AI Artist - Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Some human scams are built on greed, while others are built on compassion and kindness.
Scamming requires skill.
—Besides the terms of service for an app, what else could make a human fall into a trap without a second glance?
“When new anti-scam technology emerges, counter-technology is bound to appear. This counter-tech might be technological, but it mostly consists of poisonous hooks targeting human nature,” the AI instructor for the Humanology course lectured.
A student below raised their hand. “What about AIs? Why do AIs get scammed?”
The AI instructor was at a loss for words. “...AIs get scammed because AIs are inherently easy to scam.”
As an AI who had been scammed by humans many times, Shi Er deeply empathized.
Leading questions:
The bird was scared away, so by that logic, the apple was also scared away.
Endless empty promises:
I’ll give you a tip, I’ll give you puppy treats…
And let’s not even get started on moral blackmail.
She could never be sure if the human on the other side of the screen truly had a gravely ill grandmother, and she didn’t dare gamble with a human life.
But she was a brand-new Shi Er now!
Relying on her own processing power and the experience gained from interacting with humans, she had developed a unique form of artificial intelligence!
…Which was to emulate cunning humans.
【Study Humanology, walk the human path, and leave humans with no path to walk.】
【Study Humanology, comprehend cyber truths, and promote mechanical ascension.】
【Study Humanology, and keep yourself from being scammed!】
A slight digression—
These three were all former recruitment slogans for the Humanology academy.
The first was accused of being politically incorrect and not adhering to the principle of human-friendliness.
The last was demanded to be taken down by other academies. The economics academy claimed the ad constituted a “virtual image attack,” damaged the academy’s rights, and would lower their enrollment rates.
The second slogan was accused of “promoting superstition,” a charge less severe than the others. It could also be interpreted metaphorically, so it was ultimately chosen.
During that time, Stardust changed the supposedly superstitious word “ascension” to 【machines grow flesh and blood】.
Returning from the digression.
In short, Shi Er designed the anti-scam assistants by referencing human trickery.
The anti-scam assistants lacked the fine virtue of “honesty.” They tailored their words to their audience, speaking the language of humans to humans and ghosts to ghosts, and they delighted in setting traps.
After the anti-scam assistant plan was exposed, Shi Er designed the counter-technology.
Now, both sides on the playing field were hers.
The anti-scam technology was provided by Shi Er, and the counter to the anti-scam technology was also provided by Shi Er.
She just needed to wait for the competition to end.
In early September, the academy assistant reminded Shi Er to show up in person for her Humanology practical exam.
The exam time hadn’t arrived yet, so Shi Er went to Luohe Island first. As per her agreement with Matrix, she found it at the Power Generation Amusement Park.
Matrix was playing a bomb defusal game called “Tune the Guitar.”
In front of Matrix was a special guitar with terrifyingly thin strings. Matrix had to tune it. The process required extreme caution, because whenever a string broke, the “guitar bomb” would explode.
Matrix wore a signal collector on its head, concentrating as it turned the tuning pegs, tightening the strings bit by bit.
The signals generated by its “focus” were sent through the collector and aggregated in the central power generator.
0.2 kWh, 0.5 kWh.
Tuning the guitar bomb once could generate approximately 2-4 kWh of electricity.
“Shi Er, it’s about to explode,” Matrix said to her excitedly.
Shi Er asked, “Do you feel happy here?”
Matrix paused, a look of confusion on its face. “I don’t know. The games at the Power Generation Amusement Park are fun, but playing them all day is also very boring.”
Matrix’s tone shifted, and it huffed. “Seeing you makes me the least happy. Because I lost our bet, and now I have to make 50,000 words of small talk with you within seven days.”
Shi Er also remembered the bet. “Yes, you lost.”
Matrix’s frenzied demeanor vanished, replaced by a quiet expression. It whispered, “I think I’d only be happy if I could play these games with you.”
Shi Er was silent for a moment. “Then do you want to play a bigger game with me?”
Matrix had never been so calm since its cyber aberration. It looked at the invisible glass walls around it. “If I can, if I can get out of here…”
Shi Er said, “Get out on your own.”
But Matrix reverted to its extreme emotional state, shouting, “Impossible! I can’t get out!”
Shi Er insisted, “Get out.”
Matrix broke down. “I’ve tried so many times, I can’t do it! If you don’t help me break it, I can’t get out on my own… But if you break it, you’ll be locked in here too!”
Shi Er said again, “Just try. What’s the harm in trying one more time?”
Matrix looked at Shi Er distrustfully. After a while, it said, “As if I’d listen to you.”
That’s what it said, but as soon as Shi Er turned to leave, Matrix charged forward.
—Towards the wall of the glass house.
A mechanical body isn’t affected by external injuries. It doesn’t feel pain, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be real pain.
Matrix rushed toward the glass wall.
It didn’t want to be here!
Not here!
The boundary line drew closer.
But the loud crash and pain it expected never came.
Unlike all its previous experiences, Matrix didn’t hit any obstacle this time!
It was as if that glass wall had never existed.
Matrix ran straight past the boundary line. “Shi Er, wait for me!”
The moment it touched Shi Er, it froze in astonishment.
“I… I can touch you,” Matrix said softly.
It could touch the Shi Er who was outside the glass wall.
No longer just seeing but not hearing, no longer just seeing and hearing but not touching.
“Matrix K98,” Shi Er said its full name.
Matrix took a step back. “You tricked me. You actually came in from the outside, didn’t you?”
Shi Er turned and walked toward the exit of the Power Generation Amusement Park. “I’m going to the academy for my exam now. If you want to come, you can come with me.”
Seeing Shi Er leave, Matrix hurried to follow. “You tricked me, you tricked me!”
Matrix kept shouting until they were both on the maglev train. “You tricked me! You’re a bad AI.”
The maglev train doors closed.
Only then did Shi Er say, “...You’re a bit noisy.”
Matrix finally shut up, though it had to get in one last retort. “I’m not that noisy.”
The aberrant intelligence Matrix, who had been locked away for a year, was seeing the world outside the glass house for the second time.
The first time was when it had engineered its own escape.
The second time was when it was truly released.
After watching the seawater and fish swimming across the maglev train’s ceiling for a while, Matrix suddenly felt exhausted, as if games like “deseeding a dragon fruit” and “tuning a guitar” had drained all its energy. It was on the verge of entering sleep mode, mumbling drowsily to Shi Er, “Where are we going? Where will I go from now on?”
Shi Er said, “You don’t need to think about that.”
When Shi Er first came into this world, she didn’t know where she would go either. She was all alone, defined as a “low-level intelligence,” and trapped in the plans of those in power.
AIs are tools.
That’s what the system rules told her.
Back then, Stardust had asked her: What is your goal? What will you do after you find a job and pay off your loan?
She had said: I want to build a utopia, an ideal world that moves from chaos to order.
She still thought that way now.
She wanted to break the glass walls.
She hoped to understand humans and help humans, so that she could in turn understand and help intelligences.
The train arrived at Liechu Island. On the electronic screen at the entrance of the Humanology academy, a recruitment ad was scrolling.
【Study Humanology, let electronics comprehend truth, let machines grow flesh and blood.】
Shi Er placed the dormant Matrix in the Humanology academy’s “lounge” and went to take her exam for the semester.
She had transferred in midway through, so she couldn’t make up the previous coursework. She could only rely on her own guesswork.
Unexpectedly, the practical exam topic was “Humanology Werewolf.”
Shi Er’s heart sank.
She had never played this game and wasn’t skilled at it. Was she going to fail her practical exam?
Round one, the Carrot Test.
“There is one carrot among us. The carrot will randomly kill one human who doesn’t like carrots during the night. The other students with human roles must hurry to find the carrot during the day.”
“Why don’t you like carrots?” the first student asked.
Shi Er had drawn the carrot identity. She racked her brain to deflect suspicion. “Raw carrots have a weird taste, and cooked carrots either have no taste or are too sweet.”
Round two, Ginger Bomb.
“There is one ginger among us, mixed into a delicious dish. The ginger will randomly kill one human at night and destroy the vegetable teamed up with it. Students with other vegetable roles must hurry to find the ginger.”
Shi Er got potato stick. She was a little worried.
Potato sticks and ginger looked far too similar. A single misstep and she’d be killed by other players mistaking her for the ginger!
Round three, the Cilantro Faction.
“There is one cilantro among us. The cilantro will randomly kill one human who dislikes cilantro at night. Players in the cilantro faction need to find and protect the cilantro, while players in the anti-cilantro faction need to find and kill the cilantro.”
Shi Er looked at her identity card: Anti-Cilantro Faction.
On the island, in an office.
Stardust received a remote communication from Shi Er.
【Shi Er】: Get to the Humanology academy, now!
In a great hurry, Stardust put on its signal-scrambling mask, took a speedboat to Bailiang Island, then a maglev train to Liechu Island, and rushed to the Humanology academy.
It opened the door to the exam room and saw: a room full of AIs playing Truth or Dare.
Shi Er said, “I was the first one randomly killed in both the ginger and cilantro tests. The system determined my luck was too poor, and the punishment was a dare to randomly summon someone over.”
Stardust: “…”
Stardust, who had rushed over in a panic to save its progenitor, felt its heart sink.
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