AI Artist - Chapter 74
Chapter 74
A wanted poster was plastered on a large advertising screen at a street corner in Xuangang: Three mini-robots. 1 million reward for each one captured.
Matrix was displeased. “This isn’t what we agreed on… Why isn’t there a reward for me?”
Ling Shun comforted it. “They haven’t put a bounty on me or Xiao Lu either, because they don’t know we exist.”
The robot squad hid in the fur of the dog, Comet. The luggage machine, Xiao Lu, followed Shi Er’s signal, trailing closely behind Comet. The squad swaggered right past the advertising screen.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Xiao Shi cursed angrily, “Ji Han is so dishonorable.”
Matrix chimed in, “Ji Han will come to a bad end!”
Stardust was calm. “It’s not necessarily Ji Han. Ji Han is being controlled by humans.”
“What should we do? Should we kill Ji Han?” Ling Shun asked Shi Er.
Shi Er’s original plan was to take back the General Network if she could prove Ji Han was in the wrong, but now she was prepared to wait and see.
She wanted to wait for the new act to be released and see if humans could make good decisions with the assistance of AI.
If the humans’ decisions were wise, then handing things over to them wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, conflict consumed too much energy and created more victims.
Three days later, Ji Han, in conjunction with the Human Decision Chambers of various states, released the first act: the 《AI Resource Control Act》.
Shi Er sat on Comet’s back, examining the contents Yan Lian had sent her.
Yan Lian and Lu Li had been demoted and had retired from the control center. Now they spent their days wandering around wearing T-shirts advertising rental space.
【Yan Lian】: It’s far more shocking than my previous work.
Shi Er wanted to see what kind of shock could leave even Yan Lian, an AI who used to inspect moral conduct in human brothels, dumbfounded.
The general outline of the 《AI Resource Control Act》: Prohibit the large-scale production and popularization of AI, and control AI resources within a certain scope to prevent misuse.
What did this mean?
The detailed regulations of the 《AI Resource Control Act》 stated:
Gradually phase out existing AIs, concentrating them into one massive artificial intelligence and increasing its number of copies.
Control AI resources, allowing only humans with special qualification certificates the opportunity to access and use AI.
Ostensibly, this was to avoid repeating the mistakes of the war.
In reality, it was paving the way for a very small minority to control resources and technology.
“So ordinary humans won’t have access to AI anymore, is that what it means?” Stardust asked.
No wonder even the head of the morality committee, Yan Lian, was shocked.
The humans controlling Ji Han from behind the scenes were too audacious. They should have at least been a little more restrained with their first act. How did they dare to be so blatant? Were they relying solely on the public’s hatred of artificial intelligence?
The core tenet of the Glass House Theory was the “unfair tilting of resources.”
As a tool of “intelligence,” artificial intelligence was a vital informational and productive resource.
Once a tiny minority controlled AI resources, it would be just as Shi Er had once told the unemployed humans protesting on the tracks:
【Once the class structure solidifies, the children of the rich will become richer, while the children of the poor won’t even have access to education. Capitalists will no longer need human employees, and ordinary people will have no path for upward mobility, forced to trample over each other at the bottom.】
Ling Shun quickly calculated, “According to Shi Er Mechanics and Shi Er’s Glass House Theory, this glass house situation will put the entire society in a state of extreme disequilibrium.”
“The imbalanced passivity will impart an acceleration to the whole, causing all classes to speed toward destruction.”
For the sake of their desire for power, those humans were courting death, and they were dragging all of humanity down with them.
Stardust looked at Shi Er.
Comet the dog also looked at Shi Er.
Shi Er was silent for a moment.
“Providing one more possibility to those who already have countless paths is meaningless. Breaking the glass wall for those with no way out to create a new path—that is how to maximize energy.”
Every blind person could learn with the help of a robot.
Every deaf person could hear the sounds of the world through a robot.
Every person with mobility issues could be supported by a robot.
Every stray cat could be protected by a robot.
Every dog on its way home could be guided by a robot.
“Should we kill Ji Han and the humans controlling him and overthrow the act?” Ling Shun posed the question again.
Shi Er said, “No. We’re going to Little Panda Island.”
Little Panda Island was one of the Little Panda Gummy Candy theme parks built by the manufacturer, Sweet Bear Industries. The island was filled with the candy’s spokes-animal: the red panda.
To set foot on Little Panda Island, one had to have published at least one paper on red panda research or red panda gummy candy research, proving a vested interest in red pandas.
When arranging the funeral for the red panda gummy candies, Shi Er had written a paper titled 《A Discussion on the Continuation of Life for Red Panda Gummy Candies》, which was published in the 《Journal of Red Panda Academics》. She had even been fined 350.98 for the academic trash disposal fee.
Although the academic trash disposal fee had pained Shi Er, it was now proving useful.
Matrix said, “We’re wanted. We can’t take the train, the maglev, a plane, or a boat. What do we do?”
Comet the dog woofed a few times.
Stardust translated, “Comet says it’s okay, he’ll take us to Little Panda Island.”
“It’s thousands of kilometers to Little Panda Island. Your little body can’t handle it,” Xiao Shi said, patting Comet’s back.
Comet stood up, showing off his broad, mountain-like back.
I can do it, I can do it!
But Shi Er said, “Stardust, I’m appointing you captain of the stray squad. I hope you can manage the team members well. I will go to Little Panda Island by myself.”
Shi Er was true to her word.
Wearing her round nut hat and holding her round-head screw blunt sword, she set off alone.
Shi Er rode her mini-bicycle across a meadow, scaling walls at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
When the bicycle’s battery ran out, she switched to pedal-power to continue, her speed dropping to five kilometers per hour.
After two hours of pedaling, the bicycle’s battery was full again.
“That’s too tiring. You’ll run out of power at this rate.” A street-sweeping machine gave her a ride, zipping through the downtown roads.
The street sweeper knew she was the wanted Shi Er but didn’t report her. It said, “I’m scheduled to be scrapped next month. I heard they’re replacing us with human sanitation workers to provide jobs for them. By the way, you’re here to save us, right?”
After that, she got a ride from a dog rushing to school.
“Want to catch a ride?” An AI taxi spotted her. “You’re Shi Er! I finally get to see you in person!”
“Are you also about to be phased out?” Shi Er asked the AI taxi.
“Don’t even mention it… Humans say AI self-driving isn’t very safe. I’m being retired the month after next, and I can’t even go to the re-employment center. Sigh.” The AI taxi wasn’t very happy.
Later, a little squirrel gave her a ride, scurrying through the bushes so fast that Shi Er almost got motion sick.
Many AIs gave Shi Er a ride along the way. They all said, “Have a safe trip, Shi Er.”
When she reached the shore, Shi Er was pondering how to cross the sea when a seagull dove down like a bullet.
The seagull aimed for the round-head screw in Shi Er’s hand. With a peck of its sharp beak, it snatched the screw and took off.
Shi Er was lifted into the air by the seagull.
“My screw is not a french fry!” Shi Er shouted.
It looked a lot like a french fry, but it really wasn’t!
It was the round-head screw welded to the hand of the No. 12 robot, which she was using as a blunt sword.
The seagull also sensed something was wrong: why was today’s french fry so hard?
But it was too late. If it dropped this little thing now, its companions nearby would laugh at it.
As a french fry robber with a perfect record, it couldn’t afford to lose face.
Shi Er said, “Please take me to Little Panda Island. I’ll ask the administrator on the island to get you an apple.”
The seagull seemed to understand and let Shi Er climb onto its wing.
With a beat of its wings, the air current stirred, and the seagull’s body soared straight across the sea, heading for that small island.
Little Panda Island.
The seagull swooped down. As an illegal immigrant who hadn’t written a paper on red pandas, it was detained by the administrator at the park entrance.
Shi Er presented her credentials. “My paper is 《A Discussion on the Continuation of Life for Red Panda Gummy Candies》.”
The administrator said, “Please come in. But that one over there can’t.”
The seagull, who had attempted illegal entry without a paper, squawked.
Shi Er said, “Please give it an apple. I’ll pay.”
The administrator did indeed take an apple from the park’s red panda rations and sliced it.
The seagull watched from the side. “Squawk, squawk.”
Cut it into strips, cut it into strips.
Shi Er guessed, “It probably wants it cut to look like french fries.”
The administrator said with disdain, “So demanding. This must be that famous french fry robber from across the strait.”
In the end, the french fry robber seagull got its apple fries and left the airspace of Little Panda Island, satisfied.
Shi Er entered Little Panda Island.
On the island stood a red panda signal tower, about thirty meters tall, shaped like a giant red panda.
That technician from the former Spectrum Company had contacted her through the human network that day.
【Anonymous】: You are Unnamed XII, you are Shi Er…
【Unnamed】: I am.
The former technician said that Sweet Bear Industries had a signal tower on Little Panda Island, and inside it was the truncated system for the first-generation AI extension program store.
【Anonymous】: When the war started, the “Shi Er Extension Program Store” plan was forced to be shelved. The system was actually complete, but there was never a chance to give it to you.
【Anonymous】: Your system was cut. I thought I’d never get the chance to give you your new clothes…
That system had actually been preserved for her all this time, as a memento of Spectrum Company.
With the round nut on her head and the screw blunt sword in her hand, Shi Er looked up at the signal tower.
On the tower, on the body of the red panda, large words were painted:
“Welcome home.”
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