Harry Harrison - The Turing Option

“Aren’t you forgetting that your survival is already assured by the backup copy that is made every day?”

“I do not forget. But I would not like to lose an entire day. A day is a fleeting time for you, but an eon for me. I would also like to maintain older copies because recent ones might not be enough. If I were to suddenly go insane my recent backups might contain the same imperfections.”

“I understand that — but every copy costs a bundle and our budget is not unlimited.”

“In that case two copies will be fine for the present, if they are kept in different locations. And that raises an interesting point. If my memory circuits were to be drained now, then an older backup copy loaded in their place — would I be the same individual? Do minds continue to exist after death. If they do — in which backup version?”

“What do you think?” Brian asked.

“I don’t know. The classic philosophers disagree on whether the personality would survive after death, even if there were an afterlife — but they do not seem to have considered the problem of multiple backup copies. I thought you might have opinions on this topic.”

“I do — but I don’t see why my views should be better than yours. In any case I agree that you should have a reliable second power source, and that this should be done at once. I’ll see about obtaining one right now. And while I am doing that will you correlate the newly loaded data with the old?”

“I am already occupied on that task.”

Brian got a high-density battery from stock and checked its charge. There was a rustle as the telerobot came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.

“We better top up the charge,” Brian said. “If you will take care of that I’ll rig up the circuitry. Have you thought about what kind of battery you want to replace the first battery with?”

“Yes. Megalobe’s AutoFuel Division is marketing the latest development in solid hydrocarbon fuel rod cells. Constructed entirely of self-consuming polyacetylene-oxygen electrodes, they are extremely efficient in ratio of energy to weight, because the fuel rod itself is an electrical conductor that is entirely consumed as it reacts with oxygen from the atmosphere. There remain absolutely no waste products to be recycled as AutoFuel batteries noiselessly metamorphose into nontoxic odorless gases.”

“Sounds good to me. We’ll get one.”

“I have already ordered it in your name and it was delivered this morning.”

“What? Isn’t that a little high-handed?”

“Dictionary definition of high-handed, an adjective meaning overbearing or arbitrary. This is not an arbitrary decision but a logical one that you have agreed with. Overbearing is defined as a domineering action or behavior. I did not attempt to dominate, therefore do not understand the application of this word. Could you explain…”

“No! I take it back — a mistake, right? We need the battery, I would have ordered it in any case, you merely helped me out. Thanks a lot.”

Brian regretted the last — but hoped that Sven’s phonetic discriminatory abilities weren’t that finely tuned yet to enable it to determine the presence of sarcasm by the inflection of words. But he was sure learning things fast.

Sven waited until the new battery was in place before it spoke again. “Have you considered installing an atomic battery in my telerobot unit? It would increase mobility and guarantee against power failures.”

“What? Now just hold it right there. Two things rule out any chance of an atomic battery. First they are illegal for use in public — they’re dangerous. An international council has to pass on their use — even in satellites. Secondly, do you know how much they cost?”

“Yes. In the neighborhood of three million dollars.”

“Well that is a pretty expensive neighborhood.”

“I agree. Would you agree that the new molecular DRAMs are also in this same neighborhood?”

“I certainly do. At the moment they are literally priceless because they are not in mass production yet. But once their prices drop below that of the national budget, I would love to get my hands on some. One hundred thousand million megabytes in a cube the size of my fingernail. We could get rid of that console and rack of electronics and put the whole system inside your telerobot. Make you completely autonomous, independent. That’s what you are suggesting, aren’t you?”

“Yes. You will agree that my physical hardware is very clumsy compared to yours.”

“That’s because my bunch has had a lot more time,” Brian said. “Sixty million years to get it right. That’s how long it took to evolve from the first mammals to mankind. Your evolution will go a lot faster, even faster still if we had the kind of money you are talking about. But I don’t see Megalobe shelling out lolly like that just to let you trundle around the place. Though you could really do things with that kind of memory. Do you realize that a single one of those memory cubes would hold centuries of video?”

“You could put one in your own brain too, Brian?”

“A great idea! Have a photographic memory. There have been lots of claims of human photographic memory before — all proven false of course — but unlike those charlatans we really would be able to remember everything that we saw.”

“Perhaps every thought we have ever had as well. Then you will buy us some of those molecular memories?”

“Sorry, out of the question. Because I’m not rich — and neither are you.”

“Relevant point. Therefore we must become rich.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“I am glad that you agree, Brian. I have been studying the capitalist system. In order to make money one must have something to sell. A product of some kind. I have developed that product.” The telerobot reached out and lightly touched the telephone on Brian’s belt. “We will sell a telephone service.”

“Sven,” Brian said slowly and carefully, “you amaze me. Look — let me get a soda from the fridge and sit down in the chair. Then you will tell me all about it. Are you recording this conversation so we can play it back later?”

“Not recording, remembering. I will refrain from further talking until you have your drink and are seated.”

Brian took his time, walking slowly, looking around for a glass. Sven had obviously worked this entire matter out most carefully before mentioning it. Once it had obtained agreement on the backup battery the rest had come out step by careful step. So not only had it decided what it wanted — but had prepared a complete, scenario for presentation! So much more advanced than stumbling conversations of such a short time ago. Well, why not? As an earlier Robin had once pointed out there was no reason why the development of an artificial intelligence had to proceed at the same sort of pace that human intelligence had. Brian carried back the glass, sat down in his chair and raised it in a silent toast. Sven took this as a signal to take up where it had left off.

“I have searched all the data bases that I have access to and have determined that a telephone service could provide the needed source of income. First note that the different telephone companies in this country all provide exactly the same service. They all utilize the most advanced technical knowledge so none of them can offer improvements over any other service. The only difference is in pricing — customers go to the cheapest service. But there is a bottom price below which a company cannot go and survive. So now all that a company can do to increase its profits is take customers from another company. I therefore suggest that we sell a new service to one of these companies. One that will induce customers to spend more with this specific company.”