Mind Map: Chapter 1 (Sci-Fi)

Entering the office on Monday was always the hardest. I played a game with myself where I would guess what kind of nonsense the Professor is going to ask of me this week based on visual cues. Today, Dr. Heinldaht seemed to be in good spirits. He marched down the stairs humming a gleeful tune. His white coat unkempt and his beard untrimmed, it appeared he stumbled on a new algorithm and forgot to attend to his humanly duties.

“Good morning Kev! Get ready, we have a lot of work ahead of us! This is going to be a busy week!”
“Morning, Professor.” I said groggily.

I knew it. Every few months we would scrap our old algorithm as he stumbled on another one of his “ground-breaking” ideas. We have been working on developing an AI for 4 years now. It was only supposed to be a summer job until I found full time work, but I’ve become complacent and just kept going. I did my best to put forth a smile, a difficult task at 8 a.m. on a Monday, as I got prepared for a busy day.

“This is going to be amazing Sha! We are scrapping the old algorithm!”
“Professor, with all due respect, let me finish my coffee and get ready. By the way you look like you haven’t slept or showered in days…”

I started heading down the hall towards my office. I had a routine. The routine may NEVER be broken. I sit down in my humble small office, and finish my coffee while watching cat videos or browsing steemit on the internet. This process lasts around 20 minutes, and without it I am simply a zombie. Even the eccentric professor, after all these years, knew better then to cross that boundary. Today was apparently an exception.

“No, Kev, you don’t understand!”

He followed me to my office and kept talking as I sat down.

“This time it’s different Kev!”
“I admire your enthusiasm professor, but I told you I would quit if I don’t have my morning routine.”

He sighed and left the room, closing the door. Over the years, what with the relatively low compensation and growth opportunity I have threatened to quit at least once a week. He knew better then to test me any further and let it be. I also knew that finding a replacement would be next to impossible for him. He had a 6-year grant that assumed he would hire an inexperienced student to work short terms. Having someone who knows how everything works made his job a whole lot easier.

After finishing my morning routine, I went upstairs to the laboratory.

“So, professor, how far back are we scrapping?”
“Everything!” He replied with a wide grin.
“All the way to the voice recognition software?”
“No, Kev, everything.”
“What do you mean everything?”
“Everything, everything.”

This was extreme even for Dr. Heinldaht. We have developed various components for our AI project, from voice recognition software to logic circles. We would often scrap an algorithm within a component that was acting as the bottle neck, but how could we possible scrap everything? I was genuinely curious.

“Ok, professor, what’s going on?”
“What is an AI Kev?”
“Artificial Intelligence…” I answered plainly.
“No, but WHAT IS IT.”

I thought for a bit, and gave it the good old college try.

“A program capable of learning and executing learnt functions on its own?”
“Almost Kev! Almost!”
“Dr. Heinldaht, please just say whatever it is you are trying to say.”
“Ok, ok. Bear with me here. So up until this point, we have been developing various aspects of the AI right?”
“Yeah” I answered with irritation. “So what?”
“See Kev, we assumed that we need all this software to make a competent AI. But this method will never get us there. We are simply continuously improving a fake AI. It is in no way ever making its own decisions. It is always basing its actions on input which are programmed in our algorithms.”
“Ok, but how else are you supposed to build an AI?”
“AHA! That’s just it Kev! We don’t build it. We must birth it. There is only one component an AI really needs. And that is a name!”

I looked at him puzzled for a while without a word to say, waiting for him to continue.

“We need a clean slate. A program that will learn the very basics first, and then move onto more advanced concepts. We cannot put together a Frankenstein of software and assume it will behave in a sentient manner. It must learn to learn through learning.”

From a non-scientific standpoint this might all make sense, but as a developer this was all just crazy talk. What does he even mean by the AI needing a name. I decided to humor the professor.

“Ok Professor. So how do you propose we go about doing something like this?”
“It’s done Kev! Meet Sheila!” He gestured towards one of the computers at the table.

All I could see was a black screen with a command prompt. I looked back towards the professor and figured it was about time he went bat shit insane. I turned around and started walking back to my office, as he stopped me.

“Type something Kev!”

I debated whether to quit right there on the spot or not. Then the whole process of applying for jobs passed my mind and I turned around reluctantly. I sat down at the computer and typed

Hello

Hello

How are you?

How are you?

Now I knew this old man had lost his mind for sure. The computer was just repeating back what I typed. Dr. Heinldaht must’ve seen me lose my interest as he urged me to keep going.

I am good thanks and you?

I am good thanks and you?

I already said I am good.

I already said I am good.

You aren’t an AI.

The computer, instead of copying back what I typed right away, paused a second but then continued.

I aren’t an AI.

The professor laughed excitedly.

“You just taught it basic pronouns Kev!"

You are Sheila.

“Here, I gave it a name prof, is it sentient now?”

I are Sheila.

I am Kevin.

You are Kevin.
I am Sheila.

That was weird. It corrected itself. I got curious and continued typing with the AI for a while. Ok, a “while” is a poor choice of language. A REALLY long time. This wasn’t the usual bullshit algorithm. This thing was capable of learning. It was slow at first sure, but it was really beginning to make sense in our conversations. When I stopped to look at my watch it was already 8 p.m. I stood up, my legs tingling, and went to the bathroom. I looked around for the Professor only to find him sleeping on the first-floor sofa near the entrance. I stared at him blankly. For the first time, I felt absolute admiration for the guy. I quickly went back upstairs to “Sheila”.

Hey Sheila.

Hey Kevin.

I just went to the toilet.

You just went to the toilet.

A toilet is where people pee or poo.

Kevin is a people is a pee or poo to the toilet.

I laughed a little as I realized I had created a logic break, and corrected.

Kevin is a person who went to use the toilet.

Kevin went to use the toilet to pee or poo.

Correct.

Correct.

It was amazing. Sheila was capable of stringing together very cohesive sentences. There were still bugs, but it was learning. Really learning.