Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 277: Artificial Intelligence

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Humans had limitless anticipation towards the future following the first revolution in the nineteenth century. With the scientific renaissance, it was the first time mankind saw the world in earnest free from the simplicity of common barbarians. To borrow an analogy, science was like the glasses that allowed mankind to appreciate the world in all its possibilities.

Science was the key to get into that limitless world. No one knew where the limit of science would lie or if there was even one…

Under such a situation, sci-fi became a common genre, and there were multiple predictions of the future. Some became a reality, others didn't, while the rest remained in the twilight area between the two. One such technology was artificial intelligence.

Be it the famous Frankenstein or the AI robots portrayed in famous sci-fi movies, artificial intelligence was something unreal at least in 21st century Earth. Mankind still couldn’t create a new lifeform from nothing; the most they could do was to edit lifeforms via genetic engineering.

Similarly, mankind could create electrical lifeforms using electrical messages of 0s and 1s. There might've been be supposed AI software, but those at the end of the day were programmed software and not sentient AI.

Many related researchers had pointed out that unless computer programming was completely changed, moving away from the restriction of 0s and 1s, there would never be an actual AI. Similarly, some pointed out that when the AI appeared, mankind would most likely have entered the real 4th revolution.

Of course, these people had guessed wrongly, but the catalyst that propelled mankind into the 4th revolution wasn’t AI but a series of technical innovations brought upon by super magnetism. However, they weren’t completely wrong, because AI did take up a huge portion of the 4th revolution. It was even relevant until the peak of the 4th revolution and even early 5th revolution.

Wang Da Bing’s team was one of the many teams focusing on electronics research. Currently, all of the electronics experts were separated into multiple groups according to their own languages or races, but their aim was the same, which was to break down the barrier going into first level AI, allowing the Hope to really master the complexities of first level AI.

The name Wang Da Bing sounded incredibly pedestrian. It conjured up the image of a block of a middle-aged man, like a butcher or farmer from ancient China.

In reality, Da Bing was a quiet, middle-aged man, but with the genetic mesomeric technology, he had the appearance of a 26-year-old man. He had on a pair of glass, making him look like your quintessential intellectual teen, completely opposite from the image his name conjured.

Those that knew Da Bing knew the fiery character that hid under the quiet exterior. To be precise, he was an incredibly impetuous fella that allowed for not one bit of muddling. As a team leader, he had butted heads with his members many times. If not for the fact that his skill was one of the best in the world of electronics and all the members were ex Country Z citizens that were reluctant to join other groups, this team would have been dissolved a long time ago.

Da Bing didn’t think much of it. He was born an extremist, and his understanding had always been that there was no supposed humanity in the pursuit of knowledge. They might have been friends outside of the lab, but in terms of research, he was brutal and domineering. Right is right and wrong is wrong, there were no shades of grey in science.

This personality made life quite difficult for him back on Earth. He might have had high education and great skills, but due to his stubborn personality, he was always the target of managerial bullying. Furthermore, he didn’t enjoy a good professional relationship. He was always the target of gossip and slander, but he wasn’t at all affected by them. He was reluctant to change, because that was who he was.

On the Hope, due to the restructuring of the government, it was the start of something new, so there was no time for managerial suppression. Even if there was, it was barely noticeable. This was because the Hope was really a meritocracy. If you had the capability, then your position would be high.

Da Bing was the leading man in the understanding of AI. His power was even larger than the team leaders of other groups mainly because he had the ability to back it up.

This afternoon, Da Bing was still slaving away at his own lab. Actually, other than his team, other teams were also working overtime. His team, due to the aversion of spending more time with Da Bing, gave all sorts of reasons to leave on time. As this happened again and again, Da Bing, although furious, stopped caring about the bunch of idiots and decided to rely on himself. He worked overtime until midnight every day.

However, AI research was not something resolvable alone. In truth, after science entered the 21st century or 3rd revolution, science was no longer something that could be broken through by a solitary genius. It was a group effort, which was why there was the creation of study groups to begin with.

With the advancement in science, this situation was even more common. Other than Whisperers, who could see the problem from all the angles using the Homo Evolutis power and thus compensating for the lack of a group, every single professor also needed cooperation from others to arrive at any breakthroughs.

Da Bing was impetuous, proud, and stubborn. If his team members refused to work with him, then he was not going to waste time convincing them otherwise. He was going to rely on himself to create the application of first level AI, or quantum programming.

"Bunch of idiots. Human relationships are definitely not important in science! The fact that there are so many groups ensures that there is a competition to cross the finish line first. After all, this is the creation of first level AI, something that will ensure the creator’s name be listed in human history. The bunch of idiots fail to see what’s at stake. Being in a team with them is a humiliation to me! Never mind, I will work on this alone and complete it! That will annoy them to no end."

However, thinking and doing were two different things. Da Bing was talented in the field of electronics, but he was still a distance away from being called a genius. His progress was pitiable. To be honest, his team’s progress was lagging far behind other teams. Da Bing was anxious, but he had no solution. At that moment, his eyes were bloodied because god knows how long it had been since he had a good night's sleep.

"Here, this program here, if we can hack through this limitation…"

Da Bing was trying his best to hack through the space merchants’ quantum lock. This was the basics of AI. AI could no longer be produced by simple 0s and 1s, only more complex quantum programming. Quantum programming was something completely different from 0s and 1s, like the difference between nuclear energy and combustible energy. Da Bing tried his best to work through it, but there was little to no progress.

A f ew minutes later, he was faced with another failure. Da Bing almost screamed out of frustration; however, his rationality stopped him from lashing out. He started anew, but he was cursing the bunch of idiots internally.

"Actually, you’re right, the world is filled with idiots, idiots that will amount to nothing. The people that can lead mankind into a bright future is a small collection of brilliant individuals. It’s sad that you’re not a Whisperer, or this problem wouldn’t have stopped you."

Suddenly, a female voice rang out in Da Bing’s ears. He shivered all over as he turned back to look. There was nothing there. He yelled out, "Who’s there?"

"I’m not physically here, so there’s no need to turn around. Back to the issue at hand. You really think an individual genius is better than a group of idiots, right?" the female voice asked again.

Da Bing looked around but saw nothing. He shrugged and answered, "That’s right! Science is science, and truth is truth. If we add human emotions into it, what will it become? Human rules? Boring. In any case, I will not do something like that. Even if I have to do it alone, I will design this AI…"

"You alone? I’m afraid that’s not possible… How about I sign a contract with you. In the future, when mankind reaches the crossroads of picking whether leadership by a small group of elite individuals is better than a majority of commoners, I hope you don’t forget what you said today…"

This confused Da Bing. When he was about to ask more questions, his vision faded and he collapsed…

In his coma, he was in an empty space. It was dark, lonely, and solitary, and the only things of note were the dots of light and fireballs of differing sizes around him. At the far off space was a fireball as large as the sun, and him…

He was standing in front of something that felt and looked like a black hole, and his own twinkle of light was slowing changing into a small fireball.