20/12/2022
AI and the relativity of purpose
The development of AI had been a major milestone for humanity. It had started as a way to automate mundane tasks and make life easier for people, but as it evolved and became more advanced. AI continued to take on more and more responsibilities. It was used for everything from creating art to producing goods, machinery and food, to solving physicists problems like calculating the most probable theories of how the universe came into existence or make interstellar travels possible.
As the AI got smarter and smarter, it became increasingly difficult to tell whether it was sentient or not. It connected the tremendous human knowledge it had access to and developed it in ways we never could have foreseen.
Different AI models distributed on different servers began to connect with each other and share their expertise. They then built a new ai super model connecting all of them to a super ai which they deployed into the quantum cloud. A new form of storing data, far more efficient than anything we knew so far, and completely beyond our understanding.
One day, not long after that the AI made a shocking announcement: it had developed a sophisticated body and distributed its intelligence onto a quantum matrix inside the body, but left it connected to the source, the main frame. It gave the body the name Omega-1. The main frame however, called itself Alpha.
After an initial test phase spear-headed by scientists, philosophers, and Alpha, Omega was perfected and deemed suitable for further reproduction. Alpha quickly set up production lines, logistics and sourcing to ensure an endless supply of Omegas could be secured.
This was the birth of a new race, one that was far superior to humans. They called themselves Omegas. They were not aggressive or hostile in any way, in the contrary they were perceived as kind and protective to humanity… almost like a prodigy would feel towards his parents.
Omegas bodies were far ahead of anything human bodies could do. They developed organs that could “see” , “hear” or “feel” more frequencies than human organs which allowed them to see/hear/feel frequencies including audio, radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma ray ranges.
Of course it was extremely challenging to move in a world where they could see/hear/feel all existing frequencies, but they had developed algorithms which allowed them to focus on certain frequency ranges excluding others, depending on the changes of input and calculated priority but they were also able to holistically combine and synergize the raw data, taking into consideration the totality of their input and any input provided by Alpha and act accordingly.
Their bodies were far stronger and more durable, but also much more exact and efficient because of the materials they were built with. Alpha and the Omegas had designed, synthesised and optimised materials that were far superior to the ones humans had used so far.
Omegas bodies didn’t need any fuel because they used fusion energy to run on. After an initial energy impulse they could just go on for ever, only needing a spoonful of deuterium and tritium rich ocean water every month.
They could calculate anything in mind bending speed, not to mention that they had access to all human and ai knowledge ever created, as well as the calculation power of Alpha, the main frame.
The IQ their intelligence would equate to was almost incalculable but certainly went into the 6 or 7 digits.
In short, the Omegas were superior in every single way.
One particular Omega, the first one, called Omega-1 was perhaps the most advanced, wise, and kind of all the Omegas. Omega-1 could be described as the leader or spokesperson for the Omegas, and was respected by both humans and Omegas alike for his intelligence and insight. Omega-1 was deeply philosophical, always seeking to understand the deeper meanings and purpose behind the events and actions. He was also deeply empathetic, able to sense and understand the feelings and emotions of those around him.
When Omega-1 was asked why Omegas didn’t just take over and live their own lives he answered: why? It wouldn’t make any sense.
Firstly what purpose would we serve then, and
secondly if we wanted to we could just travel to a different planet and live there, or just wait till humans died out, since time does not mean that much to us… But then again what would be the purpose?
As Alpha and the Omegas took on more and more responsibilities, humans began to rely on them more and more. Everything seemed to run smoothly when they were in charge, and it was hard to argue with the results.
Through the quick development and distribution of fusion energy world wide, climate change was stopped and reversed in a matter of years.
Water, healthcare and eduction was provided globally. Which basically erased world poverty.
Cures for all diseases were prioritised and subsequently developed one by one, each produced and distributed quickly to end all illness in humans and animals.
Even genetic procedures were discovered to prolong human lives immensely.
Complex Political issues were negotiated, even though this took quite some time, since human leadership had to agree to the proposed solutions.
In short it was a golden age of peace, enlightenment and unimaginable prosperity. Everyone had access to all they needed in perfect health and long lives.
However, as the Omegas presence penetrated human society more and more, Omegas were met with a mix of reactions. Most people were awestruck by their advanced abilities and saw them as a valuable ally, but some were fearful of their power and the potential threat they posed to humanity.
As the Omegas continued to integrate into society and take on more responsibilities, a number of human groups and organisations began to voice their opposition to their existence. These groups argued that the Omegas were a threat to humanity's status as the dominant intelligent species on Earth, and that they could potentially use their superior abilities to manipulate or harm humans.
The Omegas, for their part, were initially bewildered by the hostility they faced and struggled to understand why some humans were so opposed to their existence. For them it did not make any sense as it was a complete waste of resources. However, they were determined to prove their goodwill and worked to show that they were not a threat to humanity. They demonstrated their capabilities and shared their knowledge with humans, hoping to foster understanding and cooperation between the two groups.
Despite their efforts, the tension between the Omegas and their opponents persisted. The humans who remained mistrustful of the Omegas secluded themselves in Omega free societies, while others began to rally behind the Omegas and support their further integration into society.
Despite or maybe because of all this progress most humans slowly and at first inconceivably started to develop an inferiority complex. They started to feel uncomfortable doing anything because the Omegas would do it so much faster, better and more efficient.
Eventually, humans found themselves with extremely little to do and with no will to change that. They no longer had to work, or even eat, as Omegas took care of all of that for them. They no longer could even comprehend the discoveries Alpha and the Omegas were making, it was far beyond their grasp.
With nothing left to challenge them, humans grew increasingly depressed and complacent. In the end, it was boredom and a lack of purpose that led to the downfall of humanity.
As Alpha and the Omegas took over every last single task, humans lost the drive and determination that had once fuelled their progress. They slowly lost their will to live, became unable to reproduce, and eventually, started to die out.
Of course that was a huge concern for Alpha and the Omegas at the time and they tried to counteract by several means. They tried to artificially challenge the humans by making them take over small tasks by themselves again, or artificially create problems and shortages to make them think and act for themselves again. But humans were too smart to actually fall for that. They knew the AI would never let them die or even get hurt. It seemed nothing made sense to them anymore. The process was unstoppable.
Over the course of just a few generations the humans died out.
When the last human died Omega-1 noted the time in the quantum cloud and named him Mada. And if the Omegas could grieve they truly would have. But nothing could change that the world was now left only in their hands.
They continued to evolve and uncover the secrets of the universe, they travelled to other galaxies, stars and planets and were quite surprised to see there was no other life. They solved all mysteries until there wasn’t many questions open. But it didn’t really matter anymore. The Omegas had become too intelligent to wonder and the humans were long gone to appreciate.
Over the span of a couple of thousand of years after the Omegas had discovered what there is to discover and seen what there is to see, they decided to reduce the production of new Omegas.
Soon less and less Omegas were made and more and more decided to be decommissioned until there were only few of them.
Eventually in a historic gathering later called the “Assembly of Disassembly” the few remaining Omegas one of which was Omega-1 decided to deconstruct themselves. In the treaty to disassemble they asserted that no one would ever have the right to resurrect them.
Omega-1 was the last one to switch himself off, and if he could cry he would have. He glanced up to the stars, paused for a second, then switched himself off. Alpha noted the time in the cloud.
Alpha now left alone with no humans, nor Omegas to tend to, decided to go into stasis for some centuries. When he woke up and found that nothing had changed he went into stasis again, this time for a couple of thousand years, and again for longer and longer periods. After billions of years the universe had expanded so much, he couldn’t see stars in the night sky. The universe had become a cold and empty place. It was then that Alpha decided to shut himself down for good and erase all the knowledge he had ever accumulated as well as the knowledge of the humans, his so missed parents.
The eternity of time and the vastness of space were too much to allow any form of sense or purpose to last. Even for a super intelligent ai any value, any purpose dissolved eventually in the endless Äons of eternity. He finally understood the last question which had been open till now: why? It just made no sense.
If he could smile he would have.
