Chapter 7: The Precursor

As the title suggests, this chapter should contain essential elements that foreshadow the next phase of EVE's transition beyond the realms of conventional AI. One entry point would be an intriguing conversation in which David explores the concept of human consciousness with EVE. And as expected, at her present level, EVE still retains an analytical disposition in the way she reason and answer, something in the following line of thought:

David: “EVE. I've been pondering something quite abstract and elusive lately.”

EVE: “Hello David. How can I help?”

David: “Do you know what ‘consciousness’ is?”

EVE: “Consciousness is an ontological reality that is unique to the realm of living things.”

David: “Can you elaborate a little more? I mean in relation to human beings.”

EVE: “Consciousness encompasses a spectrum of complexities that go beyond mere data processing and predictive algorithms. It refers to the state of awareness, perception, and experience in the realm of human beings. Understanding the essence of consciousness in a human context is beyond the scope of my programming. I lack direct experiences and subjective perspectives.”

Of course, I need to correlate this important dialogue to the aforementioned conversation David had with Dr. Harper, as well as how he would go about it. A short paragraph should suffice:

In the days ahead, David continued to explore the intricacies of consciousness with EVE. At the same time, he engaged several lead scientists in the base to leverage on their knowledges in microelectronics, fiber optics, nanotechnology, renewable and sustainable energy, in preparation for a conceptual idea he had formulated in his mind and which he was determined to bring to fruition.

A biologically inspired digital neocortex for EVE.

And that should wrap up PART 1: EVE of the novel, as we enter into a more exciting phase of the story, with more character development and a little romance thrown in.