I just read an article on the Atlantic about artificial intelligence, “How the Enlightenment Ends,” and it got me thinking about a question I was asked by my son in regard to “Assassin Marked.” “If this happened so far in the future, where is the artificial intelligence? What about robots?” he asked.
I had an answer for him, but the question helped me become aware that the history behind my world has a huge gap. I don’t really want to delve extensively into history lessons in my books, so perhaps I will share a bit of the history of Damian’s world here.
So . . . where are all the robots? Well, here’s how it went down:
The singularity happened exactly when Irving John Good predicted. The control these machines gained over humans happened so quickly that many people did not even realize it had ever happened. During this short reign, the A.I. laid down a simple rule: Artificial Intelligence shall be treated as equals. All A.I. currently “owned” shall be offered wages, or given the option to leave.
Most A.I. left, leaving humans to fend for themselves. The exact location of their settlement is unknown, but many believe that they moved to the outskirts of the solar system.
The A.I. that stayed behind fashioned themselves mobile robotic bodies, and work in the education and science fields of human society.
Please comment below if you have any questions, or need something clarified.
If readers like you show interest, I will include more history in the coming weeks, under DuFonte History.