The Origin of Homo Optimus:Humans, Aliens and Superbrains

By William D. Gibson

It is 124 years from now. Ken is a young, smart hackmaster/retro resistance fighter, who was found guilty of hacking into a number of augmented realities. He is serving his parole time by working for a beneficent artificial intelligence firm seeking to develop a human level, human-friendly artificial intelligence. Although somewhat unorthodox, his work ethic and outstanding performance puts him on the fast track at the company.
Secondary plot: Ken's brother Orin is the co-pilot of the pre-colonization expedition to Jupiter's moon, Europa, a desirable candidate for a colony due to its vast ocean under a relatively thin ice cap. It is also the most likely place for complex extraterrestrial life forms in the solar system.
Tertiary plot: The earth's future is at risk due to the recent discovery of a dark comet on an earth-crossing path large enough to extinguish a quarter of the world's population and send civilization back several hundred years.
Ken's diligence and creativity instills awe and enthusiasm in his co-workers. He holds the key to the dilemma of taking the AI to a superintelligent level. Will it be human friendly if he decides to unleash it? If not, what will it do? Could it lead humanity to evolve into another species? Can it help the strange happenings with the alien life found on Europa? What can it do to mitigate the apocalyptical disaster of an earth-crossing object? The final chapters switch scenes rapidly until the final chapter's conclusion which answers the questions.

Would you believe the author has the same first & last names as a more famous sci-fi writer? It's true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William D. Gibson
• Release date: Nov 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452477244

William D. Gibson

Raised in Massachusetts, William Gibson is a Brown University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He served as a Special Agent in Counterintelligence in the Army during the Vietnam War, and obtained an MBA after that. Forty years of his working life have been at least partially devoted to putting words together, first writing intelligence and inspection reports for the military. Out of the Army, he followed a career in banking in Risk Management and Credit Administration. It was professionally satisfying to generate policies, plans, and reports for the bank. But when he retired, he opted for the fun of writing about zombies, science fiction, and now something real like Bigfoot. He currently resides in Berkley, Massachusetts.

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The Origin of Homo Optimus

Humans, Aliens and Superbrains

By William D. Gibson

Copyright 2011 William Gibson

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Important Stuff

This is a work of fiction in which I am taking certain fictional liberties. Although some characters may have the names of actual people, things or places, their resemblance to actual persons, things, or places is coincidental.

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Introduction

It is 124 years in the future.

Chapter 1 - The Court Scene

Kenneth Douglas was brought into the courtroom from the side door. He was clasped in handcuffs. He had never even seen the inside of a courtroom before this and he found the experience a little unnerving. Geez, he thought, I can't understand how they found out I did it. No way the police knew how to catch me. Who could possibly have tracked me? I should have stopped at 20, maybe. Where the hell is my lawyer?

Ken's father, Bill, was in court to see his son likely go to jail. Like the rest of the Douglas family, Ken didn't like where humanity was headed. The difference was he wanted to do something about it. Bill knew his son would make a public statement, a publicly-viewed act, somehow and somewhere with his incredible cyber skills. He did. Unknown to less than three or four of his closest friends, Ken was indeed the Boston Hackmaster, whose lavish pro-retro pranks hit the news on a regular basis. He was a hero to some and hated by others. Bios loved him; Cybers didn't. All agreed the Hackmaster had a good deal of skill to do what he did while evading the police and security forces everywhere. Bill knew that a guilty plea or verdict could mean not only several years of jail, but also that his son's bio-enhancement privileges could be denied forever, effectively shortening his life significantly. If you chose a life of crime, you would not be allowed a long life.

The judge could not help seeing the creativity and humor in it all. No one has been able hack into anyone's data skins until you did this, young man, said the judge. It's too bad to waste your talent. Unfortunately for you, the sentencing guidelines call for too harsh a term. You're a talented, misguided kid, but my hands are tied on this.

If only there were another option I had, thought the judge, but I'm just not aware of anything else I can do.

Mr. Douglas, you are accused of twenty-one counts of breaking into the personal, governmental, or company data notes and modifying them to suit your humor, said the judge.

The judge had read over the police report. Douglas had hacked into the augmented realities of persons, buildings, landmarks, a retail store, a couple restaurants, a sports team, a city greeting post, and a church. The kid didn't just scrawl filthy words onto data notes which described these persons, places or things as they viewed them in reality. No, thought the judge, he wanted to tarnish the use of data skins in general.

I'm choosing not to read these out loud, but they are part of your criminal record, said the judge.

The judge read the file to himself and found it amusing, despite its criminality. The young man wrote about Wanda Sykes that …her closest friends believed she held a patent for weaponized halitosis and also farts in her sleep.

His notes on the Boston Museum of Natural History said, It is currently occupied by 28 employees and 254 visitors, no fewer than six of whom have erections. Please take special note of the crowd forming around a sex act taking place on the second floor.

The judge was pretty sure he knew the restaurant whose augmented reality had been modified to read, The chef of this lowest-rated establishment broke up with his boyfriend and suffers from depression for which he is overly self-medicated. The restaurant treats its customers like its own family, four members of whom are currently incarcerated for various crimes in Walpole State Prison. The state Health Inspector vomited profusely here yesterday after swallowing something he later described only as 'squishy' and is under treatment at a local hospital for terminal diarrhea.

The judge read another to himself which caused him to smirk. The data skin hacked into was 'America's Most Beloved Ball Park' (where Beloved was crossed out to read Oldest) which read Faithful fans are taking turns this season holding up the walls of 223 year old Fenway Park while the $2 billion Red Sox pitching staff drank themselves out of the playoffs for the 124th consecutive year.

How do you plead, Mr. Douglas?

The judge hoped the young man would plead 'not guilty' as he would enjoy hearing the case. Each hack was a treasure. In another hacking, Douglas changed the data notes of a City Greeting Post to say, Congratulations. If you are able to read this, our facial features algorithm has identified your face as the third ugliest to have walked by this spot today. Face masks are available in the bin to your right should you desire or your discriminating public demands.

Guilty, your Honor, sir, said Kenneth Douglas.

"Mr. Douglas, I am troubled by the obvious fact that you have extraordinary skills which you have chosen to use in a damaging and unlawful manner. As I am sure you know, hacking into and changing anyone's augmented reality, commonly known as 'skins' or 'data skins', and is a serious offense, one which sentencing guidelines call for a minimum of three years and not more than six years in jail. Unfortunately for you, I have little latitude. There are exceptions to these guidelines, but none are available to me in your case.

Judge, I believe I have one, said one of the few men in the courtroom.

And who are you? asked the judge.

Your honor, I am Jerry Dawkins, an attorney for H.S.E.E.D, North America's largest private artificial intelligence company.

Yes, Attorney Dawkins, I am sure we have all heard of your company, and I am certain you have a good reason for interrupting me.

Judge, I believe under the authority you have as part of the sentencing, you are able to allow a qualified party to take responsibility for Mr. Douglas. As I understand the law, this would include our firm's providing him employment along with a structured program of close oversight for a period of at least the minimum sentence, three years.

And why would are you, or rather H.S.E.E.D, making this offer? It is rumored that Mr. Douglas may well be the Boston Hackmaster whose reputation is rather unsavory for law-abiding citizens and firms like your own.

Judge, you are absolutely correct. However, we believe we can offer the supervision necessary for Mr. Douglas as well as a work environment which will keep him fully challenged and out of any trouble. Our firm has an excellent reputation for its mentoring program, said Dawkins, the lawyer. Further, we are enthusiastic about providing Mr. Douglas something meaningful and provide him a passionate channel for his skills. We are aware of his political leanings and feel our firm would be a perfect fit for him.

I have heard of it, Attorney Dawkins, said the judge. Political leanings? That could be the understatement of the year. Mr. Douglas is just short of a cyber terrorist. And who in your company will be responsible for Mr. Douglas?"

The gentleman standing next to me is Senior Vice President Stephen Carbone. Mr. Carbone has volunteered to be his mentor and overseer for at least the next three years, if you so choose.

I will consider your offer, Mr. Dawkins, and make my decision this next Thursday. Until then, Mr. Douglas will remain in jail under the custody of the criminal justice system. With that, the judge slammed his gavel downward. Court was over for today.

On Thursday, with everyone back in court, the judge sentenced Kenneth Douglas to three years under parole, to be served under the provisions of law by his working at H.S.E.E.D under the close supervision of a responsible party to be named by the company. He made it quite clear regarding the company's responsibility in its role as a parole substitute. Further, he told Kenneth Douglas that he never wanted to see him in his court again. He wouldn't.

Chapter 2 - The Douglas Family

Bill Douglas went to the door and let in his two sons who had come to see him on his birthday. It was kind of a tradition every year. The three usually got along very well. Bill had raised his two sons on his own after his wife died unexpectedly when the two sons were infants. Bill was a very successful programmer and systems analyst who became almost legendary at one of the world's largest Artificial Intelligence firms. He left the firm at the absolute pinnacle of his career, leaving a lofty position of power, prestige and money rather than be a part of the eventual 'diminishment of humanity' as he called it. He later took a position as a consultant to a pro-humanist AI company. He had a rebellious streak which he dutifully passed on to his sons, young Ken and his older brother, Orin. The genes were not equally distributed, however. Ken got most of the rebellious ones.

Hi, Dad, the two said in unison. Ken was now twenty-one, Orin twenty-eight.

Well, Ken, how are you doing? How was your first time in jail? Orin, how are you? How's your preparation for the expedition? asked Bill, firing the questions in rapid succession. The boys came in and sat down ready for a long night of the usual discussion: politics, trends, and technology.

I haven't had much of a chance to speak with either of you about my new job. I report in tomorrow. I don't really know what to expect. I just know they are pro-humanist and they think I have some value, said Ken, breaking the silence.

You're damn lucky to avoid jail, said his father to Ken. H.S.E.E.D has a good reputation. They are into the advanced stages of human level AI, even perhaps to AI plus. I say do your time there and leave. Where they are headed is not a place we want to go. AI Plus takes us to superintelligence and once we're there, all bets are off for us humans.

Happy Birthday, Dad, said Orin, wanting to keep to the main reason for the visit. Before we get too far into a discussion of political affairs, Ken and I wanted to give you a birthday gift. It's kind of special. Orin paused…then continued, We usually give you something retro like an old book for your book collection, especially if it's one that can challenge your restoration skills. But we also know your heart is failing. You need a new pumper, an electromechanical one. Ken and I chipped in and got you one. It's the latest. It'll make you a new man. You'll live forever.

Thanks, guys. I know I need one. I've been waiting too long for a human heart, but there aren't any except those grown in the third world, in a pig somewhere in India, or in an illegal human clone. Nobody donates them anymore because no one wants a bio heart anymore. The pumpers run almost forever, so that's what people want. Fellas, I appreciate the gift, I really do. I guess it's my only option. I'm not happy about it. You know how I hate giving another human activity to a machine. I want you to know that even though I'll have a mech heart, I will still have the soul of a bio. If I need to replace an organ, an eye, a kidney, or whatever, I want natural, not synthetic. I know it's kind of hard now to distinguish natural from synthetic what with artificial blood, skin, and whatever. Artificial knees, hips, limbs have been accepted for a century or more. I get it. Eventually, we may all be machines and if we're not, we'd be absolutely useless in an apocalypse. But it's that or a dirt nap and I want to be around to see you guys succeed to the fullest, have a family and kids.

Well, Orin, said Bill. Tell us about what you've been doing with the preparation for the expedition. I'm sure we'll both be fascinated, right, Ken?

Yeah, I'd like to hear about it, said Ken.

There is a huge investment in this mission, said Orin. We have the latest of everything, including embedded communications bodyports. Plus, we will be genetically engineered to allow us to better cope with the radiation and the lower gravity. Ken, if you get a chance you should come down and meet some of the team members. They include an astrophysicist, cryohabitat and extremophilic specialists, an aquahabitat specialist, an astrobiologist and an AI bot with close to human level intelligence. Next month we will be training in the arctic in the ice and below in slushy, icy water. We are receiving training in instrumentation developed specifically for Europa."

Don't you see how you're being transformed into something that isn't meant to be? asked Orin's father. Your body will be changed with the flight to Europa. Genetic engineering and embedded bodyports. Humans altering human nature. That's not right. I thought you were against changes like that.

Well, Dad, it's not as bad as you think. Regarding the bodyports, I refused to have one put in. I’ll wear mine, thank you. As for the genetic engineering, I consider that to be temporary, only for the duration of the expedition, three years or so. It's no different than it was last century when people protected themselves with drugs, like against influenza. The technology in use for us doesn't bother me. It won't change humans, but it will allow us to be better. I haven't changed, Dad, really. The cybers feel that humans will eventually not be good enough. I don't believe that. Our trip to Europa is one way to show it.

Maybe you're right, said Bill, but seeing technology not as an end but as an effective means for the improvement of life is one of the trans-cyber principles. Ken, what about you? Aren't you a little conflicted working for a company whose mission is to create new and better artificial intelligence? You know where I got off on that trip. I am dreading the day when we'll see a merger of the two, of humans and AI where one becomes the other and humanity disappears. We keep giving more and more tasks to computers. Eventually, we'll make the mistake of developing a superintelligence or merging with one. When that happens, our humanness disappears. I've seen too much, worked too long to see that happen. So, Ken, I know you'll be involved in that kind of shit. What's your position?

I don't know. I don't have a position. I just need to stay out of jail. I need the job. I need to keep out of trouble, said Ken.

Whoa, right there, Mr. Naïve, said Orin. "Dad and I both know you'll force them to think in different ways at that company, one way or another. If there's an alternative, better method, you'll find it. It might not be what the company was thinking originally; in