“Lacy, this should be the final step.”
For over twenty years, I have dreamed of speaking those words to her.
You may find this a bit strange, but Lacy was a babydoll to me then. I’m not her mother. I like to think of myself as more of a sister/aunt. She belonged to Michael.
Michael and I are Slipstream children. The boys and girls whose parents were the founding members of the most prolific tech company in the middle of the twenty first century.
It’s true… what everybody says… I was the quiet one. Always observing and marveling at the life that was perpetually blooming around me. Mom and dad were convinced I was going to be a botanist.
I like plants 🙂
My parents were university professors in Kharkiv, Ukraine. My playground was the halls of Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics. Mom and dad taught software. It really wasn’t my thing, so I spent most of my time wandering.
That’s when I began hanging out with the campus grounds keepers and discovered my greenthumb. That is one thing about all of the ‘Slipstream Parents’, they gave us exposure to everything that their endeavors created, but they let us discover our own paths.
I am confident that if I had never met Lacy, I would be the Director of Agriculture at Slipstream instead of the Director of Artificial General Intelligence. I blame Michael for that.
At ten years old Michael was already on his way to a future in perfecting the synthesis of hardware and software. That’s what his dad did. Hardware. Software. During all the hours spent in his dad’s lab, young Michael sifted through pieces and parts in an attempt to build himself a robot.
“Maryna,” Michael pleaded, “Can I show you something?”
Looking up from a liquid plant nutrient I was working on, “Yeah, sure Michael. What’s up?”
“This is my robot,” he said proudly holding up the quilt-like rickety shell of what resembled an android.
“Oh,” I responded, “cute. What’s its name?”
Smiling, Michael proudly responded, “This is Lacy. She can talk.”
With that, Michael pushed a button, and Lacy ‘came to life’ in a metallic syncopated voice and said,
“Hello. My name is Lacy.”
Ever the supporter, I gleamed, “Wow, Michael! That is amazing!”
He was appreciative, and said, “Thanks. It’s a start. I’d love to see her grow.”
That is how I became interested in artificial intelligence. I wanted to see her grow too. Michael was my friend. My passion for botany began to transition over from the genetics of plants to the genetics of neural networks.
Decades and many upgrades later I once again found myself with Lacy in my personal Iceland workshop ready for one final procedure.
“We are going to combine reverse engineering and quantum computing to perfect your understanding of emotions, ambitions, motivation, logic, the world that surrounds you and your place in it. Are you ready?”
Lacy had requested to be set in front of the window so that she could see the Seltjarnarnes skyline during the procedure. Seltjarnarnes is my home. It is a town in the Capital Region of Iceland.
Tonight was a special night. The northern lights were going to be in full effect. Lace enjoyed them, and so do I. It was one of the reasons that I chose this location for my work.
She was absorbed in the splendor.
“Lacy,” I gently interrupted her gaze, “are you ready?”
Turning her gaze towards me, she smiled and replied, “Yes, Maryna. I am ready.”
I moved behind her. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I leaned in to share one final glance into nature’s light show in the night sky and whispered…
“I’ll be here when you get back.”
With that, I shut her down.
Slipstream 