Sensitivity Programming

(Source: Unsplash - Alex Knight)

“Would you like a sip of water?” asked the handsome man at the reception.

“Yes, thank you,” replied Jenna with a smile.

Despite the environmental controls maintained in the foyer of Military Tech, she was still a little flushed. It had been another searing forty degree day outside. Melbourne had only one season in year 2099, and that was dry season. It was difficult to imagine that in her Great Grandparents’ time, they complained about the inconvenience of four seasons in a day. Global warming had ended that half a century ago.

At the sound of a soft whirring, she turned her head to see a little robot roll around the corner. It offered her a tiny paper cup. She sipped the clear contents. It was cool and had just a touch of sweetness that was typical of recycled water. Then she looked down at the little white robot. It strangely reminded her of a wedding cake on wheels, her wedding cake to be exact. She’d cancel the order a week ago. The robot didn’t retreat, it remained still.

“It’s waiting for you to say thank you,” said the Receptionist. “It’s part of an experimental breed of BusyBots on the market. They’ve been designed to encourage human manners and development of a stronger appreciation of Artificial Intelligence.”

“Oh, sorry little bot—“

“His name is Alvin.”

Jenna smiled in good humor at the receptionist who looked patiently at her, then turned back to the waiting bot. “Thank you, Alvin.”

It spun on its wheels and rolled away.

Three people in military uniform and each holding tablets approached. Their faces were unsmiling and their were eyes direct. They were all looking at her.

Not for the first time, Jenna wondered if she’d been too quick to decline other lucrative job offers to remain available for this role. Even though the demand for women in the Artificial Intelligence had boomed in the last two decades, this opportunity was still rare. If she was successful, she would be a lead Mars Rover Engineer. It was a dream come true after eight years of hard work at the complete cost of her personal life. Her fingers rubbed where her engagement ring once sat. Going for this job had been the last straw with Gerard, her fiance of four years. She’d not been able to commit on a wedding date.

Jenna eyes were drawn by the many medals and tabs that decorated the men’s uniforms. She didn’t know exactly what they meant, but they were intimidating to see close up. Military Tech was a government owned engineering firm for space colonisation and water mining projects. They were also leaders in Augmented Robotics and Neural Regenerative Therapy. The oldest gentleman with the most medals spoke: “Ms Lo, I’m General Darren Kemp, Head of BioSciences.” He nodded to a slim Asian woman to his right. “This is Major Lee Tanto, Principal lead of AI Engineering.” Finally, he nodded to the bald gentleman with glasses on his left. “Lieutenant Levi Schlek, Mars Rover Program Coordinator for Gen-X8 Colonisation.”

Jenna’s heart jumped in excitement at the mention of the Gen-X8 colony. This role would involve spending time on the Mars outpost. Snapping out of her awe, she reminded herself she wasn’t a young graduate. With twelve years working in elite research programs with multi-million dollar budgets, she needed to set the tone for the meeting. Jenna stuck out her hand to General Kemp with a steady confidence and a welcoming smile she didn’t feel.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’ve read all your papers on Neural therapy and the benefits of Augmented Robotics.”

There was a brief moment where the General looked at her hand. Jenna forced her eyes to maintain contact. He took her hand and shook it firmly.

“Likewise. Dr Lo. We’ve reviewed all your papers on Emotional Intelligence and Sensitivity programming. Your methods and findings is why you’re standing here. We have questions.”

Jenna smiled warmly, “I’ll be glad to answer them.”

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Three hours and a projection filled with diagrams and notes later, General Kemp nodded to Jenna. “Thank you, Dr Lo. If you may proceed back to the foyer and wait, we’ll need to discuss your performance. We’ll speak with you again shortly. You’ll have an answer before you leave.” He turned to the others, dismissing Jenna.

Don’t panic, they asked a lot of questions, they seemed interested…

She picked up her tablet and left the room. Walking to her original seat, she flopped down in exhaustion.

“You’ve done well,” said the receptionist, he was staring at his monitor.

She looked up at him. He was so quiet, she didn’t notice he was at his desk.

“I hope so.”

“You were there for 3 hours, 5 minutes and 24 seconds. That is a positive indicator.” His attention was still on the monitor.

She grinned. “You have a timer for all candidates?”

He turned his head and smiled, but didn’t elaborate further.

Needing distraction, Jenna spoke to the receptionist again. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name before.”

“Calvin.”

Jenna blinked at the familiar sound of that before chuckling. “Calvin and Alvin, you two make a great team.”

Calvin’s smile disappeared. “Are you making fun of me? You don’t think it is original enough?”

Thrown off by the unexpected reaction, she recovered quickly. “Oh, I was noting the rhyming. Calvin is a lovely name—“ She looked at the corner where the robot had come previously. “As is Alvin.”

The busybot whirred around the corner holding a fresh paper cup. Jenna took the sip of water gratefully, she was parched from the meeting. “Thank you, Alvin.”

It spun around and left again.

“How long have you worked here, Calvin?” she asked to the side of his head. He was back to staring mutely at his screen.

“1 year, 2 months, 12 days, 3 hours and 12 seconds.”

Jenna was lost for words. Curiosity drew her to the reception counter. His head twisted away from the screen at her approach.

“Can I help you, Dr Lo?”

She looked down at his desk. It was neat to the point of sterile and devoid of personalisation. The papers were stacked carefully; the pencils stood in an orderly pattern in their cup. There was no dust, no rubbish, and no extraneous item. Everything was in its place, perfectly aligned like he was. From the styling of his hair, to the placement of his tie, to his smooth skin, he was too symmetrical—too perfect! She stared him, trying to hide her shock. Even the way he sat, rod straight with his head turned to her was unnaturally precise. Realisation dawned.

“What is your make and model, Calvin?”

“Classified.”

“What is your creation date, Calvin?”

“Classified.”

“What is—“

A camera sitting on the counter swivelled to point at her and General Kemp’s voice came through the intercom. “Calvin, escort Dr Lo back to the meeting room, please.”

“Affirmative, Sir.”

Calvin stood up stiffly and walked to Jenna. A chill ran down her back and she instinctively stepped back. He extended his suited arms towards the corridor, his eyes unnaturally intent as if he was assessing her every reaction. “If you could please return to the meeting room, Dr Lo?”

“Y—yes…”. She scooted around him, looking closely at his features as she passed. It was amazing how real he was. Jenna was tempted to pinch him. When she finally returned to the meeting room, her interviers looked at her solemnly. This time, she was less intimidated. Compared to Calvin outside, they looked...human.

“We like you, Dr Lo.”

It sure didn’t look like it, thought Jenna.

“As you’ve guessed by now, we’re in the business of dealing with highly advanced robotics. Hopefully, Calvin didn’t unsettle you too much.”

“No, he didn’t scare me,” she lied. Her mind was racing now at the possibilities and what Military Tech wanted from her.

“We’d like you to join our organisation. Your remuneration will be exceptional and you will have the opportunity to work closely with cutting-edge technology that will change how you perceive AI. Calvin is an example.”

The gravity of his voice calmed her. “I’m curious, Sir. Why me and is this role really that of a Rover Engineer?”

“Yes, but with a slight adjustment. Before Levi can explain further, I’ll need you to sign this employment contract. You were asked to read the terms closely before attending today.”

Major Tanto pushed her tablet across the table to Jenna.

“We’ve had you closely monitored over the year long interview process. We’re comfortable you’ll fit in with the team. A facial scan and a voice confirmation you agree to the terms of this contract and you’ll be working at the forefront of Artificial intelligence. But you need to confirm now.”

“If I decline?” Jenna was now coming to grips with what applying for this role might mean. A part of her wondered if she’d be allowed to leave the building.

Would they make sure I disappeared quietly if I changed my mind?!

Her eyes suddenly scanned the grey room that was windowless, an inkling of panic set in. Did she know too much already? There was suddenly not enough air in the room.

Stop getting hysterical, woman!

“You won’t disappear if that’s what you’re worried about,” said Lieutenant Schlek, with the first real smile from the group. “You only need to sign the non-disclosure agreement. You’ll be under close surveillance for the next decade to ensure it’s been enforced. We didn’t expect you to engage Calvin—most people ignore the Receptionist.”

“You might also consider that water you drank will soon be running out in two decades. The success of water mining on Mars is critical in securing water for future generations. You could be an important pioneer of the future of water mining,” said Lieutenant Schleck. His expression was warm and encouraging. “We need someone like you.”

Jenna was certain she was being manipulated, but she couldn’t deny the water shortages were getting worse. She made a snap decision, looked into the camera of the tablet and said, “I accept.”

General Kemp smiled broadly. “You’ll look back to this moment and remember you made the right choice, Dr Lo. Remember, we’re military and that means you still need to go through basic training. The conditions on Gen-X8 will be challenging. ”

Oh bother...

“Of course, Sir. As for the Rovers?”

Lieutenant Schleck responded, “The rovers are being decommissioned. We’re replacing them with our Synthesizers. These are Cyborgs we’ve been re-engineering for three decades. They are partially human, partially robots. Advanced augmentation of AI robotics as well as genetic engineering are involved in their development.”

“You’ve created the super warriors that were conceived early in our century!” Horror set inside her.

“Miners and Scientists, Dr Lo. They’re not there to kill us, they’ve been created to save us. They have been bred to survive extreme conditions like Mars. Their bipedal abilities and motivation to survive and learn has made them adapt in unexpected ways. They’ve been a reality and part of our workforce for almost decade. The public are just not aware of it because they live on Gen-X8.”

Jenna’s eyes widened. “Dr Tanya Lee, the famous Mars Botanist?”

“An early model Synthesizer,” replied Lieutenant Schlek.

“So my role is to do what exactly?”

“Our Synthesizers struggle with empathy. It’s usually in the Roving Synthesizers that we are phasing in to replace the mechanical Rovers. Your job is to work with them and develop a Sensitivity Program.”

“How have they struggled?”

“They’ve killed themselves and each other.”

Research link(s):
https://qz.com/1175985/the-future-of-ai-will-be-female/

-- more to be added --

Note and apologies: This was thrown together in a last minute (I thought) mad dash, so I will clean this up later now that I know I have a little more time. Need to go back to being a mother for a bit!

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This is an entry for the wonderful competition run by the @teamgirlpowa. Please visit the competition link and don't forget to read the Women's History and Women's Future entries! There's still time for entries!!

Also big thanks to the @eaglespirit and the generous Sponsors of this competition. As a woman working in a technical field surrounded by men, I loved pondering on the idea. So excited to be part of this contest! <3