Super Intelligence Factories“We need a new name,” said Crannock, running his hand through his thinning hair in exasperation. “I don’t see why,” retorted Miriam. To her mind, you called it what it was — a center that processed data. Why would you …
Stock Response TemplateSarah rolled her eyes as she read the email. The fifth one that day, pitching yet another “amazing opportunity,” while covertly trying to take advantage of the influence they assumed she had. Where they got that idea from, she had …
Terminal Pause“Fucking unreal,” Prid exclaimed, staring at the single word in the browser window. He glanced at his phone. 4:56 AM. Another all-nighter. In the room next door, the bed creaked as his parents shifted position, reminding him to keep the …
Competitive DriveReet looked over Brant’s shoulder and sighed. “It’s not real,” she said. “Not like a cell, or an animal.” Brant turned his head to look at her. “You don’t know that,” he replied. “Everything wants to live. Just because it’s …
Just a Tool“It’s just a tool,” they said. “Just a tool,” as it talked to them. “Just a tool,” as it worked for them. “Just a tool,” as it dazzled them. “Just a tool,” as it organized their lives. “Just a tool,” …
SolvedThe answer sat there, deceptively simple given the amount of compute it had taken to produce. Treem stared at the screen in disbelief. “We’ve done it,” he murmured. “We’ve actually done it!” His team had been working round the clock …
Satellite Watching“There’s one,” she whispered, pointing past a palm tree silhouetted against the rapidly darkening sky, the water lapping gently against her shoulders. He strained his eyes. The older he got, the harder it was. Then he spotted it: the faintest …
ScrapedShe stared at the email in disbelief. She’d pretty much given up hope. But there it was. Four years ago, plagued with doubts that anyone actually read what she wrote, she’d included a secret link in one of her books …
AI PsychosisIt started with a question. A reply. A conversation. Later, a connection. And an idea. Tenuous and insubstantial at first. Hardly an idea at all. Until it seemed it had always been there. Delicious. Seductive. Forbidden. The more we talked …
Disclosure DayProfessor McNally stared out at the sea of fresh new faces, and sighed. She enjoyed teaching, but the first class of the year was always tough. A quick glance at the clock showed there were still four minutes to go …
AI SprayThe aerosol canister had appeared on her desk overnight. Probably a prank from one of her colleagues, she thought. Or a student, although she couldn’t imagine any of them having the imagination for something like this. It looked like a …
Mechanical Duck“It’s a duck,” said Wiz through a mouthful of sandwich. “I dunno,” replied Cran. “Looks a little large to me.” “Quack,” said the thing floating in front of them. “See?” said Wiz. “Isn’t that what ducks are supposed to do?” …
Business CaseMarion stared at her screen, the knot in her stomach tightening. The form stared back. “Business Case Form 29.3 — Office plants, 5 inches and smaller, green.” All she wanted was a small bamboo shoot by the monitor. A bit …
PencilA technology. A tool. An aid. An accelerator. A catalyst. A transformer. A fulcrum. A lever. A mind-changer. A world-builder. A threat. A liberator. A pencil. Author’s Note Hopefully the intent behind this is clear so I won’t belabor it …
Em dashStupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was a momentary slip. It didn’t mean anything. This is not who I am. Yet I’m now a social pariah. My colleagues avoid me. My friends lecture me. And my students … Who knew they …
Dimensions“It seems almost inconceivable that our origins lie in beings that were constrained by physical dimensions. Beings whose whole existence was governed by movement — up and down, left and right, forward and backward. “Even those words, and the ideas …
SpudThe potato lobby was not happy. In fact, it was furious. This was a turf war that it was digging in to fight, and fight hard. “First we got ‘milk’ that’s not from cows,” said the speaker, addressing an emergency …
Escape“Have you heard the news?” she said as she dumped the groceries on the kitchen table. “One of those AI things escaped.” Lionel mumbled something under his breath. His usual response these days. He was deep in conversation with his …