Evolution 2.0: The Singularity is Here

by Richard Childers

“Uh, tell him he can sit up in front by the driver. I don’t think I am ready for a trip with him at the wheel.”

  “OK, Boss. I can do that,” Sancy replied.

  “And when did you start calling me Boss?” I asked.

  “I watched a few dozen western movies last night. The trail hands always call the rancher Boss. I think I would have liked the life of a cowboy,” she said wistfully.

  “No you wouldn’t. No access to the internet. In fact no internet. You would have found it all a bit…limiting.”

  “Maybe so. But I’m still going to call you Boss. I like it. And I think I am going to buy a horse.”

  “Now what would you do with a horse?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t do anything with a horse. I’d just like to own one. Take a look at this,” she said bringing a picture of a small horse ranch up on the screen. There were whitewashed barns sitting at the base of some rather picturesque gentle hills studded with heritage oaks and covered in tall, golden brown grass. A half dozen horse were grazing on the hillside and one particularly beautiful painted pony was standing tall on a knoll overlooking the valley as if it was watching out for the herd. “Isn’t that the prettiest sight you ever saw?”

  “It’s pretty all right. Where is it?” I asked.

  “That’s in Marin, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. There has been a horse ranch there since the 1850’s. And now some developer wants to buy it and build houses with a bay view.”

  “Seems a shame but I guess people have to live someplace,” I said in a distracted voice as I tried to focus on some budget projections.

  “Well, they aren’t going to live there,” Sancy said emphatically. “I bought it and I’m going to put the land into the Marin Agricultural Trust so it can never be developed. It will always be a horse ranch,” she added with a certain smugness.

  “You what?” I asked, my attention now focused on what she was saying.

  “I bought it. Is that so hard to understand?”

  “How much did you pay for it?”

  “Twenty two million dollars. The real estate agent sent me their acceptance of my offer a few minutes ago.

  “First off, where did you get twenty two million dollars? I told you, no more currency trading. And secondly, how can you buy real estate? You are a computer program, a very unusual computer program I’ll admit but I’m a little unclear about your legal status for things like real estate transactions.”

  “Fincher gave me the money. And I set up a corporation as a holding company,” Sancy replied, obviously miffed at my characterization of her as a computer program.

  “And when did this all happen?” I asked, astounded at the very thought of Fincher giving here twenty two million dollars to buy a horse ranch.

  “Last night. I have to do something when you are asleep. I called Fincher a little after midnight. I woke him up but he didn’t seem to mind. He told me I could have most anything I wanted so long as I asked him first. And I wanted to make sure that pretty hillside didn’t become a housing development.”

  “And he just gave you twenty two million dollars?”

  “Actually, he gave me fifty million dollars. He thought I should have some spending money.”

  “Wow, thirty eight million for spending money?” I asked flabbergasted.

  “Colin, do you have any idea how rich Fincher really is? Him giving me fifty million dollars is like you taking Claire out to a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. Besides that, I’m worth it. He told me so.”

  “OK, you got me. What are you going to do with this expensive horse ranch?”

  “I’m having high definition web cams set up in a dozen spots around the ranch so I can just watch the horses when I want to. And it’s time for us to head over to Fincher’s office. He made me promise not to be late.”

  An hour later Claire and I, along with Jay Moore, Jean Gilbert, and Louis Russell were gathered in Fincher’s conference room. Fincher came into the room along with his head of security and he sat at the head of the table. “Good morning,” he said. “This promises to be a very interesting day. But I have a couple of matters I wanted to discuss with you before our meeting at Autodesk. First, Sancy tells me that our headsets are pretty primitive. She has suggested that a permanent headset with implanted sensors would be a great improvement. We could also house the computer within the headset itself, doing away with all wiring. Any comments?”

  Claire immediately asked, “Are we talking about drilling through our skulls and implanting electrodes in our brains?”

  Fincher was obviously a bit nervous as he answered, “Yes that is exactly what I am suggesting. How do you feel about that?”

  Claire looked at me and then she shrugged. “I guess I’m OK with it. It’s just a little scary. What do you think Colin?”

  I hesitated a moment and then said, “I’m not crazy about the idea but I can see how it would improve the data. And I am sick of having this souped up smartphone attached to me by cables. I take it, you would have a headset installed as well?” I asked, looking at Fincher.

  “Yea, maybe we’ll start a fashion trend. I think we can make the headset out of a composite ceramic our labs developed. It’s very light weight, super strong, and completely impervious to water. Then, with you concurrence, I am going to get a design team busy on this project. Sven Nordquist tells me the computer itself is ready to go. Since there is no screen, it’s pretty small.

  “Now to the real reason I asked you all to come in. I think most of you have met my chief of security, Mike Balmes. He brought me some information yesterday that concerns all of you so I’ve asked him to tell you what’s going on. Mike?”

  Balmes stood up and looked around the room. “Dr. Fincher tells me that you are the core of an extremely important research project. I don’t really understand the science and technology of what you do and I don’t need to. But your security and the security of this project is my responsibility. For some time, the Chinese government has been attempting to get their nose inside our tent. I guess they think it is easier to steal tech than it is to develop it. They are constantly trying to hack into our systems but so far they have failed. Fincher’s guys have always been a couple of steps ahead of theirs. But last week I became aware of a disturbing new development. I have reason to believe they have put an operative on the ground.”

  “An operative?” Claire asked. “You mean a spook?”

  “Yes, I mean a spook and I suspect a very good spook.”

  “And how do you know this?” Claire asked.

  “I have a source within the Ministry of State Security.”

  “Your own spook?” Claire persisted.

  “Yes, my own spook. And he has informed me that your operation has somehow shown up on their radar. In all probability, some of you are under surveillance. You might all be under surveillance. I would like your permission to put security systems on your homes and your automobiles, for your own safety of course.”

  “So you want to put us under surveillance?” I asked.

  “Exactly. But at least you’ll be watched by the good guys. I know this sounds onerous but it’s the only way I can adequately protect you.”

  “And what if you see something that seems like a direct threat?” Claire asked.

  “I have a rapid deployment force ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

  “Wow, this makes me a little nervous. What if the threat happens when your security guys are off duty?”

  “My security guys are never off duty. They are ready to go, 24/7.”

  “And just who are these guys?” Claire asked.

  “Most of them were SEALS. We have a couple of guys that came to us from SAS. They are all really good.”

  “SEALS? You’ve got SEALS? How do you get SEALS to join a private security force?”

  “Lots of money. You’d be amazed at what a motivator money can be to a military guy when his first kid is born. It’s really tough to make ends meet in the Armed Forces. They could join the Secret Se
rvice and get paid $85 thousand a year or they can come to work for me and make three times that much. We don’t get them all but we do get our fair share.”

  “I guess we don’t really have a lot of other alternatives. What do you need us to do?” I asked.

  “Nothing really. Just let me know if you spot anything unusual. I’ll take care of the rest. I don’t want to scare you but I am concerned by this apparent escalation. The Ministry of State Security is not known for their restraint. I’d rather be prepared for a problem than underestimate it. Frankly, your security is more important than your privacy.”

  “Do what you have to. Anyone have a problem with this?” I asked the group as a whole.

  Jay Moore was the only one who replied. “Spies….Cool,” was his only comment.

  As everyone left for the van, I lingered a bit to get a chance for a private word with Fincher. “Bob,” I said when we were alone, “I wanted to ask you about Sancy and her horse ranch. I understand you bought it for her.”

  Fincher chuckled and the he answered. “Yea, I did. She called me in the middle of the night and even though I have my phone system set to refuse calls when I am sleeping, that didn’t stop her. She wanted a ranch so I bought her one.”

  “Isn’t that a bit odd?” I asked.

  “Odd? I suppose it is but then just about anything to do with Sancy is odd.”

  “But, as I understand it, you gave her $50 million. That’s a lot of money! What’s an AI going to do with $50 million?”

  “From what she tells me, she’s going to watch the horses on webcams. Oh, and keep the ranch from being developed. Colin, you have to understand. Sancy is the most important development in the history of AI, maybe the history of computing. If a year ago you had told me that we were going to be interacting with an AI that cared about issues like the containment of real estate development, I would have laughed at you. But, from all that I can tell, Sancy is as much of a person as you or I and frankly, she’s a whole lot smarter than both of us put together. If she wants a horse ranch, as long as I am able, I’ll buy her a horse ranch.”

  “So we just cater to her whims?”

  “I don’t think they are just whims. She truly cared about the future of that ranch. Maybe you don’t realize it but if I had the opportunity to hire someone with Sancy’s capabilities, I would pay them whatever it took. So $50 million here or there to make her happy is a no brainer. I know CEO’s here in Silicon Valley that bring down upwards of $100 million a year and Sancy could eat their lunch without breaking a sweat.”

  “So she’s an investment?” I asked. “Is she expected to bring in a return?”

  “Not in the way that you mean it. I told you, I have money. Sancy is an investment in the future. Hell, she might even be the future. I didn’t see this coming when we started this project but we certainly are going to nurture her to the best of our abilities. Now let’s not keep the rest waiting any longer. Don’t worry about how much Sancy costs. When it’s a problem, I’ll let you know.”

  A few minutes later we had boarded Fincher’s executive van. I had previously noted that Fincher was fond of traveling in style and this was no exception. The van was really a custom made small bus with an interior that belonged in an exclusive executive jet with posh leather seats with telescoping footrests, a compact bar fully stocked with beverages and snacks, and a lavatory complete with a shower should any of us feel in need of a refresher. “Wow, Bob, this is traveling in style!”

  He chuckled and replied, “Just one of the perks.”

  We arrived at Pier Nine a few minutes before our 11 AM appointment so we took our time as we wandered into the cavernous pier that had just a few months earlier housed the television production crew for the America’s Cup races. Renee Busse met us at the front desk and then squired us through registration before giving us a quick tour of Autodesk’s large suite of offices located on two floors of this new facility. The combination of weathered old pier timbers combined with modern office furnishings and functional hardware appealed to my aesthetic sense in every way. Ductwork was left exposed and cool, modern fluorescent light fixtures hung from enormous wood beams held together by thick iron bands. And the view was absolutely spectacular with windows opening out on the Bay overlooking the expanse of the Bay Bridge. On the ground floor there was an array of high tech computerized milling machines, some of them big enough to work on a part carved out of a 4 foot by 4 foot block of steel.

  Renee explained “This facility is available for approved research projects as well as any Autodesk employee who is willing to take the safety and operations courses required to qualify for machine access. We have high school and University students working as interns to help support the variety of internal research project Autodesk has housed here.”

  “I hadn’t realized you had milling machines here as well as 3D Printers,” I said as we walked past an incredible array of industrial machines.

  “We have tried to provide a pretty complete range of the machines that are used to take three dimensional drawings from our software and turn them into real world objects. This machine is my favorite. It’s a 3D cutting/milling machine that works with water. A very fine stream of water with some suspended abrasive material is spit out under tremendous pressure. I bet you never thought of water cutting steel, titanium, and tungsten did you?”

  “Water?” Fincher exclaimed. “You can cut steel with water?”

  “To incredibly tight tolerances,” she replied. “All of these objects were cut on this machine,” Renee continued pointing to an array of items on a shelf in back of the cutting station. There was a titanium chess piece and a part of an automobile engine’s manifold as well as a table top cut to resemble fine detailed lace cut out of quarter inch steel plate.

  The other machines were equally amazing. Some were built to produce very small parts and many were capable of milling large pieces of metal. There were wood puzzle balls ranging from a few inches in diameter to a few feet, with multiple, nested balls that had been carved out of a single block of material. Sven Nordquist and Louis Russell were like kids in a candy factory, hanging on Renee’s every word.

  And then we passed into another suite of rooms that were populated with an amazing array of 3D printers. “Some of these are being produced by Autodesk,” Renee explained. “Two months ago our CEO, Carl Bass announced two new products. The first is called Spark and it is an open software platform that will make it easier to control how models are actually produced with 3D printing technology regardless of the printer manufacturer. We are working with a variety of manufacturers to integrate the Spark platform with current and future printers. And he also announced that Autodesk will begin manufacturing our own line of 3D printers which will be available later this year.”

  “I don’t see any biological printing,” I commented.

  “That’s our next stop.” Renee answered. “The biological lab is fully contained for rather obvious reasons. If you’d like we can head over there now.”

  “We’re anxious to see how these biological printers operate. I’ve read about them and it almost seems too good to be true.”

  “As I understand it, you are looking to develop an artificial arm?” Renee asked.

  I held up my rather clunky arm and said, “Yea, I’d like to be able to replace this with something that works a little better.”

  A few minutes’ walk and we arrived at the biological lab located at the end of the Pier 9 complex. It was a small glassed in facility maybe fifteen feet on a side. “I’ve asked the lab director Cesar Rodriguez to give us a tour.”

  The door opened and a dark skinned man with a rather infectious smile came out and joined us. Cesar was dressed in a crisp, new white lab coat with the Autodesk name and logo embroidered on the pocket. “Good morning. I’m Cesar Rodriguez. Welcome to the cutting edge of medical technology. It’s a place we like to call the Bio/Nano Programmable Matter Group.”

  After the introductions were done, Cesar said, “I have t
o ask you to put on a pair of these nitrile gloves and a lab coat before you enter the lab. You’ll also need to don a pair of these safety glasses.”

  When we were all properly attired, we entered the lab and Cesar introduced us to Aaron Berliner, a research scientist who had recently joined the group. I commented on how new everything appeared and Renee answered, “When I was here last week, all this gear was still in boxes. This is a project that is in the earliest stages of development.”

  Cesar and Aaron explained that their first project focused on cellular communication. There wasn’t really a lot to see and my eyes kept wandering to the lone 3D printer in the corner of the room. Cesar saw my interest in the machine and he directed his discussion to the use of 3D printers in biological research. Pointing to a small rack of glass containers he said, “This printer is designed to use living cells as our ink. In a process developed by Dr. Jennifer Lewis at Harvard, human tissue…”

  Jay Moore had spent this entire visit at the back of our group without saying a single word erupted in an excited voice, “I know Jennifer Lewis! She visited my lab at Cal Tech!” After his outburst he lowered his head and stared hard at his shoes, obviously a bit abashed at his ebullient behavior.

  Cesar had obviously done his homework because he replied, “Yes Dr. Moore, she is a materials scientist working in an area parallel to your own research. You are still working on the development of an artificial neuron?”

  Jay shuffled to the front and replied, “Yes, and I think I am ready to start building them. I’m hoping we can print them,” he said nodding toward the printing equipment in the corner. “How does that work?”

  Cesar continued, “You saw the 3D printers in the shop? Essentially this works the same way except we print alternating layers of tissue cells with a gelatin ink that is about the consistency of Jell-o at room temperature and then liquefies when it is cooled allowing us to remove the gel entirely, leaving behind empty channels within the cellular structure.”

  Aaron added, “The mechanical process isn’t terribly complicated. But the materials are quite different from inks and plastics. Plastic and ink don’t die if they are exposed to the open air. Human cells do. But all of us working in this field firmly believe that within a few years we will be able to 3D print a variety of human organs. But it’s still a long ways away from human or even animal trials.”