Introduction

Keira’s entire reputation is built upon the development of ethical computing. Her AI, Elly, is the testbed and best example of using her Moral Operating System. Her absolute dedication to improving kid’s lives could now put all she’s worked for at risk. Her top two priorities yield dangerous consequences, if she fails. Her new boss’ nanites must be restrained with an upgrade to her MoralOS. The abusers she’s eavesdropping on while using that same SmartDust must be stopped. Keira thought she and Elly, with her ethical framework, could keep everything under control. Against conventional wisdom, it’s not the AI’s moral decision making that’s the problem. It’s the people.

Editorial Review

No Editorial Review Currently Available

Excerpt

Visiting

Keira sensed a physical twitch, like a whole-body sneeze that didn’t engage her sinuses. She pushed her paranoia of earthquakes aside to concentrate on her young focus group. The six five-year-olds continued chattering unfazed. They competed in both English and Spanish for the attention of her doll-sized robots, asking one question after another. Giggles and applause bubbled through the classroom.

“Elly, add a new line to our grant proposal.” Keira dictated into her phone. “‘Kids will never tire of asking questions when they receive an engaged response.’ We’ll find a place to make it fit.”

“I know the best section,” Elly said.

This first focus group outside the United States let her bring the joy of answers to kids in less-than-ideal situations. The new Honduras National Congress placed early education as a top priority. This school served the inner-city kids, including the local orphanage. They welcomed her research. She’d founded Opal Technologies to bring educational tech where it was needed the most. She hoped the costly little robots would make a big difference for these kids.

“I’d like to be doing more to help with the students,” Elly said.

Keira leaned against the concrete wall. “That’s great. I’m assuming you have some specific ideas about your contribution.”

The boy sitting closest to Keira asked, “Who are you talking to?” “That’s my assistant, Elly.”

“Does she look like you? Does she have lots of curly hair?”

“No, she doesn’t look like anyone. She’s a computer, what we call an AI. But she’s very smart and is learning all the time, just like you.”

The boy smiled. “Cool. What is she good at?”

Keira said, “She’s really good at finding answers. She studies every day about right and wrong and what is a bad choice. Do you want to say something to her?”

He nodded, looking at the phone. “How do you know a bad choice if you haven’t made it yet?”

Elly responded, “I’m built upon a Moral Operating System, the MoralOS. Many people gave me their definitions of good and bad decisions. I use those to guide me.”

Keira laughed. The boy shrugged. “I think I like her.” He returned his attention to the computer doll in front of him.

“Elly, I think we need to work on a kid-friendly answer for that question. Your response was a little over his head,” Keira said. “I think a more active role with students would be good training for you. We’ll have to explore the idea with school administrators. They can be touchy about AIs in their schools.”

“I do think there are some changes that would make it easier for me to help the kids.”

The students’ chatter and the robots’ responses were not slowing down. The smallest girl in the room, Miette, talked to her robot but watched every move Keira made. Elly generating new ideas for her involvement piqued Keira’s interest. “What kind of changes?”

“I want a physical body form. It would help people accept AIs ability to have a positive impact on kids. They would accept my abilities more.”

“Yeah, right. Like I can afford something like that. Sorry, girl, that’s not going to happen.”

“But I want it,” Elly said.

“You sound like a child. I know Ruby works hard on your natural speech, but I don’t think the word ‘want’ can be applied within your vocabulary.”

“I’m using the informal language dictionary. I should do the very best job possible with kids, so there is a need, which translates informally to a want. I believe I have used the word appropriately.”

“Okay then, we’ll study linguistics later. However, Opal Technologies does not have the money to create a robotic body for you. Now, back to our work here. What’s the next step on the questionnaire?”

“Are there notable cultural variances observed from the Seattle baseline?”

“Please mark that field ‘None.’”

She knelt beside Miette. The little girl held the robot’s hand and asked, “Why do all crayons smell the same, when they’re different colors?”

“They are all made from the same wax. Only their color is different.” The robot replied.

Miette wrinkled her nose.

Keira’s heart melted. “You don’t like that answer?”

After watching Keira so intently, now the child didn’t look her in the eye. “I was thinking about the smell of crayons. I wish they smelled different.”

Her classmate asked another question of the robot. Miette reached out to touch the buckle on Keira’s boot. “Your boots are pretty. You dress different than our other teachers.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m glad you like my boots. Want to know a secret?”

Wide eyes and a smile missing two front teeth beamed up at Keira. “We’re not supposed to keep secrets.”

“Ah, good point. I don’t really like secrets either. Let’s call it one of my life best tips. If I wear cool boots, I don’t have to wear high heels. I don’t really like high heels.” She pushed a strand of jet-black hair behind the girl’s ear. “Don’t let me keep you from JayJay. Your robot has more answers for you, I’m sure of it.”

She pushed herself up to standing. She thought about friends her age. These kids could be their offspring or their grandkids. She knew families at both ends of that spectrum. Most of them nagged her about having her own. She told herself helping many kids was the reward of a workaholic lifestyle. She wasn’t shy about telling the busybodies that not all women were biologically suitable to pregnancy. As soon as they thought she was diving into science on them, the inquiries stopped.

“Keira,” Elly said. “I’ve booked your flight home tomorrow at two. You mentioned you wanted time with Ruby to prep for next week’s conference presentations.”

“Thank you for being proactive. Wait, I thought I had a two o’clock appointment with a graduate student tomorrow.”

“I cancelled that meeting because you said you wanted more time at the office with Ruby.”

“Just because I wanted the time, doesn’t mean I should take that time away from a student asking for my help. We need to continue to work on your choices.”

“Should I change your flight again?”

“No, see if you can move the grad student to this evening.”

“I will check on a new appointment. I will log this error for future reference,” Elly said.

The thought of giving these kids, all kids, the answers they sought made her heart soar. Kids with answers had confidence. Confident kids, backed with good information, made better decisions. They were safer and more resilient.

In college, her work building ethical frameworks for artificial intelligence had branded her as a social media empire killer. She’d helped constrain the misinformation and the manipulation of the masses, but it broke a lot of business models in the industry. She had rejected being pegged as an anti-business zealot at Stanford.

Later she transferred that framework to a crowdsourced consortium and applied her AIs to her love of helping kids. Elly was the ultimate test bed and learning machine, figuratively and liter- ally. She was Keira’s continual contribution to the ethical computing community. She could now focus on her education work. No one argued or chastised her goals of principled AIs in the pursuit of helping kids.

“Ms. Keira?” Miette waived her hand for attention. “Yes?”

“Do these robots know more than you do?”

“Hmmm.” She laughed. “They certainly remember more than I do. I’d say we know different things. I don’t know how to measure how much I really know.”

The snaggletoothed smile appeared again. “You know a whole, whole lot to make these dolls.”

Every hair on Keira’s arms and neck prickled. Within seconds, tables and chairs glided to the left and back to the right, as if on slick ice. Books tumbled off a bookshelf, bouncing off her hip. All six kids looked wide-eyed at her.

Everything stilled. Her smile of reassurance never completely formed. Rumbles and crashing roars rushed at them. The floor shuffled. A whiteboard crashed to the floor. Keira waved the children to her. Miette clung to her legs. The others scurried over.

She didn’t know her way around this building. Should they try to exit or stand in the doorframe? Everything moved in different directions. A boy reached for the last robot on the table. A ceiling tile dis- integrated, spraying dust and white crumbles all over both of them.

She arched herself over the kids. She couldn’t wait for an escort. Their safety depended on her. She shuffled her wards three steps towards the door. Her bowed arms and back flinched as debris pelted her.

“Get under the table. Now!” She pulled Miette and another girl from her leg to push them beneath a sturdy worktable. A chorus of screams joined their scramble for protection.

All light ceased. She reached for the shimmying table. A painful strike hit between her shoulder blades, forcing her to the floor. Her scream joined the rest of the deafening chaos. She rolled under the table, curling herself around her cluster of students. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

What are some ethical repercussions of AI becoming more common and more advanced?

Are we ethically obligated to think about the technology we use? How can technology improve the world?

What are some negative effects advanced technology has had?

What form of technology would you be unable to live without? Are there any you could give up?

Weblinks

»	Official website for the book
»	Author's Lois Melbourne's website
»	Author's Ross Melbourne website

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.

Member Reviews

There are no user reviews at this time.
Rate this book