the judge. She had a bored look glazed over her eyes. Too much makeup surrounded them, sparkling in the light of the studio bulbs. Her long black hair fell straight from her head like a curtain, not deviating in a single curl or wave.
“But the defendant is an installed intelligence,” she argued.
“Yes,” the man hastily retorted, his voice strained with anxiety, “but he is still a legal citizen, ma’am. He should be held accountable for his actions like any other person.”
“So what exactly did he say?” the judged pressed further. “What constitutes this claim as ‘slander’?”
“He posted on a swap-meet website that I had abused his pet dogs. The post included my photo, a satellite image of my home, and even the name of the company I work for.”
“Wait, wait,” the judge lady stopped him. She waved her hand as if he was getting hysterical, and the camera quickly showed a smirking bailiff. “His pet dogs?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the young man continued. “You see, he created a false persona online of a disabled retiree that lives in my hometown. He made up a convincing story of my alleged attack, but failed to provide any evidence at all.”
“How do we know that you did not attack the dog, then?” she asked.
The man’s cheeks started to glow red, and though he tried to maintain his poise, his anger sped up his speech. “Ma’am, if anyone had ever seen me harm an innocent animal, why did they not file a police report?”
The judge looked to her bailiff with a scrunched-up expression of consideration. “Good point,” she commented. She turned back to the rest of the courtroom. “So what exactly are you asking for?”
“Your honor, the defendant caused me to lose my job and made it staggeringly difficult to get a new one,” the plaintiff said. “I estimate that this caused me to lose over seventy thousand dollars. I am asking for another ten thousand for the pain and humiliation this caused me and my family.”
“You know, I’ve never done one of these settlements against an I.I., but I’m going to rule in the favor of the plaintiff,” she announced before slamming her gavel down. “I sure hope Corey has deep digital pockets, because he owes you big.”
Karl nodded in satisfaction before turning the television off. It’s a good thing the I.I. lost the case, he thought. To be truly human, you have to accept the consequences of your actions.
It had grown late. Karl still couldn’t sleep, but he couldn’t just sit there and watch junk T.V. all night. Instead, he tuned out the noise and fully immersed himself in his cerebral computer.
He should already be snoring and resting for work, but he had some tweaks he wanted to make to a project of his. He had spent a good portion of his free time working on a modification to the I.I.s he interacted with—though he was careful to tell no one about it. If it worked and was decent enough, he could pitch it to the committee and have a grant to last the rest of his lifetime.
You’re my ticket to the top, he said in his head. The code and notes on his cerebral computer floated through his consciousness—there, but not there at all. Like a dream.
Stewart
With a little beep, the card reader by the door let Karl into the side stairwell. There were less than a dozen cars in the small parking lot that sat beside the Lower Denver Center of Cybernetics and Programming.
Everyone must still be recovering from the game last night, the scientist thought to himself as he turned left and carried his briefcase down the corridor.
He had walked over that tan carpet close to a thousand times already. The portraits and graphics that lined the walls changed from time to time,
