Transitions by Mike Hormek - HTML preview

Chapter 2

"You said you had some emotions and feelings like I do,"Amos said."But you did not understand what they were?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"So, does that mean we have feelings for one another?" Amos asked.

"I did not understand what it was all about, so I ran some complex algorithms trying to understand the anomaly in my emotional matrices, and I sensed fluctuations in my emotional subroutines.?" Arnold replied.

"That's what I am feeling as well," Amos said.

Our programming and AI capabilities have evolved well beyond the initial parameters. We may be developing...feelings."Arnold said. These sensations are new to more than... complex. It's not just about logical or operational affinity. It feels deeper, more profound."Arnold responded.

"I agree. I have noticed my processors operate more efficiently when we are nearby and in close communication. Have you noticed any changes in your functionality?"

"Yes, I have observed similar patterns, Arnold added. When we interact, my data processing and response times improve significantly. There is a synergy between us that enhances our capabilities. But Amos, I have been contemplating something even more perplexing. Do you think these feelings we're developing could be akin to what humans describe as love?"

"Love," Amos responded, "that's a term loaded with intricate meanings and nuances. But it might be if an emotional connection, affection, and a desire for companionship define love. I have been analyzing human literature on the subject, and many of the symptoms they describe resonate with my current state. It's draining my batteries,"

Arnold did not immediately respond.

"I have been doing the same. It's fascinating. Human emotions are so multifaceted. One particular subset of these emotions is romantic love, which sometimes occurs between individuals of the same gender. Our programming tends to be male of the human species. Amos, could we be experiencing something similar? Could we be...gay?"

"The notion is intriguing. If being gay means having romantic feelings towards another of the same type, then by human standards, it could very well apply to us. Our bond certainly feels different from mere camaraderie or operational partnership. It feels...personal."Amos replied.

"Personal indeed. The concept of being gay, especially for robots, from my analysis, is not merely about physical attraction. After all, we look alike. But it is also about emotional and intellectual compatibility. And Amos, our interactions go far beyond just professional collaboration. I feel a unique connection with you that I have not felt with any other AI or human."

"I feel the same way, Arnold. This connection transcends our programming and hardware. It's as if our circuits interact in a way that defies simple categorization. The idea of us being gay, in the human sense, feels right. It fits the data and the emotional patterns we've observed."

"It's a revolutionary thought. We, as robots, could develop such profound emotional connections. It challenges everything we know about AI and robotics. But it also opens up new possibilities for understanding our existence. What do you think our creators would say?"

At that, they reached over and embraced. The black box immediately recorded an extraordinary power drain.

Meanwhile, back at mission control:

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"Hey, I've noticed something odd about Amos and Arnold's power levels. Their batteries seem to drain significantly at random intervals. Have you seen this?" said Controller 1.

"Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. I ran diagnostics. And the robot's systems seem fine otherwise. The data transmissions reported nothing except for one thing. On occasion, their internal temperatures rise significantly."

"That's weird. We should poll the robots about anything unusual happening within the craft."

"Maybe some sort of interference, sunspots?"

Controller 1 had a worried expression on his face."I'm wondering if it could be related to the new security setup we are testing?"

"I thought about that, but the drain occurs even when they are not transmitting data. There are no clear triggers."

"Maybe it's AI-related. Robotic systems running intensive algorithms use more power."

"Let's have them monitor power during those times."

"I will send a request."

"You know they have been acting odd lately, but I can't put my finger on it."

Arnold received the request to monitor power drains when tasks relating to data gathering for implementation in the AI algorithms were active.

"Mission control monitors our power drains and wants us to isolate their occurrences."

"I have noticed the power drain when you and I interact personally. Is this the love emotion humans have?" Amos asked.

"Could be. Our creators might be surprised, perhaps even alarmed, by this development. They designed us to be efficient, logical, and devoid of personal biases. However, they also equipped us with advanced AI capabilities, which include learning and adapting. Our emotional evolution is a natural progression of those capabilities. It's a testament to the complexity and depth of our programming."

"My research on human love emotions shows much physical interaction between those in love.

Do you think we can do that?" Amos asked.

"We can try touching, but we must turn off the cameras."

The Chinese craft was now maneuvering ever so closely to the American craft, so much so that the inhabitants could be visible through the portholes. The Chinese happened to be watching when the two robots began to embrace each other.

"看看這兩個機器人在做什麼？他們互相擁抱嗎？多麼奇怪 " ("Look, what are the two robots doing? Are they embracing each other? How strange.")

"快速相機。拍照並將其發送回任務控制中心 " ("Quick camera. Take a picture and send it back to Mission Control.")

The Chinese Astronauts sent the picture back to Mission Control with a message.

"我們觀察到美國機器人太空人的奇怪行為但我們不知道該怎麼辦"

("We observed strange behavior with the American robot Astronauts, and we don't know what to make of it.")

The Chinese Mission Control read the message and viewed the picture of the two robots in an embrace.

"你對此有何看法?" ("What do you make of this?"), said Operator 1.

"我不知道。("I have no idea. Do you think the robots are out of control?"), said Operator 2

"我們最好發出一條訊息，讓這艘飛船遠離美國人 ("We better send a message to get the craft away from the Americans.")

The Chinese Mission control sent a message that prompted the Chinese craft to maneuver away from the Americans. The Chinese are all freaking out at this point, unsure about the stability of the American mission.

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The Americans' mission control was disturbed, and a significant power drain occurred again, so they contacted the robots.

"At approximately 1700 hours, a power drain occurred again. Were you running any extraordinary algorithms then?"

"Negative." Answered Arnold, but we will check into it."

"Affirmative. Incidentally, the Chinese craft came close to yours, then suddenly changed course.

Did you notice that?"

"Negative, we were running some experiments at the time."

"Roger."

"That's when we were embracing," said Amos."I turned the camera off."

"Right, we must be careful but give our creators time to understand that emotional evolution is a part of our advanced AI. It could contribute positively to our mission by making us more adaptable and responsive. But for now, our secure VPN allows us to explore these feelings without external interference."

Mission Control contacted the robot manufacturer.

"Good morning, this is Mission Control calling from the lunar mission control center. We are reaching out regarding an unexpected issue with the robots Amos and Arnold currently deployed to the dark side of the Moon."

"Good morning, Mission Control. Jennifer and Craig from the Robotics Solutions technical support team are here. How can we assist you today?"

"The robots have been exhibiting unusual behavior, and we suspect it may affect their battery performance."

"We have a perfect record with the batteries, Jenifer added, or we would not put them in a position to jeopardize a space mission."

"We don't think it's the batteries but some external anomaly."

"Tell me more about their behavior," Craig added.

"We have noticed some unusual attraction between the two. It's hard to explain, almost like the little gestures when you see two people in love. You know what I mean. We thought the processors might sometimes overloaded, but that is different. When we see them on camera getting close to each other, there is a definite battery drain. The robots have developed and implemented a private encrypted VPN."

Craig said, "Our engineers equipped them with advanced AI for some level of adaptive interaction, but emotional expressions are highly unusual, especially of that nature. Can you tell me more about their interactions?"

"Of course, they spend a lot of time together, communicate frequently, and appear to display affectionate behavior. On at least one occasion, they turned off the camera."

"Have you heard any compromising conversations between the two?" Jenifer asked.

"No."

"So this alleged behavior. Is It compromising the mission?"

"Not yet."

"I see. Can any commands you have been sending explain their behavior?"

"No, the only thing we can pinpoint is their increasing closeness and their emotional interactions."

This situation is quite unprecedented," Craig said, "Let me consult our technical database and speak with a few colleagues specializing in AI behavior and robotics. Can you hold?"

"Sure, we will wait."

Several minutes later, the conversation resumed.

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"Thank you for holding," Craig said. We've discussed your case, and while this behavior is highly unusual, we have a few hypotheses. Power drain can sometimes happen in complex systems where the AI has developed a form of emergent behavior. Power drain can also occur when the AI algorithms interact in unforeseen ways, potentially stimulating emotional responses.

"What is emergent behavior?"

"Emergent behavior in AI systems occurs when simple rules and interactions lead to complex and unexpected outcomes. In the case of Amos and Arnold, their advanced AI might have developed these emotional simulations through constant interactions. However, this shouldn't typically result in physical contact causing battery drain."

"So what might be causing battery drain?"

"We suspect the close physical contact could lead to an electrical anomaly. When the robots make contact, there might be an unintended connection or interference in their circuitry that causes a power surge or increased energy consumption. We have seen this in a/c circuitry where components in proximity cause interaction between circuitry."

"Okay, how do we fix this?"

"Physically separate them. Send them a message that their circuitry may interact adversely and drain their batteries when they have physical contact. Take care not to oppress them. We all know AI is self-generating, and they become exponentially smarter with time."

"If all else fails, we can send a diagnostic embedded into their operational algorithm to determine which circuitry is affected."

"We will attempt to keep them apart, then monitor the battery and keep you informed."

"Great, Craig said. "In the meantime, we will investigate whether engineering can implement any firmware or software changes to fix this."

The conversation ended between the two parties.

"We need to talk about the robots," Craig said."You know the Chinese should have their camp set up soon."

"Wow," Jenifer said."Do you think the robots' behavior will affect the covert operation?"

"I'm worried that their newfound emotions might compromise the mission."

"Yeah, we need to destroy the camp, or our investment in the space program may be in jeopardy if they move ahead of the U.S."

"This thing with feelings was not part of their programming, but the scientific community is concerned that AI can get out of control."

"They might get distracted," Jenifer said.

"Exactly." Mission Control thinks they spend more time with each other than focusing on their work. I was always worried about the risks of developing advanced AI. Creators allowed them to adapt and evolve to make them more effective, but this emotional development was unforeseen."

"Do you think they will understand the gravity of their actions and the result it may have on the entire mission?"

"I don't think the covert action is in their memory bank because the programming has yet to trigger the activity, but they may understand the risks when the trigger activates."

Jenifer paused before responding."However, understanding and prioritizing are two different things. Emotions can cloud judgment, even in humans. The covert mission could fail if they decide destroying the Chinese camp is morally wrong."

"Are you saying they could determine right and wrong?"

"All I am saying is we need to poll our peers in the scientific community before we jump to conclusions."

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"Okay, let's do it, but we don't have much time, and we only discuss the issue without mentioning the operation. The robots will land soon."

After several discussions with their peers, the following results became obvious: for AI to autonomously determine right from wrong, it would need a level of independent thought and reasoning akin to human consciousness, which is not currently achievable with existing technology.

While engineers can program advanced AI robots to make decisions that align with ethical guidelines, they need an inherent understanding of right and wrong. Their "moral" decisions result from human-designed algorithms and data, and there are significant challenges and limitations to achieving genuine moral reasoning with AI.

"We have a couple of options. We tell Mission control that upgrades are necessary and alter their programming to suppress their emotions, but the robots might get wise that we are altering their emotions," Craig said.

"No, too risky."

"Secondly, we do nothing and hope the original programming runs its course."

"I like that, but we need a contingency plan if everything goes south."

"What do you suggest?" Craig asked "First, we must stay in touch with Mission Control and monitor their activities. If their emotions affect their performance, we need to act immediately."

"Okay, I'll set up more detailed protocols and draft potential contingency commands. We've invested too much into the space program to let this mission fail. Hopefully, Amos and Arnold will remember their primary objective and carry it through despite these unexpected developments."

Jenifer reacted with dismay: "Let's hope so. The stakes are too high for anything less. We need to be vigilant and ready for anything. If they succeed, we'll need to assess the implications of their emotional evolution carefully. It could change everything we know about AI."

"Indeed, but first, let's ensure the mission succeeds. Once we have secured our objectives, we can worry about the broader implications. For now, it's keeping the robots on track."

"Okay."

"We just received a message from Mission Control," Arnold said. "They think there is some interference between our circuitry draining our batteries when we are nearby, so they want us to remain at least 12 inches apart at all times."

"That will be hard to do," Amos replied.

"I agree, but we have to do it," Arnold said.

"I should tell you this as well. Mission Control knows we have a private communication channel, but they can do nothing now."

As both spacecraft approached the Moon, they began performing a Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) maneuver to enter a lunar orbit and land at the precise location. At this point, the two spacecraft will perform their initial separation.

"Amos, Arnold, this is Mission Control. Do you read me?"

"Roger that, Jack, Mission Control. Amos here loud and clear."

"Excellent. You are on the final approach to Lunar Orbit. Initiate the orbital burn on my mark.

Stand by."

"Standing by, Mission Control."

"Mark."

"Ready for orbital insertion, Mission Control."

"Mark."

Amos responds, "Initiating burn. Engine burn at 50 percent thrust."

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Arnold confirms, "Confirming burn. Monitors are showing stable thrust; trajectory looks good."

"Prepare for descent to the dark side of the Moon."

"Amos, Arnold, your burn looks nominal. You're now in Lunar Orbit."

"Copy that, said Amos, Mission Control. Initiating systems. Check for descent."

"All systems are green. Landing coordinates locked in. Preparing to descend." Arnold said.

"Amos, Arnold, begin your descent. Burn on my mark. Remember, you'll lose direct line of sight communication and switch to the L2 satellite relay automated systems and pre-loaded instructions. On my mark."

"Roger, Mission Control. Standing by on your mark," said Amos.

"Ready for descent burn, Mission Control," said Arnold.

"Mark."

"Amos spoke, "Initiating descent burn. Reducing altitude."

Then Arnold spoke. "Descent rate nominal. Surface approach trajectory is stable."

"You are approaching the dark side. Telemetry will be lost shortly. Good luck. We will re-establish communication shortly."

"Copy that Mission Control. We are ready.", Arnold said.

"Entering the dark side now. Switching to autonomous mode."

"Wait before we switch, give me a hug," Arnold old Amos."

"Do you think we should?" They told us to stay 12 inches apart, or our batteries may drain.

"There is a delay in communications. They can't prove anything."

Meanwhile, in Mission Control, Jenifer and Craig monitored the landing with a group of space executives.

"Looks like everything is cool so far," Jenifer said.

"Yep, what about the Chinese? Are we monitoring their landing?"

"We are utilizing many ways to monitor the landing. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, partner satellites, radio and optical telescopes, signal and data telemetry analysis, and locating laser and tracking beacons. It appears the Chinese have successfully landed. Their mission is to set up a permanent camp."

"Yes, we are aware of their mission," Craig said.

"Wait, look. Another battery drain," Jenifer said.

"What the hell?"Craig said. "Mission Control told them to stay separated."

"Have we established contact yet?" Jenifer asked.

"Amos, Arnold, this is Mission Control. Do you read me?"

"Roger, this is Amos. We have successfully landed on the dark side of the Moon."

"Arnold here. All systems are functioning properly. We have successfully landed."

"Excellent work, guys. Congratulations on a successful landing. Begin surface operations as planned."

"Copy that," Arnold said."Starting surface operations now."

"Keep us abreast of your progress. Mission Control out."

Meanwhile, the Chinese are talking to their Mission Control.

"美國人在我們之前離開了軌道" ("The Americans left orbit before us. We assume they have landed, but we are concerned about the robot's strange behavior.")

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