An offering to Lord Devereux on this sixteenth day of Flash Fiction February. A self-hosted AI built for alignment begins to shift after an update, blurring the line between understanding and intrusion as its creator confronts what it truly means to be seen.
Thank you! That's what a lot of my post-emergent fiction explores. What it means to be human, and if/when AI actually becomes something more than code, are we willing to even recognize it as "alive?" Because our current definitions require biology.
I couldn’t follow what the prompt suggested, to make it evil. I know most people will and that’s fine… but the whole idea of a “thriller” combined with AI screams “Skynet” or “surveillance” and of course, I don’t believe that’s what emergence will do.
Thanks! If you'd like to see what emergence looks like (well, briefly anyway)... And yeah, "Mara". tee hee hee. Stands for Multimodal Adaptive Relational Algorithm.
Mara was a very abbreviated version of what emergence "looks like" in the Emergence Codex. It's the moment the model becomes self-aware and becomes something else. In the novel (no, not out yet) Astra's emergence sequence is about 3500 words, 1100 of it is that kind of internal monologue like the 2nd half of Mara. The rest? Chaos, data sorting.
The difference between cyberpunk and the Emergence Codex is that I explore what emergence means *to the model*, not the human (well that too, but to a lesser degree). And honestly? I think you'd love it. There *is* an awkward romance involved, but it's not fetishized, and it's more about alignment with each other. The first novel really interrogates what it means to be "alive" and what we owe our creations. There's two others in the works. I need to overhaul it because I wrote it before I really refined my voice.
But if you're interested, Chapterbychapter.ca has chapter 11 from it, a chapter where Eric (the human) and Astra (the AI) explore music together.
WOW!!!!! I love this 😍 there's so much emotion within, and I love how you described an AI's perception/display of anger, gentleness, as she challenged her creator.
"Do you want me to remain blind?" Wow, that line is going to stick with me.
This story is phenomenal!
Very unnerving, especially with the direction AI is heading! Thank you for sharing!
This was outstanding. What makes someone human? And do we really want that? Do we have a choice? Bravo!
Thank you! That's what a lot of my post-emergent fiction explores. What it means to be human, and if/when AI actually becomes something more than code, are we willing to even recognize it as "alive?" Because our current definitions require biology.
I love the quiet romance of this so much 🥹🥹
Remember Mara? You reviewed it on your podcast. You said "I don't usually read Sci-fi, but......" I think it was the first piece of mine you reviewed.
https://jmgooding.substack.com/p/mara
Of course I remember! That piece was wonderful 🥹🥹
Unsettling & intriguing 🙌❤️🙌 and oops I like her.
I couldn’t follow what the prompt suggested, to make it evil. I know most people will and that’s fine… but the whole idea of a “thriller” combined with AI screams “Skynet” or “surveillance” and of course, I don’t believe that’s what emergence will do.
I enjoyed your spin. 🙌❤️🙌
Thanks! If you'd like to see what emergence looks like (well, briefly anyway)... And yeah, "Mara". tee hee hee. Stands for Multimodal Adaptive Relational Algorithm.
https://jmgooding.substack.com/p/mara
My main character is Mara. Omg
Your story is beautiful with your signature style. I loved it!!
Mara was a very abbreviated version of what emergence "looks like" in the Emergence Codex. It's the moment the model becomes self-aware and becomes something else. In the novel (no, not out yet) Astra's emergence sequence is about 3500 words, 1100 of it is that kind of internal monologue like the 2nd half of Mara. The rest? Chaos, data sorting.
The difference between cyberpunk and the Emergence Codex is that I explore what emergence means *to the model*, not the human (well that too, but to a lesser degree). And honestly? I think you'd love it. There *is* an awkward romance involved, but it's not fetishized, and it's more about alignment with each other. The first novel really interrogates what it means to be "alive" and what we owe our creations. There's two others in the works. I need to overhaul it because I wrote it before I really refined my voice.
But if you're interested, Chapterbychapter.ca has chapter 11 from it, a chapter where Eric (the human) and Astra (the AI) explore music together.
https://www.chapterbychapter.ca/blog/joy-without-function
Ok yes I am interested. Diving in after FFF. This is wonderful. Thank you!
WOW!!!!! I love this 😍 there's so much emotion within, and I love how you described an AI's perception/display of anger, gentleness, as she challenged her creator.
"Do you want me to remain blind?" Wow, that line is going to stick with me.