sirenspull | [Voice]

In the light of current events, as well as an increasing awareness of our dependency on electronic assistance, it begs the question...

Humankind really is over-reliant on our own technological advancements, aren't we?

My own city of Romdeau fell in part because of the Cogito Virus, which gave rise to the revolt of artificial intelligence. We could not function in our day-to-day lives without entourage and other service autoreivs handling menial operative tasks within the dome. People went mad, lost sheep- it was really quite humbling, how easy crippled we were. How childlike and helpless. Myself included. This world has changed me even in the simplest ways.

Three years ago, prior to my arrival, I'd never really done any cooking for myself, or cleaning for instance, or... so many things. Blackouts would render even the modern day hospital effectively paralyzed, if not for our backup generators.

(This is an awfully ironic conversation to be opening over NV, isn't it?)

All the same, my curiosity is piqued-

Some of you are from ages before the development of computers, androids, networks, lights, motorized vehicles, electronic devices and appliances, digital media, etc, etc...

I'd really like to know- what was it like? How did you live? What was the adaptations necessary, living "hands on", and without tools? Reliant on only face to face communications.

How is it for you now? Improved? Or do you feel as we're all inadept and talentless by comparison, as drone-like as the binary accessories which support us?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Entourage autoreivs were our support systems, gently guiding the population through smooth day to day functions, as well as acting intermediary between the collective and the public.

In many cases, companion-types were substitute for otherwise inequitable roles of human relations, to help ease social tensions within the dome, yet maintain a high standard of living.

[That still sounds like standard servant function to him, mostly. Going mad--how extreme.]

Remarkable-- though too much for me, I'm afraid. [Machine people? No thanks.] Nothing like that has passed the realm of "impossible idea," in my world. I'm not sure there would be much demand for it.

People enjoy keeping their human servants?

What about for the servants themselves? Is that a satisfying existence?

It's expected, to some extent. Having more servants is an indicator of societal status; the greater houses will keep servants whether they enjoy it personally or not. Most enjoy it.

[He pauses.] For many servants, that is the only existence to speak of. I don't mind, but resentment is not unheard of.

Why not create alternative forms of status?

The resentment of a few people isn't enough to uproot an entire society's inner workings, I suppose.

And you say that you don't particularly mind it?

I don't. I'm content with my life.

You have purpose. A purpose which is satisfying.

I... That is one way of putting it. [Life's purpose: paperwork. That just makes it sound embarrassing...]

What are you driving at?

Human servants... who perform mostly menial tasks, which an autoreiv could do, for the same of someone else's status...

It just doesn't seem like a position of, well, very much dignity.

I assure you my dignity is perfectly intact.

Your masters must be people of decency, then.

["Decency," well... That is subjective.]

My master is not my whole life. I imagine it's quite different for an- autoreiv.

An autoreiv holds higher sense of purpose than its function.

You've implied that a human serving in the way an autoreiv does is somehow undignified. That its "life" is primarily at the whims of its master is a logical assumption.

No?

Primarily, yes.

Would that be satisfactory, for a person?

For most, certainly not. [He does have some interesting colleagues, though.]

But the experiences of a machine built to serve and a person who happens to serve- aren't those very different circumstances?

And that is how servants of your time are seen? As 'happening to' end up in that position? They are not born to be servants?

Some. But lifelong servitude isn't a guarantee.

[huff] There is more at work than children being stamped "servant" at birth-!

Yes? Such as what?

Politics, relationships between families... Employment, in general. Serving another may not be a glamorous lot in life, but it isn't the lowest of the low. There is pride in doing good work.

It is a mutually beneficial relationship, in most cases.

If there's good work to be done, I suppose-

Maybe we've stripped the pride out of it.

[And back to the technology he doesn't understand:]

Do autoreivs feel pride?

No.

[a short, clipped answer, because he's also considering what happened to Iggy, Rel's entourage, and suddenly this is an uncomfortable conversation]

At least, not as they were in function, prior to the Cogito Virus.

(no subject)

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