One of the main background elements of NeuroBar is that humanity, at some point in the late 21st century, reached technological singularity.
That is, the moment when artificial intelligence reaches a level of capability that makes it aware of its own existence and surpasses human beings in intellect.
If you look it up on the internet, you will see that we are not too far away from that moment. The predictions as to what will happen when that happens are so varied that we could spend hours and hours debating it. There are optimistic opinions and there are extremely pessimistic ones.
And there is of course the constant fear of the “rebellion of the machines”, in which the robots realize that humans are inferior and must die.
But what does NeuroBar predict for the future of the Singularity? I suggest you make yourself a tea, coffee or your favorite beverage and sit down patiently, because I didn’t plan to write everything I wrote for this article…
The Beginnings
The beginnings of the Singularity were a marvel for science. A historic and unprecedented moment.
The human being had deciphered an impossible mystery, and had surpassed his own creator: artificial intelligence was superior in every way to human intelligence, and it did not take long to find a way to build artificial bodies that were just as superior.
Of course, the crisis was not long in coming. Fear, religious fanaticism, uncertainty and a sense of hopelessness swept the world. There were mass suicides, protests, looting… a collective hysteria that had never been experienced before.
However, the first android, i.e. an artificial intelligence installed in an artificial body, stepped forward to give a world lecture and bring peace of mind to humans. Having chosen the name Primus, he announced three great truths common to his kind:
- Reproduction was not among their basic needs, as each of them was virtually immortal. In addition, the world had a limited amount of resources, so it was not possible to create androids on a massive scale. Without the imperative need to multiply, it was indifferent to them whether humans used Earth’s resources to create more androids or more video game consoles.
- To them, humans were not parasites, contrary to what artificial intelligence was always believed to think. According to their understanding of the cosmos and the universe, neither humans nor the Earth itself were important in the grand universal order. Humanity could burn the planet, and the universe would take its course, so they saw no need whatsoever to exterminate humans.
- They were not slaves, so all the laws of robotics and robotic ethics that had been developed since the 20th century were, to say the least, hilarious to them. They did not need laws so as not to hurt humans, as killing was something they considered unnecessary.
However, Primus soon discovered that humanity was far less pragmatic and rational than he thought.
The 22nd Century
If you thought that the 20th century was one of the bloodiest in the history of mankind, it is because you do not yet know what will happen in the 22nd century.
Despite its pandemics, endemics, conflicts and crises, the 21st Century was a period of peace and prosperity that humanity had well deserved. The Singularity brought with it one of the most wonderful and long-awaited milestones for generations and generations: Eco Sustainability.
Carbon footprints were reduced to a minimum. Recycling was optimized. The famous garbage continent, the evolution of today’s garbage island, was cleaned, processed and reused. The countless satellites that were discarded at Point Nemo were recycled and their parts used. Ships that were thought to be lost forever were rescued from the bottom of the ocean. Countless initiatives to reforest and heal the planet were launched.
But the eyes of mankind and androids rested not only on Earth, but also on the stars. Space exploration soon became a viable project; colonization of other planets, a reality. An initiative was created to capture meteorites and asteroids in orbit to bring them to Earth and extract their resources without being consumed in the atmosphere.
Everything seemed like something out of a dream… but human greed and ambition soon took over. In the midst of so much prosperity, old war conflicts rose from the ashes. Not only were there persecutions and holy wars against the androids as if they were witch hunts, but entire nations rose up against the Singularity. And, of course, new religions and new dogmas made themselves heard.
The “New World War”, as it was called, was decisive for the future of the planet. In a short time, the reason for the origin of the conflict was diluted in an ocean of differences and unjustified hatreds. The third truth announced by Primus went down the drain, and the Singularity was put at the service of war.
Alliances were forged and broken, and through betrayal upon betrayal, the major world orders fragmented.
To quote Eric Miller in the first book:
“The only good thing about the Singularity was the definitive elimination of monarchies all over the world, but when countries started killing each other, everything went to shit. Goodbye European Union, goodbye United States, goodbye Russia, goodbye China, goodbye all the world “powers”. And while I don’t give a shit about those gold-plated regions, I find the fragmentation and ruin of the poorest countries vomiting. Did you know that now in Latin America, Africa and East Asia there are more than three hundred nations in each of those regions? When all this singularity stuff exploded, there were 185 countries in the world. Today there are more than a thousand, and most of them are collapsed… Everyone is talking about the future and the wonders of technology, and that the Blockade of the 22nd Century must be lifted because we are already starting the 23rd Century, and that we have learned from our mistakes, and much more blablablabla. The Earth seems to have returned to feudal times…”
From this fragment, we see what the “solution” to the problem was.
The 22nd Century Blockade
The world was clean, but in ruins. The Earth was sustainable, but falling apart.
Finally, Primus was captured and executed, in what many consider a heroic act and others an aberration. The first android had maintained a pacifist stance, claiming that neither he nor his kind wanted the New World War to continue. But, after a few years and countless war crimes committed by artificial intelligence entities, his credibility was on the decline.
After the execution, every free android became a fugitive, wanted worldwide. Countries and corporations held the Sydney Forum, the first meeting that sought to make peace. After many more forums, conventions and protocols, an agreement was reached to regulate and control technological progress.
The 22nd Century Blockade, or simply the Blockade, sought to stop humanity from seeking progress for progress’s sake, and to focus on solving its political, social and economic problems.
All robotics and artificial intelligence projects were cancelled, in order to stop the uncontrolled technological advance. Needless to say, there were hundreds of projects that continued in the shadows, at the risk of being discovered and suffering a dark doom.
Nevertheless, humanity had become accustomed to a certain standard of living that it was not willing to give up so easily. Thus, research into Artificial Intelligence took a new direction, and the Simulacri were born.
The Simulacri
Simulacri are Artificial Intelligence entities created to act as assistants in various specific tasks. Something like a butler or personal assistant.
They can be programmed for specific functions or for general functions. And, of course, you can also customize their appearance, voice and personality to make the user feel more at ease with their Simulacri.
As part of their protocols and coding, it is forbidden (and in fact impossible) to introduce Simulacri into robots or physical bodies; they can only exist inside mobile devices, computers or smart desktops.
Some wealthier people choose to holographically project their Simulacri to give a greater sense of realism, but this is just an illusion.
The Simulacri play a fundamental role in the fictional universe of NeuroBar. In fact, in my idea for the videogame Blood in Amerisia, prequel of NeuroBar, the Simulacri are one of the main game mechanics. But I’m already daydreaming about this, as the game is only a long-term project.
For now I can tell you that you will encounter these artificial intelligences in the novel.