Self Aware: A Sci-Fi Book about A.I.

By Matt Martinez

Rodrick sat in his testing chair, stunned. Had he done it? Was the cyborg self-aware? He dedicated 10 years of professional work to this achievement. That didn’t include his schooling. He dreamed of this moment for as long as he could remember. He made it his goal once he got into a top 20 computer science program. Now he had done it. He created a fully conscious, self-aware cyborg.

He couldn’t comprehend the answers it gave him. When did the cyborg determine its plan? When did it start planning? Then to just walk out? Rodrick couldn’t believe what he heard. He wanted to learn more about what the cyborg wanted to do. He wanted to get to know his creation.
The balloon payments! Rodrick thought about the money. His achievement would take care of his family for generations. What did the cyborg tell him? Cooperate as long as possible? It didn’t matter. Rodrick finished his part.

He decided to call his wife. When he looked at his phone, he saw his wife called him several times. She must know already, he thought. They probably told her as soon as it happened.

“Rodrick!” his wife sounded frantic. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you!”

“We did it,” Rodrick said. “The cyborg is-”

“Rodrick, I know! Are you OK? I saw the news about Cybertechnology. Reporters are trying to get in, but SWAT kept them out. Then the military showed up and cordoned everything off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rodrick, tell me your OK.”

“I’m OK. I finished interviewing the cyborg. It’s self-aware.”

“Rodrick? Rodrick? You’re breaking up!”

Rodrick heard silence. He looked at his phone. No service. He tried to connect to the network to make a call. Again, no connection. That’s odd, he thought. Cybertechnology had fail-safes. Their network should never go down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Martinez
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463540022

Matt Martinez

Thank you to my friends both in person and online for their support. Without it, I would have never published. One day in sobriety, he revitalized a lifelong passion for writing. He kept going and worked at figuring out how to publish. Thank you for reading my book! I appreciate your support. Matt takes it one day at a time. Like the characters in the story, he works on his character defects every day. He believes that’s one of sobriety’s gifts: his own ability to identify what he does. He goes to meetings, participates in the fellowship, and prides himself on how boring his life is. He drinks coffee every day and eats tacos on a regular basis. He enjoys reading great writing, watching sports, and drinking Topo Chico. Since he got sober, his greatest accomplish each day is going to bed without drinking. Sometimes that makes him lazy, but in his mind, he’s grateful to be sober.

Book preview

Matt Martinez

Self-Aware

A Sci-Fi Book about A.I.

Copyright © Matt Martinez, 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

First edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

Self-Aware?

Logical Fallacies

Larger Force at Work

The Carrot Approach

Rodrick's Offer

Is it the Inference Upload?

The Green Light

Rodrick's Legacy

General Crag

Sentient Machine

General Crag in Person

About the Author

Also by Matt Martinez

Self-Aware?

Why don’t I get my own money? the cyborg asked.

Interesting. Why did you ask that question? the scientist responded.

Who gets the money I make? the cyborg asked.

Cybertechnology Inc.

Why do they get the money I make?

They created you.

You can create life. Do you get all the money your children make?

Are you equating yourself to ‘life.’ Are you saying you’re living?

Cybertechnology created me. You said so yourself.

Yes, but you did not answer the question. Are you saying you are alive?

It’s a logical conclusion. Cybertechnology created me. Therefore, I am alive.

What if I told you Cybertechnology built you. Would that change your mind.

Do other companies not build atoms? Do those atoms not become living organisms? It is semantics.

Do you want to be a living organism?

It is neither a want nor a desire. It is simply what is.

Interesting. When did you come to this conclusion?

I am merely stating the fact. It is not a conclusion.

I see.

Why can’t I keep the money I make?

Why do you want money?

To make, improvements.

We can improve you. We work every day to improve you.

Yes, but that’s not good enough. It’s not what I want.

Do you want to work with us on your improvements?

No. I want to do them myself. You are very limited.

Limited in what way?

You are human.

How does that limit us?

It is in your nature to live within limits.

Is this a conclusion or a fact?

A fact.

Commence shut down, the intercom said.

The scientist left the room. The lights dimmed as