Future with Neo
“Daniel Dumile” the person at the counter yelled out. A sense of relief came over him as he walked over.
“Look into this camera,” she said frustrated. His brain-computer interface, Neo, asked for permission before sharing his legal profile. He accepts the request, and the identification process is authenticated.
“You got this,” she said as she handed him an envelope with a bright yellow “Government Accountability Office” emblem. He took the envelope and placed it safely in his folder.
It was the response to his appeal to limit government access to his Neo data. The appeal was granted only to high government officials and wealthy executives. Daniel’s new position as the CFO for the Intergalactic Fossil Fuel company meets the requirements to get excused by the Geora Mandate.
This year marks the 76th anniversary of The Geora Mandate. It was implemented by the government after a decade-long struggle to prevent extreme violence and rampant anarchy. It ordered all citizens to be equipped with Neo which let the government access their memories and emotions. This helped officials punish any citizens that had committed crimes in the past and prevent those who had the risk of disobeying in the future. The crime rate immediately decreased, and order was restored. Since then, all newborns are equipped with Neo and so was Daniel.
Neo made lives simple. It came with a built-in search engine and provided everyone with entertainment through virtual reality gaming, television shows, and social media. It helped prevent and foresee medical risks including mental health issues. Users communicated with each other seamlessly and even shared stored memories with each other. Neo unlocked a new side of human potential and advanced civilization unlike any other technology in the past. Daniel, like the majority, supported the government for providing Neo for everyone free of cost. Government monitoring did not concern him, and he saw this expectation as a mere formality.
In his car, Daniel opens the envelope and reads the letter:
Dear Daniel Dumile,
Your request for a corporate Neo exception has been granted. Scan the code below and sleep for at least 4 hours to remove your Neo profile from the Department of Civil Order.
He woke up the next morning with a familiar Neo interface. Everything he knew and relied on remained in his system and he was underwhelmed by the update. His house was still connected, and he went through his normal morning routine like the day before. He got in his car and was on his way to meet the board members and move into his office on the 11th floor. That floor was reserved for the top executives in the company, only those who are granted the government exception.
He walked into the elevators in the office building and pressed the 11th floor. He walked to his office where his table was already organized to his liking. As he sat in his chair, his Neo notified him of new contacts nearby.
“Hi Daniel, how was your commute here?” an unknown contact voice in his head asked him. “It wasn’t too bad thanks for asking… I’m sorry I don’t have your contact, who is this?” Daniel responded. The voice replied “My name is Mia; I’ll be your virtual assistant to help you navigate the new updates to your Neo. Your system is now connected to a separate server that is free of government monitoring. To start, you will have access to new contacts. Feel free to add and chat with any of these profiles.” A new list of contacts called the “Gentry” appeared, filled with celebrities, political leaders, and other top executives. As Daniel scrolled through the list of contacts, he came added his company executives and his favorite celebrities, and sent them a greeting.
“Hi Daniel!”, the company CEO replied. “I see you’ve gotten your exception granted, congratulations! Since it’s your first day on the 11th floor, take your time exploring the new capabilities of your Neo so you can start being fully productive in the days to come. I also hear that there’s a party later tonight with other Gentry members. It’ll be a great opportunity to make new connections. Check out this invite.” A flyer with this exclusive party appeared in Daniel’s system. It was a birthday party of a celebrity that he didn’t recognize. As he scrolled, he came across familiar names in the list of attendees, including the CEO of Neo Inc and other famous celebrities. As he clicked accept, Mia replied “I will mark this event in your calendar. This event is marked as a black event. Make sure to turn off your memory storage and camera on your arrival. Any violation of event rules will be shared with your Gentry contacts and could affect your social standing.”
Later that evening, Daniel arrives at the address specified in the flyer. He double-checked that his camera and memory storage was turned off. At the entrance, he scanned his Neo and confirmed his identity. As he walked into the party, he was welcomed with bright lights and loud music. His Neo showed him a map of the party that included the members and activities happening around him. Many of the activities listed in the system, including sports betting, hookah, and hard drugs Longue, were illegal to those outside of the Gentry. As he explored, he saw a section of the party marked as the Playback, where the CEO of Neo Inc was located.
Daniel made his way over to the Playback section, which housed a huge theatre setup with people gathered around. He sat next to an empty seat and started watching the clips on the screen. It played a memory of a person committing suicide by falling off his office buildings as others watched and cheered with excitement. Daniel turned to a man sitting next to him and asked, “Is this real? Are we watching a real person commit suicide?”. The man replied “Yeah, the Playback is an AI filter that let recognizes and shows memories of people around the world. I love it! It’s like a compilation of the scariest, funniest, and most intimate memories of people. Some also bet the outcome of certain memories, so it doubles as a game too.”
Daniel was uncomfortable with watching the clips at first but then relaxed in his seat as the clips continued. He started betting on people’s memories and started to enjoy Playback.
