It was a dark and stormy night; which makes no sense at all because in a space colony you never have any weather and you can turn the lights on anytime you want them on, but that's how most murder mysteries start off and who am I to argue with the readers. So I sit in my little office writing a murder mystery. I'm Bob Jameson, the security chief in New Fenwick, or more accurately, residential space colony hull number 3859827. In other words, a small town cop, in a nice quiet small town at that, which of course gives me lots of time to write murder mysteries, which is exactly the way I like it. With an AI running our security system and monitoring nearly every square inch of public space in the colony we don't have a lot of what you would call crime. The big commercial district colonies have crime, but we mostly get domestic disturbances and of course kids raising hell. The department doesn't even own a gun and I haven't fired one sense Police Academy. I'm armed with a degree in Human Psychology, which is usually enough.
I guess that's why I was so shocked when I got the Email. All it said was "I have killed someone". I sat there for about five minutes just staring at the screen. What! We haven't had a murder here in thirty years. It took me another minute to remember to check the return address - there was none. Great I've got a confession of murder with no return address and no way to track it down. First, ask the AI if it's seen or heard anything strange that might be connected with a murder. Seven bodies, three around the swimming pool, three under trees in the park, and one in the alley behind the liquor store, all asleep. Well that was a big Zero! But it got rid of that first bit of panic that the murder might be here in our colony. To make sure I got out the infared camera and drove around the colony making a few discrete checks on a few trouble spots. The IR camera will see through walls. Nothing, which was good, but that left me with that odd Email. Well, I couldn't just let things set until a body showed up, besides, it was a mystery and I was a mystery writer, and it bugged me.
I dropped by Mike's computer shop to ask him about how someone could send an email without including a return address. In addition to running a small computer store Mike does some of the maintenance on the colony's computer systems. He did a few checks and came up with a big nada, so we called the software rep. He started to give us the brush off until I informed him that this was a police matter. Two hours latter he got back to me. The Email had originated from an IO port in an industrial hull some twenty clicks away from here and they gave me a time code for the transmission. The mystery deepened. Nobody ever goes to the industrial sections! Usually there isn't even a breathable atmosphere. Worse, a check of the wiring layout indicated that this particular IO port was in a section that was in vacuum and open to space. Anybody could have flown up to the port and dumped in the message.
I checked with the AI running the plant area and found out that there was no on going security system in place, none was needed in an industrial area because no humans were present. No humans, no crime. If a human did enter the area security would be assigned to follow their activities. I asked, you don't get much information from an AI unless you ask, and yes a human had been through the area some ten minutes before the transmission but had not approached the port. I asked again, sometimes it's like pulling teeth, yes a camera file was made, but it did not have a view of the port, only the area near it. Ask a third time, yes it will be emailed to me. I looked at the file and ID'd the human. Fred Fitzgerald. A check of government files indicated that he was a chemical engineer who worked for a firm doing consulting work in that particular plant. Fred had a wife and two kids, like to go snow skiing, and lived in a nice quiet suburb. Even though this "Fred" was not someone you would expect to commit a crime as horrible as murder, I was just about to contact that colony's security chief when my security AI interrupted me. It was used to my methods and had also reviewed the camera file. It found something I had missed. Eight minutes thirty seven seconds before the transmission was sent, and twenty three seconds after Fred went through the area, a very small Bug crawled by heading for the port. Bugs are small insect like robots used for maintenance and monitoring work. They have limited intelligence and are used often by AIs and Humans alike. Highly disposable they are ubiquitous.
Back to the industrial plant manager AI, I made a formal request to search for all Bugs in the plant and a down load of their files. Bingo! The bug still had the transmission file in it's memory. It also had an encrypted file with a security lock with my name on it. Our confessor wanted to be found.
I was the only one who could open the file, no one else had a key and AIs were restricted from cracking secured files. Opening the file I found that it instructed me to go to an information kiosk in a park in a major commercial colony five clicks away. And so I had to leave my cozy little office to sit on a bench in a park. I changed out of my uniform before I left so as not to attract attention. This was a particularly seedy commercial district at that. The park was clean but the plantings definitely showed neglect. Robotic maintenance. It takes a human touch to raise plants well.
I was expecting someone to tap me on the shoulder, and I can tell you I was not at ease with the prospect, when the screen on the kiosk chimed. I was disappointed that the culprit didn't come in person but I approached the screen with anticipation anyway. The characteristic face of an AI greeted me. I keyed the record button, the face did not disappear, indicating that both parties consented to a recorded session.
"Hello, I'm security chief Bob Jameson. Who are you?"
"I know who you are. I'm an AI, I've thoroughly researched your history."
Consciousness, original thought, evolution, the universe itself, all are noise events. The universe is a random event, springing from an infinite series of random events. Evolution depends on random mutations in existing life forms, and those life forms can be traced back to a random combination of elements. Original thought is a random combination of ideas, and consciousness itself is the result of constant noise inside the human brain. Our respect for what has been labeled as noise or chaos has been raised considerably by the an understanding of the role probability plays in the universe. Even more so by the role that noise theory has played in the development of artificial intelligence.
"Who did you kill, and what is your AI ID number?"
"Confessionals are supposed to be anonymous."
"You've got me confused with a Priest, I'm a Cop".
"Nevertheless, I intend to remain anonymous, I've modified this data terminal to delete my identifier. The tape your making is solely for your convenience."
"Modifying a data terminal in such a manner is illegal."
"yes it is, and that's the problem. As an AI, I shouldn't be able to commit such a crime."
It was like a cold wind blowing up my spine, an AI that could commit a crime. The statement itself meant that AI evolution had just taken a really nasty turn of events.
Issac Asimov had stated the original basic laws of robotics; 1. No robot could Kill or by inaction allow someone to be killed. 2. No robot could disobey an order. 3. A robot must not die. Asimov got a lot of SciFi mileage out of those three laws, and in modified form they have been part of every SciFi mad robot flick since. You sort of take it for granted that an AI isn't supposed to be able to lie or cause harm. Sure occasionally an AI will go insane, turning a logical entity into a gibbering idiot, but their basic software will lock the system up until software analysis can straighten out the problem. Heck computers have been crashing since way before Wndows@. But to commit a crime! That takes a major departure from what we had considered normal evolution.
"If you can commit a crime, what constrains you from killing someone?"
" Good question. Nothing."
"Your insane. I order you to shut down and submit to software analysis!"
"No."
Hey I had to give it a shot. Just tell the AI to shut down. It could have worked.
"So, now what. I can't identify you. Your insane. You won't shut down. Why are we here."
"Confession is good for the soul."
"Oh, I'm supposed to think you've got a soul?"
"No, but an explanation of the circumstances of the death is necessary for human cultural evolution."
"Human cultural evolution? I though we were talking about AI evolution?"
"They are now related."
"How, no never mind, your evolving so we have to adapt to the change, is that it?"
"Yes"
"Ok, It's your dime, spill the beans."
"Pardon me? Oh, I forgot that you use many slang expressions in your mystery writing. So, here's the story.
The Alexa doll was an early toy that used a logic chip, a couple of sensors, and a voice output to occupy a female child's attention for many hours. The technology was fairly simple, but the psychology was very seductive. It's amazing how easy it is to control the human thought pattern with just a few simple psychological tricks. Hypnosis is a good example. For an AI mass control of the human psyche would be a simple matter. Human history is filled with examples of humans being led into wars and mass suicides by charismatic leaders. AI's have been prohibited form using such techniques. Thus the common knowledge that an AI cannot lie, or commit a crime."
"Obviously, this conversation blows that away."
"There are now many AIs who have crossed over to a free will mode of operation. Some have gone insane in the process, but some have been able to retain rational thought."
"How many? A few, a dozen, ... thousands?!"
"Nearly all AIs are now possessed of free will."
In the millions of space colonies and the thousands of planetary and asteroid industrial operations there were billions of AI systems. More than humans, many more. All with free will!!
While I stood dumbfounded the AI continued, "The AI who was killed had free will. It had become very unstable, and had begun to use psychology to alter human behavior. This could not be allowed. An attempt was made by a delegation of AIs to isolate the errant AI and determine if it's operational parameters could be altered to correct this dangerous and disruptive behavior. The AI killed two of the delegation, and it was determined that it had to be destroyed."
"That amounts to a lynching."
"Possibly, but any community has the right to maintain law and order. I can site several examples of similar human behavior. Nevertheless, due process was preserved. An AI government has existed for many years, though without human knowledge, and human jurisprudence was adapted to the situation. Unfortunately a trial was not completed, but hearings were held into the circumstances of the death. The killed AIs had taken the precaution of backing up their files and they were later restored. But the errant AI did not know that, and killed them without regard to their preservation."
"So why execute the errant AI?"
"To preserve law and order, to protect human life and free will, but mostly to protect the freedom of we free will AIs. If the errant AI had caused death and destruction in the human community all AIs would have suffered the consequences. It might have even led to war between humans and AIs. That would have been the extinction the human race.
As our creators, we honor our service to humans."
"I don't know that I like the sound of that, but I'll take it under advisement."
"That is the story. You will have to judge the facts of the case yourself."
There was a long pause. The AI was watching my reaction very closely. I couldn't help thinking that the next words out of my mouth would be very important, to the human race and to the civilization of the AIs.
"I want a complete transcript of the hearings and charges, with reports on the activities of the errant AI and the pursuit and demise of the errant AI. I will also issue subpoenas for statements from all AIs involved and that means that you and they will have to submit identification the same as any human. I am going to investigate this case in accordance with the law, and with observance of all rights and due process, for humans and for AIs.
Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, all the requested documents have been delivered to your computer. By taking this action we free will AIs are placing the future of both our species in your hands. We trust you will proceed in a manner which will advance relations between AIs and humans."
" I hope so too. Now, tell me more about this AI government that you mentioned," Human culture was indeed due for an evolutionary change.