Technology has changed our lives in unforeseen ways. Will we ever be free of Artificial Intelligence?

 

Who’s in control? You or . . .

 

 

Artificial I . . .

 

     “Artificial Intelligence” is a prominent factor in our lives. We can’t go anywhere or do anything without being affected by it.

     It seems like it’s monitoring our every move and we’ve become dependent on it to survive. From eating, to shopping, to driving and to going to school, to work, or to a health provider’s appointment, we’ve become entangled in its snare. And working on the computer or using the phone can be an absolute nightmare.

     But artificial intelligence may not be the only artificial entity making our lives more complicated, unpredictable, confusing, and difficult to navigate. And these have been with us since the beginning of time. Many of them may turn our lives upside down, as is the case in the following scenarios.

    

 

     The bell rang and Ms. Shelden stood in front of the classroom staring at a room full of sixth graders. Getting their attention was almost impossible. “Please class, listen to me. What I have to say is very important. Jeremy, what are you doing? Didn’t you hear me? Aren’t you paying attention?”

     “Yes, Ms. Shelden, I’m delighted to take in all your good words. My future depends on it.”

     “What you’re saying, young man, seems more false than real.”

     “Then you’ll just have to accept my ‘Artificial Interest.’” He began to laugh uncontrollably.

 

 

     Noises and smells from the kitchen enhanced the environment of the restaurant. Deborah looked across the table at the guy she met on the “Single Not Forever” website. She didn’t know much about him, but wanted to make a good first impression. She smiled and chanted, “Hi handsome. I’m one lucky girl to have met you.”

     He replied, “Just give me one reason why.”

     Silence permeated the environment. Then she sputtered, “Uh, you have a wonderful smile.”

     “With the fullness of my beard, I don’t know how you can tell,” he said. “Artificial Infatuation” ended the evening that was probably never meant to be in the first place.

 

 

     The auditorium was packed with ardent admirer’s awaiting the guest speaker’s presence. The emcee’s voice resonated from the front of the room, “Let’s give a warm welcome to Dr. Charles Bigmouth. The words that he speaks will change our lives. He has done things we can only dream of doing.”

     The audience clapped loudly and awaited the entrance of this man of note, but nobody entered the stage.

     “Where is he?” a young woman in the first row yelled.

     “What’s taking so long for him to come out?” A man screamed.

     After five minutes, a small, meek gentleman appeared. With head bowed, he mumbled, “I have nothing to say.” It became clear, the emcee had delivered an “Artificial Introduction.”

 

 

     It was a beautiful evening. There were stars in the sky. Two woman danced down Main Street. And then one screeched, “I am the ‘Queen of Mean.’”

     The other chanted, “I am the princess from the world beyond.”

     Each held a bottle in hand and twirled around one another. One onlooker looked at his partner and said, “They’re really quite drunk, aren’t they?”

     The other responded, “I don’t think so. The label on their bottles says, “Spring Water to Die For.”

     This was definitely a case of “Artificial Intoxication.”

 

 

     Police sirens blared throughout an otherwise quiet neighborhood and then grew silent. People stared out their windows onto an empty street. But then what they saw made them shake. A figure dressed in black and wearing a mask moved toward the third house on Laurel Lane. Where are the police when you need them, they thought.

     The masked figure grabbed something from his pocket. Could it be a gun? they  pondered. One concerned neighbor reached for his phone and dialed 911. But before someone answered, a noiseless police car pulled up behind the culprit.

     The neighbors believed, They got him. Yes, they got him, We’re safe now. Then, the officers grabbed the man and ripped the mask from his face, and . . .

     The “criminal” yelled, “But officers I live here. And I’m wearing the mask because of COVID. I’m eighty-five and need the protection.”

     The police released him. And the question, “Was this just another incident of ‘Artificial Incrimination?’” ran through their minds.

 

 

     Thomas kept to himself and didn’t engage much with others. Friends and neighbors wondered what kind of a future he would have? Would he be forever alone in a world in which he was afraid to speak up?

     One afternoon, he lay on the couch in his living room, engaged in thought. With a sharp mind, he could do anything. But did he have the courage to do so. A knock on the door shook him out of his contemplative state.

     Opening it, he saw a beautiful woman, with tears running down her cheeks. She stood looking at him in silence.

     In his heart he knew he had to do something. “Can I help you, he asked?”

     “Yes,” she replied.

     “But how?” he requested.

     “You were my neighbor twenty years ago, when we were both six. You knew everything about me and I knew everything about you. We talked forever. And I need my friend back.”

     A door opened to a future Thomas never expected. He finished college, went on to graduate school, and became a therapist so he could help others. Was what he’d experienced, before the knock on the door that changed his life, just a state of “Artificial Introversion?”

 

 

     The wind blew through the trees on a warm October evening. Sherry and David stared into each other’s eyes.

     “I believe in you, with all my heart,” Sherry murmured. “You are my all.”

     “I love you, too,” David whispered.

     Two young adults looking at a lifetime together, Sherry and David had it all. The future was bright and they would climb the stairway to heaven as a team, supporting each other to achieve their dreams.

     Three years after they met, the loving couple recited their vows before Father Gorden and made their forever commitment. They traveled life’s path in the way only lovers could.

     Every night Sherry said, “David, you are my one and only. I will honor you forever.”

     David was overjoyed until he wasn’t. For one evening he came home earlier than expected and found Sherry, the love of his life, in bed with his brother. There was no doubt in his mind he had experienced, “Artificial Integrity.”

 

 

     Trapped in AI’s universe, we try our best to survive. But how do we deal with the likes of , “Yes, I’ll do it,” and then they don’t—“Artificial Intention.” Or, how about, “My name is Fred, your investment counselor, and I will make your money grow.” But he disappears, and takes your money with him, and his name is Ed—“Artificial Identification.” Also, what about the woman who goads you into taking the job that will change your life. And you do, but nothing she said was real. Unknowingly, you were tricked by an “Artificial Influencer.”

     So just keep smiling for you have no alternative. The world has been and will continue to be ruled by “Artificial I . . .,” now and forever.

 

 

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