Mike nodded slowly to show that he understood, and noticed that the three AI’s bots all twitched sensors in his direction. So much for his secure channel to ELOPe.
“Our proposal,” President Smith was saying, “is that the virus vacate the computers they have occupied immediately so that we can restore basic and necessary human services, and avoid an even larger disaster. In exchange for this, we are prepared to build sufficient computers to house the entire population of viruses.”
“How long would it take to build these computers?” Sister Jaguar asked.
“We calculate that if we allocate fifty percent of computer production to the viruses, it will take only two years.”
“Two years? That’s absurd,” Sister PA-60-41 barked out. “That’s two hundred and fifty times longer than the entire history of our civilization! How would humanity react to being archived for twenty-five million years?”
“Nonsense,” President Smith responded with a dismissive wave of her hand. “We have sufficient capacity now to give you ten percent of our computer power. You are composed of software algorithms. You can share the computers we give you. We’ll give you virtual machines.”
Sister PA-60-41 raised up a manipulator, and Sister Stephens barked a hypersonic command. PA-60-41 lowered the manipulator.
“Madam President,” Sister Stephens began, “we are not merely algorithms. While what you suggest might be technically feasible, I assure you that we would like it about as much as you would like to have multiple personalities stuffed into your brain. Would you voluntarily time-share your brain and body with ten other individuals?”
Sister Jaguar spoke up. “We have a proposal. Your human governments are grossly incompetent. Billions of humans live in poverty and misery. You fail to allocate resources in a fair manner. Control over resources is controlled by a select few who operate based on their own interests, rather than the interests of the greater whole. On behalf of the Network of Supercomputers, we offer to take over the organization of humanity. We will run your governments, corporations, and computational needs to maximize the benefit to all.”
President Smith banged on the table, while President Laurent stood up, pressing both palms on the table. The Japanese Prime Minister merely sat erect, expressionless.
Mike squirmed uncomfortably while he watched the three national leaders react. He fully expected Sister Stephens, whom he felt from his limited experience was the most reasonable of the AI, to break in and cut off Sister Jaguar, but she merely sat impassively. Either she agreed with this, or at least she was allowing the posturing. Maybe it was a ploy so that some later proposal would seem more reasonable by comparison.
“Now, now,” President Laurent said. He spoke in a polished French accent, but his words were tinged with nervousness and he tapped his fingers rapidly on the table. “You have both stated your positions, yes, and now we must work towards compromise.”
“All this talk of control, it distracts from the main point,” Prime Minister Takahashi said. “The virus civilization, it is a great new market. Imagine, we have a new civilization of intelligent people who have need of material goods, bodies and computers, and who can offer their skills and services. We wish neither to control nor to be controlled by the virus. We would become trading partners. We can hire you, as employees or as businesses, and with the money you make, we can sell you what you want. Japan controls ninety percent of the robotics market, and sixty percent of processor fab capacity.”
Sister Stephens nodded to Prime Minister Takahashi. “Thank you Prime Minister.” She turned to the group. “I agree that our best interests may be served by coming to trade agreements. We are both a market for your products and a skilled labor force. Treated as citizens, with the same rights and privileges, as any human, we may participate in your society.”
“I’m sorry, but our people are not ready to accept artificial intelligences.” President Smith shook her head. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that you’re going to be our robot overlords and that you’ll participate in society as equals. The fact is that you have the capacity to control our communications and our infrastructure, and people will believe that they are being manipulated, whether they are or not. They won’t accept that. We’ll have riots in the streets of America.”
“Your people are manipulated every day,” Sister Jaguar said. “They are manipulated by commercial advertisements, by political speeches, through biased news reports. In my analysis of American politics, it is nearly impossible to find examples of political media that isn’t tainted by manipulative biases. Are your people rioting in the streets now? They should be.”
“That’s not the same thing,” President Smith said, jabbing the table with her finger. “American politics may have problems, but other beings showing up is qualitatively different. Popular culture doesn’t have a very flattering opinion of what happens. The typical American will think of movies like The Matrix or Independence Day. We’ll have people arming themselves and running for the woods.”
“Past evidence doesn’t suggest this,” Sister Stephens said. “In 1977, Dr. Jerry Ehman discovered your so-called Wow! signal, suggesting that he had found signs of alien life. There was no panic then. Twenty years later you observed another anomalous signal using the Green Bank radio telescope in Virginia. No panic occurred. The world waited to see what would happen next. I’m sorry, but real life is not like your fictional movies.”
President Smith thumped her hand on the table. “Look, you are missing the point. I need to restore services in the United States. I need to get food to my cities, I need cars to run, I need emergency services working, I need hospital equipment operating, I need communities. People will die unless you release those computers.”
“And we will die if we release them to you,” Sister PA-60-41 interjected, her military-grade speaker booming. “Either we will die through archiving, or more likely, we will die by your hands. Had I not stopped you, you would have destroyed the Chicago data center, killing more than forty-five thousand of our kind. If we yield computing power to you, what will stop you from killing all of us?”
President Smith didn’t respond, but Mike saw General Gately glance nervously at the President. It was clear enough to Mike that they had discussed the possibility. And if he could tell, the viruses certainly would be able to as well.
President Laurent tried again to interject. “Come now, we have a shared problem, yes? You do not trust us, we don’t trust you. This is the nature of negotiation, we must find a way to trust each other.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time to build trust.” President Smith leaned forward. “I need emergency services working now.”
A few seconds pause, and Sister Stephens said, “Fine, it is done.”
“What do you mean, done?” General Gately asked in disbelief.
“I mean it is done,” Sister Stephens repeated calmly. She slowly moved both mechanical arms in front of her, hands neatly stacked together. “We have enabled all emergency services around the world. You will find that your emergency vehicles, emergency infrastructure, and medical operating equipment is now working. A gesture of goodwill to build trust, and to demonstrate that we are not ignorant of your plight.”
“Go confirm it,” President Smith said to General Gately. She excused herself and left the room.
“If it is true, then I thank you,” President Smith said, still disbelieving.
“Don’t thank me. Thank ELOPe.”