Replenish: The Convergence of AI and Ecology (Part II)
Written by Matt Bell & Tia Kansara
With brain-machine interfaces, will we become super-intelligent stewards of the earth, or something more?
Did you read Part I: Replenish: The Convergence of AI and Ecology
Chapter III:
“Wait… Wait. Oh god.” Edmon blurted out loud. Edmon began to reel — the enormity of what had just transpired — the intrusion of his deep subconscious, where not even he could navigate — now he was exposed to Veda, he had let him in — what if The Intelligence saw this?
What if Veda was mining him for information?
Edmon, don’t worry. In that moment Edmon saw out of the corner of his eye — the sleek glare cast off from the lens of a hovering drone — had he seen it before? Edmon shot up out of the chair and then froze.
Veda, what is that? Why didn’t you tell me — are you spying on me?
Veda laughed cooly. No Edmon. My security protocols prevent me from accessing or sharing anything you don’t wish me to share — that includes taking necessary measures to ensure such leaks do not occur. Do not concern yourself with this drone — I have detected its origin to be that of your former employee, Warren, and have modified its feed to cover any abnormal behaviors, it is no threat to…
Of course — he must have seen my odd behavior when… When they contacted me. Veda please.
As you wish, Edmon.
And with that the drone seized — sputtering a blue flame, and fell into the courtyard wherein it’s bio-decomposable constituents returned to the earth.
Edmon let out a sigh of relief, relaxing into the chair once again.
—
“Ed! I’m home, honey!” Rosita’s voice echoed into the room. “I’m going to wash up before dinner. Please bring in the vegetables, Edmon.”
Edmon called out to her, “Yes, Rose!”
But with Edmon’s increasingly acute mind, a single data point in his mind became glaringly obvious. Shifting to blue, to purple, to orange — something uneasy.
That feeling Edmon — that is your wife.
Something came over Edmon — a new kind of fear. And what would Rosita do, if she found out? How loyal was she?
Years ago, Edmon had gotten lost in the pursuit of his career, leaving Rosita increasingly alone. Soon after graduation she left and found stability in a mutual acquaintance. Breck Darcy, a modern eco-missionary from old-wealth, he had laid the groundwork for one of the most prevalent reforestation projects. Then it all changed. Rumor was that Darcy was caught attempting to hack his Neuralink Interface to secure the sole ownership over a contract from The World Ecological Board — that authorities found out in the investigation that he had already been embezzling millions from the organization. Edmon met Rosita months later, she was cold then. Staring into her jack and coke, at that old college bar next to the Green Peace office. Only now did he realize that Rosita must have been the one to tip off the police…
Edmon sat back into the leather chair… staring at the glimmering point.
“Ed. Ed, are you alright?” Rosita’s voice seemed to echo eerily in the room.
“Rose, honey?”
“You know that I don’t talk about Darcy in public… why did you mention him in your feed just now?”
“I forgot, honey — it just slipped.”
“And… Ed. Why did you hit your head earlier?”
Why? Does she know I did it on purpose? Is that how she found out about Breck’s attempt?
“I was simply tired, Rose — that’s all. I’m feeling better now though — I’ll take down the post.”
“The posts, love.”
“I will, Rose. Give me a moment to wrap up my thoughts in here and I will join you in the dining room.” Edmon began to return to the study, looking over his shoulder for a moment to see Rosita’s curious smile fade.
“Edmon, I always thought you’d become a great man.” A tinge of what seemed like sadness in her voice. Then disappeared around the bend of the hall.
She knew. She knew something was wrong — Edmon felt an uneasy tingling, at the nape of his neck. Was she going to turn him over, turn him into the authorities like Breck?
I have optimized your social media schedule for maximum voter impact. However, in order to gain favor with the rest of the board there are several personalities you will need to convince in person — I can help real-time but these individuals are themselves enhanced. They will notice the delay.
What do you suggest Veda?
With your permission, I can tailor your neocortex for maximum empathic impact for senator Johnson, senator Pierce will require advanced holistic perception skills, while senator Rodriguez will respond to a more elaborate….
Veda, I trust you — do what you think is best with my neocortex.
Yes, Edmon.
Are you okay, Edmon?
Yes I… I just, have never FELT the opinions of my constituents before. Not like this.
Edmon took his hands away from his face… and noticed they were glistening. He was crying.
Veda, what is happening?
Don’t worry Edmon — the only way to secure your power is to truly know what they are going through…
I… I didn’t know.
Veda, what did she mean? Can she tell that I hacked my Interface?
Edmon that is not directly relevant to your WRI score. Still, do you want me to…
Edmon’s thoughts interrupted Veda. I can tell she is worried — I can see past the feigned contentment, there’s something deeper — dark, it’s a dark purple- enshrouding her… her words.
That aura. What is this, Veda?
What does it feel like, Edmon?
She is so worried… worried for me. Why?
Do you want me to show you, Edmon? I can show you.
Yes.
Edmon was transported into a dark alley, pressed against the cold and coarse brick — a flickering light playing on what appeared to be an unfamiliar pair of pointed loafers, crossed with a diagonal shadow. Involuntarily, his gaze turned upward and in the distance he saw a figure of a man. His heart was racing and with a passing car’s light the figure was illuminated. Edmon saw himself, puzzling at a piece of AR graffiti. He heard himself scoff- and begin to turn away. But felt a sense of hesitation in the figure — and in that moment he felt the surrogate furrow their brow and sigh. Is that when he made the decision? She knew it before he did… He could feel a sense of fear for himself — feeling it through this new vessel. And again, the gaze came back down and the arms, now his own, nervously stroked the sides of … of his wife’s skirt. She closed her eyes and pulled Edmon into her mind, back to when Breck was taken into custody. The same skirt- the same nervous stroking, clawing at her legs- a sense of powerlessness and of being pulled away from someone, of wasted time, and now he was sobbing. I didn’t tell them, Breck. I didn’t tell them…
What was that!? I thought you were going to show me her Interface feed…. I felt like, I WAS Rosita. Like I was remembering a moment in my own life. Is that why she’s been so worried about me?
Last week — when she sent for me, when I was at the Regency with Senator Redding, in that alley I saw that patrol drone digitally painting over that hacked Amend poster. She was already there waiting, wasn’t she? … I thought she was so loyal to her boss. She didn’t expose Breck, did she? How could I think she was out for my blood? She was out to protect herself and me, from what she feared would happen if I attempted a hack. Rosita, I’m sorry. I had to…
Edmon, we should probably continue preparing for tomorrow.
Chapter IV: Atonement
Edmon shook his head, mad that he had assumed the worst from Rosita. Yes, of course Veda. We should.
Edmon could now see the intricate mechanisms of his own consciousness — the minute connections interlacing with the overlaid artificial Neural network, and it was more than control over the technology, he could manipulate his own synapses… he could optimize his own processes. It wasn’t enough to gain power in the world, but to reshape it from within, to fundamentally shift his own consciousness, that was what was needed. Why create a kingdom based on his old, inferior humanity- old thoughts and ideals, but with the power to be superior that required the creation of a superior world. Perhaps worlds. Edmon felt infinite- and he felt humanity was destined for infinity.
Edmon reeled. But why?
What was the purpose? If he could rework his very mind, what was stopping him from manually rebuilding his own motivations — what was stopping us from connecting with something higher than base needs or desires? Forget about the meaning of life or purpose bestowed upon life from its origins or evolutions. If we have the power to reflect, we are free from the prison of an animal’s given code. We can define ourselves completely.
Edmon closed his eyes and approached the brim of his consciousness — that feeling, welling up, a wave about to crash. And he let go.
Edmon fixated on the WRI score permanently displayed on the concentric Interface read-out. His consciousness enthralled, imagining some slight movement in the number… he glanced around, the streaming augmented reality lines branching out toward the WRI retrofitted tech embedded in his home — the lights, the AC, the windows, every appliance was tuned precisely to the requirements of the WRI.
Edmon sat up from the leather chair with a start. Outside of the window of the study he could see the monuments to this new age — downtown Atlanta was now growing with the technology of the time — biomaterials, buildings formed from living concrete, concentric like the piths of great prehistoric trees, layer by layer they rose. While the older skyscrapers were systematically digitized for virtual conservation and physically adsorbed by the new.
Edmon once wretched at this idea. The world he found comfort in was being eaten alive, perhaps it was the fear that his family, his concept of what they were, no longer fit in this world… but looking at the green interlaced and sweeping shapes of this new world now. He felt an odd sense of curiosity. Of — of love and identity with the holistic organism of all life. An intense desire to replenish the world — no, to replenish the universe.
Do you feel them breathing? Edmon asked himself.
I. I do…
Honey, are you okay? Rosita’s voice echoed across the vastness of Edmon’s new mind — tugging like the returning tide on the shell of his body. It was dark out now… Rosita stood silently holding a beautifully preserved piece of fine china bellying a fresh salad. How long had he been in that room?
We must change ourselves, to replenish the world…
Edmon felt like he was looking from somewhere deep inside his own mind — he pondered for a moment, a moment longer than he should have, he thought- where did that thought come from? Then he knew — show me. Show it to me.
In an instant his Interface was reformed with a graph — percentage consciousness. And Edmon’s eyes widened. Biological consciousness 48%. Artificial consciousness 52%.
52.4, 52.7, 53.2…
Edmon looked up at Rosita, his eyes searching for something of assurance that what she saw was still the husband she once loved. Brows furrowed he looked up at Rosita to speak…
But Rosita hushed him with a deep, watery gaze. Her hands tenderly holding the heirloom globe, as if holding a child…
“I’m glad you decided to join us, Edmon.”
Author’s Note
Matt Bell
For this month’s installments I had the unique opportunity to both write and design (Click here to see the full Designer’s Notes for Replenish) — and was thrilled to work with Tia Kansara to expand on her concept of the World Replenish Index.
I believe the most important core to any story is the tension between the motivations of characters — and their progression. What do we think we desire, and what do we actually need? How do others affect our motivations and use them? So it was an incredibly fun thought experiment to see how a perfected Neuralink, super-human AI, and the WRI would fuse and impact our characters and themselves become characters.
At the convergence of AI and ecology, will we become super-intelligent stewards of the earth, or something more?
I cannot wait to hear your theories about our story and this future!
Tia Kansara
The WRI was launched as a means to include and transcend GDP. WRI is based on Replenish — a philosophy inspired by nature to help us live in harmony with it. Moving our financial investments towards replenishing our planet and regenerating earth.
The WRI justifies the use of ecosystem services for economic success. The measure endorses products and services that are 100% compostable — inspired by nature — to eliminate anthropogenic environmental degradation, such as growing amounts of waste in the ocean, on land and in space, by incentivizing future innovations that have a positive, replenishing impact on our ecosystem.
