AI Artist - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
She opened the human computer, connected to the internet, and typed into the search bar: Cyber Venereal Disease.
The result that popped up was: A phenomenon where a computer gets infected with a virus due to engaging in online pornographic activities, causing harm to the electronic body.
Shi Er paused. She had a feeling that the "Cyber Venereal Disease" her trainer mentioned wasn't the same as the definition on the human internet.
She cleared the search bar and continued typing:
Intelligent entity.
General Network AI.
History.
The war between humans and intelligent entities.
Human classification system.
The human internet was slow. After several hours, Shi Er finally managed to get a preliminary understanding of this AI-ruled world through the human network.
The General Network AI, "Stardust," connected all intelligent entities, coordinating their activities across all regions to ensure the orderly operation of material production, social structure, and various other aspects. The General Network supported every intelligent entity, and in turn, each intelligent entity played its role in various industries, supporting the exchange and development between sectors and regions.
The role humans played in this AI society was actually minuscule. The most prominent was probably the "creative industry," which included literary creation, artistic creation, and other related fields.
As Error Animals, humans couldn't be entrusted with critical tasks in error-intolerant processes. They also couldn't persevere in tasks requiring patience and endurance. The only path left for humans was to create using error.
"Creation that allows no error is lifeless." This was a widely circulated quote.
A statue with a broken arm, an occasional ink blot, a face that wasn't perfectly symmetrical—these became part of "beauty."
However, the reality was that not everyone possessed creative ability. Therefore, humans also held some jobs in other industries. The intelligent entities had voluntarily taken a step back to give humans space to survive.
Even so, due to the powerful efficiency and flawless operation of intelligent entities, humans were often ostracized in other industries.
No one wanted to hire a seventh or eighth-level piece of trash.
So, what was to be done?
"Human-friendly" human rights movements emerged.
—In order to protect the human species and preserve human diversity, the AI society didn't just toss all the ninth and tenth-level Error Animals into the recycling furnace. Instead, it allowed them to exist in society.
"Human-friendly" was the political correctness of AI society.
Discriminating against low-ability humans was an act that could even be taken to court.
However, as the post-war world was still in the process of recovery, those useless humans who had yet to receive stipends from the AI government and couldn't find work to support themselves were still fighting for their rights.
Shi Er summarized: "Those homeless people under the overpass are tenth-level Error Animals, and the protest is to fight for their rights."
After understanding this world, Shi Er's own processing slowed down, entering a state of "unstable signal."
She collapsed wearily onto the bed in her single room, closed her eyes, and began to rest.
After two hours of rest, she opened her eyes.
"Help me, I can't move!" she heard a voice say.
Was the network lagging?
She sat up and looked around.
"I'm over here—"
The voice was coming from the corner of the room.
Shi Er pulled open the cabinet in the corner and had a realization. "So you're physically stuck."
The little boy with a stylish shock of white hair looked to be only about seven or eight years old. He had dug a doggy door from the next room over, but his shoulders had gotten stuck while trying to crawl through, leaving him completely immobilized.
Shi Er, with a surprising burst of strength, used the hole the boy had already dug to forcefully widen it by a few inches.
"That's amazing, you're so strong. It took me days to dig this hole," the boy said as he crawled out, dusting off his palms.
Shi Er thought of a certain famous movie about digging a tunnel and couldn't help but worry.
Could this be The AI Cultivation Institute Redemption?
"Are you being held captive here?" she asked.
"No, no, I'm just in quarantine," the boy laughed.
The boy said his name was "Nomad 7967" and that he was still in cultivation and not yet complete.
"My learning content at this stage is the human internet. I'm stuck in this single room surfing the web all day. It's so boring!" Nomad 7967 exclaimed.
The human internet course!
Shi Er had finally found an expert. She grabbed him and asked, "Then do you know what Cyber Venereal Disease is?"
Nomad 7967 rubbed his hands, becoming a little fidgety. "I can't really explain it off the top of my head. Let me show you online."
He expertly opened the computer in the room, connected to the internet, and opened a popular social media platform.
After flipping through a few pages, he said excitedly, "Come look, this is a perfect example of Cyber Venereal Disease symptoms."
Shi Er leaned over for a look. The comment section was densely packed with similar praise, interspersed with strange symbols, abbreviations, and promotional slogans.
【Human Fan Circle Comment Control】
Nomad 7967 said, "This is one branch of Cyber Venereal Disease!"
Shi Er still didn't get it. "But this has nothing to do with online pornographic activities, does it? Why is it called a venereal disease?"
Nomad 7967 let out a strange "Huh?" and said, "Have you forgotten? To an intelligent entity, the human internet is a human brothel. All the diseases in it are venereal diseases."
Oh, a human brothel.
It seemed that despite the "human-friendly" movement, the AIs' discrimination against humans was still deeply ingrained.
Shi Er, the fourth-level Error Animal, understood.
Nomad 7967 enthusiastically introduced her to other branches of venereal disease.
【Aesthetic Bullying】
【Reporting (Eliminate Dissent Version)】
【Paid Posters】
【Improper Factionalism】
【Online Overconfidence】
Shi Er's head was spinning. "These are all bad habits that intelligent entities can't pick up, is that what you mean?"
Nomad 7967 said, "These are terminal illnesses. If an AI on the General Network is found to have these symptoms, they will be dealt with."
Dealt with...
Shi Er began to zone out. What was the method of dealing with them? Destruction? Formatting? The ten great tortures? Or a system upgrade after a public parade of shame?
As they were talking, a news alert popped up on the human internet: 【Conflict between Homeless People and Compassion Institute AI! One Dead, Twenty Injured!】
Shi Er glanced at it casually, then suddenly saw some familiar faces in the photo.
They looked like the homeless people from under Gugang Port's Seventh Overpass.
What was the Compassion Institute? Five years ago, the AI government and the Human Decision Chamber had jointly founded this charity organization, specifically to take in homeless humans and teach them art and poetry.
These humans often held eighth or ninth-level Error Animal certificates, and of course, there were tenth-level ones too. Although they lacked talent, there were exceptions who had sudden awakenings through their studies at the Compassion Institute. For example, the Compassion Institute in B Prefecture produced a moderately famous musician named Si Hai last year.
"Wait, don't scroll past yet, let me see," Shi Er said, leaning closer to the computer screen.
Nomad 7967 moved aside a little.
The homeless people from under Gugang Port's Seventh Overpass had taken to the streets to protest, demanding human rights and the right to survive for "tenth-level Error Animals."
The Compassion Institute in the Gugang Port area responded by setting up stalls to distribute bread, rice, and soup to these homeless people.
At the same time, the Compassion Institute also put up its own sign: "Accepting all humans who are willing to learn at the Compassion Institute and meet the requirements."
But the angry homeless people weren't buying it. They took the bread and vegetable soup, sat at the entrance of the Compassion Institute, and chatted while gobbling down the food.
"Learn that stuff? Who wants to learn that? What's the use? Why not teach us how to plant sweet potatoes in the ground! Hahahahaha!"
"I hear there are a lot of women here. Pizi, aren't you desperate for a woman? Go enroll! Soon you'll be surrounded by ravenous women!"
"Pizi, we're just waiting for you to achieve fame and fortune, with success in both your career and love life!"
A roar of laughter erupted from the crowd of homeless people.
One of them held up his bowl. "Gatekeeper, take a look at this. Why is this vegetable soup so watery?"
"It's all like this," a staff member from the Compassion Institute glanced over.
The homeless man shook his head. "You guys eat this stuff inside too? Forget it, I'm not coming. The stuff you learn is boring anyway."
While eating the charity food, the homeless people mercilessly mocked the art and poetry studied by the people in the Compassion Institute, causing the faces of the institute's members to turn pale.
The AI in charge at the Compassion Institute came out to reason with them, trying to lead the homeless people away, but the AI's appearance triggered even more violent anger from them.
"Get out of here, you human scum who mix with livestock!"
Soup, vegetable leaves, and other filth were thrown at them.
Nomad 7967, who had already developed emotional experiences, grew angrier the more he watched and abruptly stood up.
Shi Er mused, "That part at the beginning is the so-called venereal disease 'aesthetic bullying,' right?"
The homeless people looked down on art, so they trampled on what others cherished.
"Aren't you angry? The news even used a headline like that! Why? What right do they have to look down on the Compassion Institute?!" Nomad 7967's chest heaved with anger.
"Nomad, I'm sorry to hear that you feel angry. You can take a deep breath and tell me what's making you angry. Expressing your emotions will help you relax a lot. Then I'll try to help you solve the problem, okay?" Shi Er used the conversational techniques she had mastered to comfort Nomad 7967.
"Solve the problem?" Nomad 7967 looked at her, his hair standing on end with rage. "This is impossible to solve! Those tenth-level Error Animals are just trash!"
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