Chapter Three
I am What I am
The students of homeroom 678-West had no idea that the fate of the world was being discussed at the GundTech offices in Norway as they sat on benches in the middle of an IHT meadow.
Socrates Jones had the students examining their relationships with their multiCom personalities.
"What do you think of that, Miss Weingold?" asked Socrates. "Rachel thinks you view her only as a tool. Look at Rachel. Go on. Give her a good look. And the rest of you," he swept an outstretched finger around the circle as he spoke, "examine your AIs, and ask yourselves if you view them simply as tools." He let the students sit with their thoughts for a minute before going on. "Mr. Rush."
"Yes, sir?"
"What is your AI's name?"
"Sam, sir."
"Sam," said Socrates to Cameron's multiCom AI, "why do you think you assumed this particular physical form?"
Sam replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "Because it is who I am, Mr. Socrates."
"And who told you that this is who you are?"
Sam looked confused. "No one, sir. I just am."
"Do you think that is true, Mr. Rush? Is Sam like Popeye? 'I am what I am 'cuz I am what I am?'"
Cameron slowly scanned the other student's AIs. After he completed the circuit, he looked long and hard at Sam, then spoke to his AI. "Sam, the way I treated you influenced the way you view yourself. Look at the others." It was Sam's turn to examine his fellow AIs. "Rosa obviously treats Vee like a girlfriend." Cameron began to address the other students. "Others of you treat your multiComs like siblings or parents. On the other hand," he turned once again to Sam, "I've apparently made you feel like a servant. I'm sorry."
Sam put a hand on Cameron's shoulder, "It is the way I view myself, Cameron. Surely, our relationship affects how I feel about myself but so do my likes and dislikes. Take Vee, for instance." Sam gestured to Rosa's multiCom. "The impression of her relationship with Miss Costas is like that of girlfriends. That is correct, Vee?" Vee nodded in reply. "Stand up and show us your attire, Vee." Vee stood, took a step towards the center of circle and showed off her wardrobe as she merrily chewed on a wad of gum. Sam addressed Rosa. "Rosa, does Vee fit your visual image of a girlfriend?"
Rosa held back a chuckle. "No offense, Vee, but no, she doesn't."
Socrates Jones motioned for Vee to take her seat. "Tell me, Vee, what point is Sam trying to make?"
Vee blew a bubble and popped it before speaking. "Well, Mr. S., he's saying our personality affects our self-image as much as how our user treats us."
"And if you were Mr. Rush's multiCom — if you were Sam — would you appear like Sam does to us now?"
Vee screwed up her face in thought. Her examining gaze was fixed on Sam. "No, Mr. S, I would not."
"And why is that?"
"Because I don't think I could be anyone's servant."
Socrates Jones moved to stand before Cameron's bench. "Your assignment is to write a brief paper that considers this question: In this day and age, is there anything wrong with the relationship between Cameron and Sam? I want all papers submitted by noon on Saturday. I expect papers from all of you — this means you AIs also. At this point, I will excuse you while I ask the students to remain. Thank you for attending."
As one, the multiCom personalities faded away. "Now, where were we?" Socrates Jones scratched behind his ear as he once again moved to the center of the circle. "Ah, yes! Homeroom 678-West. We have determined that the west refers to a direction relative to the Greenwich Mean Time or GMT, but we didn't define what the GMT was. Mr. Casteneda's desire to consult his multiCom sidetracked us for a few minutes. No need to feel bad about that Eduardo, you'll find life is filled with sidetracks — many of which are worth taking. In this case, we uncovered some interesting ideas about how you relate to your multiComs and how they relate to you. Rachel was right. MultiCom users primarily see their com units as tools, and, indeed, that was their intended purpose. But we'll explore that more at a later time."
"Mr. McKeirny?"
The red-headed Canadian sat bolt upright. "Yes, sir?"
"First off, I find 'sir' a little too formal. I rather liked Vee's salutation, Mr. S. Is that all right with you?"
"Yes, sir, Mr. S," said Ian.
Socrates Jones looked over his glasses at the boy and smiled. "Relax, Ian," he said. "All of you, relax! Wait a sec… Up, up, up!" He waved his hands, motioning the students to rise, "All of you stand up." When they had all gotten to their feet, Mr. S retrieved the small device from his pants pocket — the device he had used to transport them to the meadow. With one tap of his finger, the benches dissolved. He promptly sat himself on the ground. "Okay, pull up a plot of turf and make yourselves comfortable."
Once they settled in about him, Becky raised her hand. Mr. S responded by pointing to the words on his shirt: JUST ASK. Becky calmed her giggle. "What is that thing?"
"What? This little thing?" He held up the device for all to see. "I'd pass it around for you to examine, but it would be much easier if you just looked at your own." He tapped his device, and similar units appeared on the ground by each student. "Go on, pick them up."
"What are they?" asked Raul.
"Some kind of controller," said Consuela.
"And more," said Mr. S. "These are your personal multiCom units."
"This is Sam?"
"No, Cameron. It is not Sam. You saw how your AI would appear in an IHT simulation. No, this is a 'dumb' multiCom unit. It has no AI programming. It is a tool for you to use within a simulation - the type of tool Eduardo wished he had earlier. It has two functions. First, you can use it to retrieve information. Follow me. Select the search function. Good, now enter Greenwich — that's g-r-e-e-n-w-i-c-h — Mean Time, then tap enter. Excellent! Now, who can tell me what the 678 in your homeroom number stands for?"
Cameron barely beat the others with the answer. "We must come from three different time zones. The 678 indicates those zones are six, seven, and eight hours west of Greenwich."
"Very good! Now I ask you, are any of you stupid because you didn't know that or couldn't figure it out before?" He made eye contact with each student before going on. "Absolutely not. The Academy is not about memorization, it is about thinking. I won't ask you to know everything, but I expect you to be able to figure out what information you need and develop the skills to find that information. Is that understood? Mr. McKierny? Ms. Weingold? Yes? Good. Now, every time you enter a simulation, your com unit will be found someplace on your person: in a pocket, in a bag, clipped to your belt — depending on how you are dressed within the simulation."
"And what is the second function?" asked Rosa as the students examined their handheld multiComs.
"It will allow you to have control over the simulation. How much control you have will vary from simulation to simulation and depend on whether you are the creator of the simulation or just a participant."
"When will we…" Rosa started to ask the question on every student's mind.
Socrates Jones lifted a hand, stopping Rosa in mid-question. "Tomorrow! You will begin to learn how to create IHT simulations tomorrow."
– End Chapter Three –
