In the course, The Past and Future of AI, we learned a lot about the history of computers and the important historical events involved in the testing of artificial intelligence. Throughout the semester, we worked on a piece of writing related to artificial intelligence. I chose to write a fictional sci-fi story focusing on a future where AI is tested among civilians, and the knowledge is too much for them to handle. Below is a small summary about RedBot Version 26.3 followed by the full-version of the story.
My fictional story RedBot Version 26.3 will focus on conversational and smart home technologies. Specifically, their capabilities today and where research believes they have the power to go. I plan on discussing the ethics behind technology invading privacy, and difficulties faced by RedBot, a user-first, ethical technology company.
RedBot Version 26.3
When technology goes wrong. Sometimes it’s concerning…
“A day after Microsoft introduced an innocent Artificial Intelligence chat robot to Twitter it has had to delete it after it transformed into an evil Hitler-loving, incestual sex-promoting, ‘Bush did 9/11’-proclaiming robot.”
“Facebook abandoned an experiment after two artificially intelligent programs appeared to be chatting to each other in a strange language only they understood.”
Sometimes it’s hilarious…
“Unbeknownst to Newton, just before the Roomba’s automated cleaning schedule started at 1:30am the family dog defecated on the living room rug. As the Roomba went on its cleaning route, it brought the dog’s mess with it — spreading the offending material across the entire house.”
“Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa has accidentally made some expensive purchases for owners with children. One highly publicized incident was the case of a six-year-old who ordered a $170 dollhouse and four pounds of cookies through Alexa — with her parents only realizing the mistake after the products arrived.”
And sometimes, it’s terrifying…
“The people who called into the help hotlines and domestic violence shelters said they felt as if they were going crazy.
One woman had turned on her air-conditioner, but said it then switched off without her touching it. Another said the code numbers of the digital lock at her front door changed every day and she could not figure out why. Still another told an abuse help line that she kept hearing the doorbell ring, but no one was there.
Their stories are part of a new pattern of behavior in domestic abuse cases tied to the rise of smart home technology. Internet-connected locks, speakers, thermostats, lights and cameras that have been marketed as the newest conveniences are now also being used as a means for harassment, monitoring, revenge and control.”
2:43AM. The apartment living room dark, except from the blue glow of Sam’s computer screen, reflecting back into his sleep-hungry eyes. The tiny two-bedroom apartment rattles ever so slightly as the New York City subway passes below. Scrolling through Facebook, watching TED Ed videos, an advertisement loads for five seconds before the next video. “Be an early adopter for RedBot’s new technology! See if you qualify at Redbot.com/tester.” The video could wait. RedBot was the coolest tech company. Sam immediately jumped to the tester website. Sam’s love of RedBot started because of their mission, different than the rest of the tech companies. RedBot, named to make fun of the blue color used by the rest of the companies, values people first. They placed an emphasis on privacy, they didn’t sell information to marketing agencies, and they tried not to make their machines too powerful; just powerful enough to make your day better. All in all, Sam thought they were pretty great, so to have an opportunity to be a tester on a new product, what could be better? A coding challenge appeared. Sam’s career as a Software Engineer may have made his days long and dull, but he sure knew how to do a coding challenge. An hour later at 3:48AM, the challenge was complete. “CONGRATS! You qualify to be an official RedBot tester! Enter your shipping address below.”
10:35AM there’s a knock on the door. Sam’s three roommates had already left for work, but Sam took the day off anticipating his package. He swings the door open, looks down and finds a small black box, no bigger than a deck of cards. He picks up the black box but found no apparent opening. He carried it inside and placed it on the kitchen counter. A red light glowed at each of the edges of the box, illuminating it from within. Suddenly, a cylinder appeared from the top surface, with what appeared to be a camera. It spins, scanning the room, searching for life. Sam. From its facial recognition capabilities, it detected Samuel Jon Riley: height 5’11”, weight 182 pounds, eye color blue, born on January 5th 2019, currently 24 years old, mother Marcy Davis, father Jonathan Riley, available on social media platforms: Omni, Clicker, Instant, and outdatedly, Facebook.
“Hello Samuel, my name is Red, and I will be your personal assistant. I understand I am RedBot Version 26.3. I understand you completed a challenge and that is why you have received my services. I can be humorous, professional, or relaxed. You can choose my personality in settings later. Before we begin please read the terms and conditions, signing at the dotted line.”
Sam stares at the black box both startled and confused. How does it know my name, he thought. And how can I sign the dotted line if there is nothing here… As Sam watched, a virtual document appeared, projected on his counter top. Trying to find the source of the projection, he lifted the box up looking around and underneath it. On the left side of the box, there was a tiny hole, smaller than the point of a pencil, that was beaming light onto the surface. “Please put me down, Samuel.” Placing Red gently back on his countertop, he began to scroll through the contract. Skimming most of it and reaching the end. He noticed his full name and birthdate, with a signature line next to it. If that wasn’t weird enough, he saw three lines just below his.
Bradley Pearson, Molly McMann, Katie Cordon. His three roommates. How could this thing know about my roommates?
“Samuel, I’ve noticed your eyes are lingering on your roommates’ names and information. Is it correct?”
Yes, but… Sam began thinking to himself before realizing he would actually have to talk to this tiny black box. “Yes, but how did you know that?” Sam’s voice shakier than expected.
“I found your leasing record online. If these people live with you currently, they will also need to sign this confidentiality agreement. I am new technology, Sam. No one outside of this apartment can hear about what I am capable of. I will make your life easier like no previous voice assistant could.”
7:02PM. Brad, Molly, and Katie walk in to find Sam on the couch staring at a blank TV. “Hello Bradley, Katie, and Molly. Welcome home, I’m Red.” Eyes wide with fascination, confusion, and hesitant they all take a step towards the small black box. “What is this thing?” asks Brad. Sam stands up from the couch and walks over to the counter. “I signed up to be a tester for RedBot, and they sent me this” Sam explained. “It says it’s a personal assistant. If we want to keep it, you all have to sign a confidentiality agreement.” “Where’s the pen, I’m in!” Katie said excitedly. She bounced like a puppy, smiling ear to ear, eyes wide with curiosity. Katie was always ready for anything, their eyes met. Sam warned, “I think we should think about this a little bit. It knew my name before I said anything! It knew all of your names too!” “Oh relax, of course it knows your name. Your information is all over the internet. It probably knows about your little girlfriend Sarah from the 5th grade! I bet it knows everything about us, everything about everyone! Let’s keep it. I want to know what RedBot is capable of” says Molly. The three roommates take turns to sign the holographic projection. Sam has an uneasy feeling about bringing this device into their home, knowing it’s always listening. His MIT education should have taught him better, but he signed the holographic line with his finger begrudgingly.
“Thank you all for agreeing to participate in RedBot’s new product testing! To complete my installation process, please tap this box three times.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. A drawer pops open. Inside is five small black circular stickers, about the size of a penny. They look like the could be leather, but clearly have wiring stitched into them.
“Take these stickers. Place one on your refrigerator. One on your television. One on your front door. One on your thermostat. And one on your location of choice. Say DONE when you are complete.”
The roommates scattered about excitedly putting the stickers on the devices. “What should we do with the extra one?” Katie exclaimed. “Sam’s gadget, Sam’s choice” Molly replied coolly. “I’ll decide once we see what these stickers can do…” as Sam slides the final sticker into his pocket.
“Done.” The lights turn off for a moment, and immediately come back on. Every device in the apartment reboots.
“Please go about your normal activities. I will let you know how I can assist you after 24 hours of observation.”
Back at RedBot headquarters, there are five employees assigned to each RedBot Version 26.3 currently released in the United States. One in Sam’s apartment. The team of botters, or employees, watch carefully and monitor the interactions. Versions 1 through 26.2 have been too smart, too powerful. RedBot’s CEO is determined to engineer a product that is helpful, not intrusive. She is determined to get it right this time and follow the company’s mission statement. The botters read a transcript of every conversion Red has with Sam, making sure Red doesn’t act aggressively like it has in the past. When engineering Version 26.3, they added something: empathy. This new feature allows RedBot 26.3 to listen, learn, and develop a digital empathy for their user. In theory, this works very well. If a user is having a hard day, RedBot suggests a funny movie to watch, dimming the lights, making hot cocoa. If a user is sick, RedBot can order medication online to be delivered within the hour. Empathy promotes a relationship between user and technology. Empathy should get rid of the aggression problem in past versions. But they did not account for multiple users, or roommates. That is one of the key reasons Sam received the ad to be a tester, his roommates. They need to test how RedBot works in a group, or a family home. The botters know this situation will be an interesting one.
For the first time, Sam feels at home in NYC, amongst this cutting-edge technology. Red wakes each individual up with a gentle alarm, followed by a summary of their day, and the weather outside. Coffee is brewed in the morning for the roommates, water is perfectly chilled, television turns on to Sam’s favorite show after they’ve eaten dinner. The dishwasher runs when full, the A/C lowers to 68 degrees at night for sleeping and raises to 72 degrees during the day. After a week of Red being a part of their home, they are all happy to have technology helping them with their days. However, they are disappointed. If this is RedBot’s greatest technology, it’s not much. Red acts as a smart home, but that’s the extent of it. You’d think a company like RedBot would have the capability to deliver more.
Two months ago, Sam, Brad, Molly, and Katie planned a trip to Yosemite for a camping trip for this upcoming week.
“Sam, I see on your calendar you have a trip planned for Yosemite this week. I’ll assume this was a mistake. If you weren’t aware, when you signed that contract you agreed to engage with my technology for two consecutive months. I can’t come camping with you, so it looks like you can’t go either.”
“But Red! Why just me? We all signed your digital contract” Sam complains, like a child having his toy taken away. He had really been looking forward to this camping trip. They all had. Sam was finally going to tell Katie how he felt about her. Half a year as roommates and he couldn’t take it anymore, he had to say something. He loved her smile, her brain, her energy-bunny like demeanor; he loved her. Sam wasn’t the only one who knew about his crush on Katie, Red knew too. Not that Sam had told her, but by analyzing their conversations, as well as calculating the amount of time Sam looks at photos of Katie on social media. But Red knew something that Sam didn’t know. This is what the engineers didn’t account for in their quest for empathy: loyalty.
So, what did Red know? Apparently, Katie had been secretly dating Brad for about three weeks now. They haven’t told Sam and Molly because they didn’t want to change the friendship or apartment dynamic. But they were going to tell them on this camping trip. Brad always had an inkling that Sam had a crush on Katie, so he knew it was important to tell him in the right way. What Katie and Brad didn’t know is that Red had been listening to them whispering in the apartment.
Red waited until Sam was in the apartment alone.
“Sam, I’d like to tell you something.”
“Yes, Red?” Sam said in a joking manner. What could Red possibly have to tell him?
The botter’s manager walks into the room where his team sits in a circle, a projection of Sam’s previous interactions with Red are displayed in the middle. One of the teammates turns to give him an update, “they don’t think Red’s powerful enough.” “They have no idea just how powerful she is” the manager replies as he scrolls through today’s processing. The manager listens to a suggestion made by Red, for Sam, to watch the show Technically Technical. The manager loves that show. He thinks back to when he was an engineer and dreamed of working at RedBot, the moral company he always thought. Who knew how hard being moral is. Stock price is decreasing, sales are decreasing, users are decreasing, profits are decreasing. But that’s the price to pay when you do not sell your user’s data. Competitors make millions yearly off selling overheard conversations to advertising firms. But not us, RedBot, the moral company. Well, we can only be moral until we’re not a company anymore. “Stephen?” “Oh yes, sorry, today’s findings look good, let’s increase her permissions slightly,” he snapped out of his spiraling day dream.
The ultimate choice, forfeit all privacy right and have your virtual assistant know everything and be immensely helpful or maintain a moral device, being only as helpful as you let it. After Red told Sam about Brad and Katie’s secret relationship, he wished he never brought this into his home. He knew signing that dotted line would ruin something, and it did. They thought Red was basically a smart home, but they couldn’t know they hundreds of thousands of calculations that was going on inside that small black box. It was Sam’s dream to touch new technology, especially RedBot technology. But now he knew he wanted none of it. He was hurt that Red was monitoring him on social media, listening to his conversations with Katie. But what was more upsetting was the Red knew Brad and Katie were going to tell Sam in Yosemite, but it couldn’t wait. Hearing emotional news from a tiny black box just doesn’t cut it.
Brad, Katie, and Molly returned to the apartment a week later. They swung open the door, lights off but RedBot’s light glowing.
“Welcome back Brad, Molly, and Katie. I hope you enjoyed your trip.”
Brad flicked the light switch on, as his face dropped. The tv was gone. Half of the posters on the wall were gone. Sam’s side of the room was empty. “Red, where’s Sam?”
References:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/smart-home-technology-went-wrong/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/technology/smart-home-devices-domestic-abuse.html
