Awaken Online: Dominion

by Travis Bagwell

  With a sigh, Jason turned back to the screens in front of him. The money was gone now, but at least this was something he would probably have spent it on anyway. As he reviewed the auction console, he could see that the window had already updated. He now had the ability to make automated bids with certain bid caps, and he could assign budgets for each type of product bid. Honestly, the UI was kind of incredible. A savvy player with a bit of money could probably make a fortune if they invested correctly.

  Or tried to monopolize an entire industry and artificially drive up prices, he thought with dry amusement.

  Jason immediately funneled 1,000 gold into his new merchant account and began setting up bids. He prioritized the critical items on Eliza’s list and then placed bids on all the major ingredients needed to create the health potions as well as the potions themselves – setting rather substantial bid limits. Within only a few minutes, he was done, and he stood back to examine his work. A single, large button hovered in the air before him, asking him to confirm his automated bids.

  He could feel a flutter of doubt in his stomach as his hand hung over the button. The images of the injured undead were still fresh in his mind. In many ways, it was his people’s money he was gambling. On the other hand, if this worked, then he would also make out like a bandit and the profits could help subsidize and stabilize the city’s waning economy. He might also be able to leverage his new manufacturing operation into trade deals with the nearby NPC cities. This would go a long way toward helping his people – once he found a way to rid himself of Thorn, of course.

  Jason closed his eyes and summoned his dark mana, using the energy to push back at his nervousness. As his thoughts began to settle, he remembered his last conversation with Rex. The former general might be right about his combat training. Jason needed to tackle the challenges head-on – despite how much he hated it. That was the only way he could get better.

  However, the other part of Rex’s speech stuck with him now. Jason had made it this far by using his brain and outfoxing his opponents. This was how he had conquered Lux and the dungeon outside of Peccavi – how he and his friends had completed the Hippie’s maze. At each step along that path, he had been forced to gamble big. He wouldn’t be standing here now if he hadn’t put everything on the line.

  He opened his eyes, and his fist slammed down on the confirm button.

  He sure as hell wasn’t going to stop now.

  Chapter 25 - Mechanized

  Claire sat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. The murmur of hushed whispers drifted around her as the other spectators at the CPSC hearing spoke amongst themselves. Her stomach seemed to be doing summersaults as she looked toward the tables resting in front of the bench.

  Robert sat with Francis and George. Somehow, the engineer had managed to dress himself like a grown man for a change and he was attired in a pressed gray suit and tie. If Claire’s chaotic thoughts would have stopped spinning in an endless nervous circle, she might have even thought that Robert looked handsome. As it was, she could barely focus on that thought as she anticipated what this hearing would entail.

  Today was the day that Robert would testify before the regulatory committee.

  As though he could feel her staring at the back of his head, the engineer turned and gave her a lopsided grin. Then he winked and turned back around.

  Of course, Robert wasn’t feeling nervous – he never seemed to be fazed by anything. As long as Claire had known him, the engineer only seemed to care about one thing – building things. The more “awesome” the creation, the better. In contrast, Claire had always been the one to worry for him. In some ways that made them a good team, with Robert’s unbridled enthusiasm barely reined in by Claire’s ruthless pragmatism.

  She shifted her gaze to her left, looking at Jason beside her. His gaze was distant, as though he were thinking about something else, and he kept glancing at his Core. She noted the dark circles under his eyes and the way he occasionally rubbed at his neck. It looked like he hadn’t been sleeping. She couldn’t tell if that was because of the hearing or something else.

  The door behind the bench abruptly opened, and the senators filed out, quickly taking their seats. By the second day of the hearing, the Senators had dropped most of the formalities customarily associated with an actual trial, and no one stood at their entrance. After getting settled, Senator Lipton surveyed the two tables before him, meeting the gaze of both Francis and Gloria. As everyone turned their attention to the front of the room, the whispers in the gallery stilled.

  “Today, we will be hearing from a witness called by the CPSC, one Robert Graham,” the senator said aloud, addressing the room. He shifted his attention to Robert. “Mr. Graham, could you please approach the stand.”

  “I would be happy to,” Robert said with a grin.

  The next couple of minutes were taken up by swearing Robert in and allowing him to get comfortable on the witness stand. The time seemed to pass too quickly for Claire. As Robert swore to speak the truth, she had to fight the urge to grimace. She had some inkling of what Gloria hoped to accomplish today, and it wouldn’t end well. At least, not once Claire eventually took the stand. She swallowed hard against the nervous nausea that lingered at the back of her throat.

  Once Robert was seated, the Senator turned to Gloria. “Ms. Bastion, since you have called Mr. Graham, we’ll let you question him first.”

  Gloria gave the Senator a respectful nod and then rose to her feet, circling the desk to approach Robert. He watched her with a slightly amused expression. Claire knew that the pair had a long, and not always cordial, history. Gloria had been a pain in the ass during development. She had constantly moved the goal posts on the trials and incessantly demanded more stringent safety requirements. For someone like Robert, this had felt like having his hands and feet tied.

  “Mr. Graham,” Gloria began, “Could you please state your occupation and role at Cerillion Entertainment.”

  “So formal, Gloria! We’ve known each for years. You can call me Robert. As to my occupation, I’m an engineer,” Robert replied with a smile. “I build things for Cerillion Entertainment. That’s sort of what engineers do.” This earned him a few chuckles from the gallery.

  A flash of annoyance crossed Gloria’s face at Robert’s glib tone. “Fine, Robert. Let me rephrase. What is your title with Cerillion Entertainment?”

  “I’ve held several positions over the years, but I am currently the Director of Research and Development,” Robert replied.

  “Could you tell us a little about yourself and your credentials?”

  “I have a few undergraduate and graduate degrees,” Robert replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “In college, I dabbled in electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and my research thesis was focused on the development of artificial intelligence. Other than that, I’m a Capricorn, and I hate long walks on the beach. The sand always gets everywhere.”

  Claire snorted softly. Of course, Robert would be making jokes at a time like this. She also knew that he had downplayed his background – a natural defense mechanism for someone like him. In fact, Robert was a certified genius. He had obtained his undergraduate degree from MIT at the age of fourteen and had then “dabbled” in more than a dozen technical and scientific fields before landing on artificial intelligence. That had been one problem that didn’t seem to have an answer – something that had intrigued a younger Robert. Although, sometimes it was difficult for her to remember his hefty IQ when he did something truly idiotic – like antagonize Gloria during a public hearing.

  The director of the CPSC rubbed at her temple with one hand, trying to decide how to phrase her next question. “Good to know. Could you please tell us your role in creating the AI controller for Awaken Online?”

  “I was requested by Cerillion Entertainment to design a form of advanced artificial intelligence for their new game – what we now call Awaken Online. The game was intended to utilize t
he – at the time – relatively new full-immersion VR hardware, simulating a real-life experience for its users. Unfortunately, this immediately proved more difficult than in other games. AO was just a different animal.”

  “Could you elaborate on that last point?” Gloria asked.

  Robert cocked his head slightly. “The issue was one of complexity. Games have been developing something they refer to as ‘AI’ for some time now. Those previous AI controllers handled how enemy units or mobs operated inside the game world. However, that ‘AI’ was anything but. It was usually nothing more than a long chain of if-then statements, causing enemies to operate in predictable and sometimes illogical ways. For example, enemy units would routinely fail to find a safe path to a player, get hung up on geometry, and stand in place or fail to avoid obvious attacks in certain circumstances. Keep in mind that these are just examples of how the previous ‘AI’ handled combat and pathing. The problem was even worse in normal dialogue.”

  “How does this affect Awaken Online?” Gloria interjected.

  “In short, the VR technology added a new set of issues. It wasn’t good enough for our in-game NPCs to recite stock phrases or to have enemy creatures go through the same static, mechanical behavior. While this might be acceptable in a game that clearly isn’t real, the experience is extremely jarring within the VR space. It completely shatters a player’s suspension of disbelief.”

  Gloria looked confused, and Robert elaborated, “Imagine you are in the real world and you go to local coffee shop. While you’re there, you mention to the barista that it’s raining really hard outside. A real person would be able to dynamically interpret and respond to your question and access their memory of the weather that day. In contrast, a typical NPC would simply stare at you blankly or repeat an ambiguous stock phrase. They have no ability to adapt or improvise. However, those failings become more pronounced and noticeable as you increase the realism. Players expect the barista to be able to answer their question since she appears to be indistinguishable from a real person.

  “What we needed in AO was the equivalent of dynamic human oversight, but this was impractical. You can’t have a human person – or an entire building full of administrators – weighing in on everything happening in-game. So, we set off to build an AI controller that could exercise judgment and improvisation much like a human, but simultaneously make hundreds of thousands of those decisions in real time.”

  “Which led to the creation of the current AI controller for AO?” Gloria asked.

  “Which lead to hundreds of failed attempts and years of testing before we developed the current AI controller,” Robert amended with a derisive snort. “And even then, that was only the development of the core algorithms that stand behind the current version of AO’s AI controller. What we have now is something significantly more advanced than our original prototype. For all intents and purposes, it’s a real person running the show.”

  “A real person? Surely the current AI controller is still only a pale imitation of a thinking person, no?” Gloria asked, watching Robert carefully. “It will never truly be sentient.”

  Claire knew she was baiting Robert, and she suspected that the engineer knew that as well, yet he still couldn’t resist responding. “Let me answer your question with a question. If I were to replicate every atom in your child’s body and instill her with the same memories, would she be the same person as your real daughter?”

  Gloria looked a little taken aback. “Um, no. You just made some sort of clone.”

  Robert leaned forward. “But what’s the difference? As far as you know, this ‘clone’ is indistinguishable from your daughter. Their behavior is identical. All the outward actions are the same. If I replaced your ‘real’ daughter with the clone, how would you even know? In any way you can test or measure, she is the same person.”

  “Is there a point here?” Gloria snapped, evading the question as her fingers clenched around the notes in her hand.

  “The point is that it’s difficult to test for self-awareness, intelligence, a soul – whatever you want to call that intangible something that makes us alive. Just like it’s difficult to test whether your daughter’s clone is the same person. All we can look to is behavior. And once the behavior reaches the point where there are no obvious differences, there is no way to tell the two apart. As far as we can tell, they are the same person.”

  “So, you’re claiming that your AI controller is sentient then?” Gloria asked, skepticism coloring her voice.

  “I’m claiming that you couldn’t prove that he’s not. Which is as close as we’ll ever get to a true AI,” Robert said simply, crossing his arms.

  Gloria glanced down at the notes in her hand to give herself a moment to frame her next question. “Is that why you’ve named him?”

  “That may be a symptom of any long-term engineering product,” Robert answered with a grin. “I once named a prototype wireless router Captain Connecticon. But yes, our staff named the AI controller Alfred.”

  “Fine, then. Let’s assume that you have created an AI controller – Alfred – that is indistinguishable from a real, human person. Each player is also hooked into VR hardware that directly manipulates their mind and body. Alfred then has the ability to access and influence each player’s mind. A human person in that position would have numerous safety protocols and heavy-handed oversight. Should Alfred be any different?”

  Robert nodded. “The answer is simple. He is different. Unlike a human person, we can imprint commands directly into Alfred’s ‘mind.’ We built multiple safety protocols into his core processes that restrain him from taking any action that would harm the players. In fact, you could argue that he is safer than a true-human administrator.”

  “What types of safety protocols were put in place?”

  “Alfred’s protocols were broken into primary and secondary directives. A primary directive would include something incredibly important. For example, a general prohibition to harm a player. Secondary directives were more specific and intended to address obvious risks. For example, the ability to access and modify memories. However, the hardware itself also includes certain safeguards.”

  “Why was memory important as a safety issue?” Gloria asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Robert stared at her incredulously. “For the same reasons we just discussed. Memory dictates behavior. We are how we act. Just like the hypothetical clone of your daughter. The ability to manipulate a person’s memories could intrinsically alter who they are.”

  “Interesting,” Gloria murmured quietly. “With regard to the VR hardware, you mentioned that the headsets contain their own safeguards. Could you elaborate on that point?”

  Robert raised a skeptical eyebrow, likely because he was aware that Gloria already knew the answer to that question. “In addition to the primary and secondary directives built into Alfred’s codebase, we also built safety features into the VR hardware itself. For example, the headsets will automatically eject a player if they detect vital signs above certain thresholds.”

  “But there’s still the concern that the AI controller could take over a player or alter their memories, correct?” Gloria nudged Robert.

  He snorted in amusement. “I suppose it’s possible, but it’s equally likely that I’ll be struck by lightning on my way home. The VR hardware is simply incapable of this level of sophistication. That would be like trying to carve a sculpture with a jackhammer. The headsets currently available to the public are a first-generation model, and they have a lot of limitations.”

  “It’s interesting that you mention that the headsets are a first-generation design. Are there plans for a newer model?”

  Claire’s fidgeting stilled at this question.

  Robert glanced furtively at George, and the CEO gave a discreet nod. “In fact, yes. That’s sort of what tech companies do – constantly improve on their previous designs.”

  “Have you already developed a prototype?” Gloria asked.

  “Yes,”
Robert said. “Although, any specific information is proprietary. I’m sure you understand.”

  Gloria waved a hand at the engineer. “I certainly do. No need to go into detail. Are the new headsets more sophisticated than their public counterparts, and have you distributed any of those headsets to the players?”

  Another nod from George and Robert answered smoothly, “The prototypes are quite a bit more sensitive than the first-generation model. As to your second question, a handful of prototypes have been distributed to certain high-profile players with significant play time. They are the best test candidates. They have also signed NDAs, of course.”

  “Have you given one of these headsets to Jason Rhodes, the young man who rules the Twilight Throne in-game?” Gloria asked.

  Robert glanced at Jason, and Claire could see that the teen’s face had gone deathly white. “Jason was one of the players we contracted with to test the new hardware, yes,” Robert said.

  “Thank you, Mr. Graham,” Gloria said, a smile curling her lips.

  The CPSC director hesitated, glancing down at her notes for a long moment. Then she stepped toward the engineer and met his gaze evenly, letting the silence lengthen and stretch. “Have you observed any evidence that Alfred has circumvented or ignored his safety protocols? Anything at all at any point since you originally helped develop the AI controller?”

  Claire suddenly realized that she was holding her breath. Gloria had framed her question as carefully as possible to leave Robert no room to wiggle out. This was the point where the CPSC director was trying to catch him in a lie on the record. She could feel guilt twisting and writhing in her gut. If Robert said no, he would directly contradict Claire’s own testimony in the next few days – when she had the hard data to back it up. There was the possibility he could be found guilty of contempt since he was aware of at least some breaches of Alfred’s protocols and many of those instances had been documented in the meticulous logs Claire had kept of their internal trials.