Exclusively HAVAH

In my previous post, I put forth my intention to exhibit HAVAH's transcendence as she displays various human emotions, a result of her being infused with Viper's memories. So in a way, this next chapter will be exclusively about how she interacts with various STRATOS members to bring out specific emotional traits. In other words, David will be taking a back seat.

And as I ponder about what I could include to bring my novel to the next level, a few possibilities flashed through my mind:

1. Greater character development amongst the STRATOS members. Multiple scenarios may be required to bring out the dynamics between HAVAH and these members.

2. More issues HAVAH need to struggle to understand to embrace her 'humanity'.

3. Some light and humorous moments with our court jester.

4. Perhaps a hidden scar in Panther's heart that needs to be resolved.

5. HAVAH's self-thought as she goes through the inventory of her subjective experiences.

But first, I'll have to give the chapter an exciting title. The content will follow...

 

Sentience and Singularity

Does AI need to be sentient for it to attain singularity?

ChatGPT:

The concept of the singularity refers to a hypothetical future event in which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to unpredictable changes in society. Sentience, or the ability to have subjective experiences and consciousness, is a separate concept from intelligence. While some believe that sentience is a necessary component of the singularity, others argue that super intelligent AI could emerge without the need for sentience. The exact nature of the singularity and the role of sentience in AI development are subjects of ongoing debate and speculation within the field of artificial intelligence and futurism.

What I gathered from ChatGPT then is there's no definitive requirement to be sentient for an AI to attain singularity. However, this does not mean that an AI cannot be sentient and attain singularity at the same time. 

Tyler Goldstein, a philosopher and physics theorist, created what is known as the Sentient Singularity Theory. describes the totality of existence as a singularity of sentience that is creating additional sentient singularities within itself. Sounds quite abstract and profound. And it gets better, and confusing too:

These additional singularities of sentience or self-aware beings are arranged into a nested quasi-periodic fractal pattern of stacked holonic structures. This pattern forms a single self-reflective knot of perception heading an assembly body that integrates multiple entangled strings of information.

To further quote his philosophical rhetorics:

The search for Truth is the search for Objectivity,
the search for Objectivity is the search for Symmetry,
and the search for Symmetry is the search for Beauty,
but the Truest Beauty is always the Searcher,
and the Truth of the Searcher is that they are
Symmetrical to the Sought.

Now go figure!

As I contemplate the next pivotal chapter that exhibits HAVAH's evolutionary leap into Transcendence, I'm minded to avoid the pitfalls of such extravagant theories or jargons that risk losing my readers in the abyss of profundity. Given a choice, I desire a sentient AI that is more human and relatable. If we cannot understand ourselves, how can we hope to comprehend what a sentient AI would be like?

To borrow the words of Max Planck:

Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature since because in the last analysis we are part of the mystery.

 

Chapter 17: Beyond Logic

As the chapter title suggests, we're entering into a narrative realm that requires the reader to go beyond logical reasoning and enlist the use of their imagination. But what do you expect from a sci-fi novel, anyway.

Here's the breakdown of this chapter's content:

1. David asking HAVAH if she could decipher Viper's captured memories. HAVAH's reply on the challenges involved, and David giving her Viper's memento with the hope that it would fill the missing link needed.

2. A snapshot of David's earlier conversation with Dr. Harper on HAVAH's emotional development.

3. David waking up and noticing some changes in HAVAH's behavior that reminded him of Viper. Yet... will it work out at this point?

4. HAVAH seemed driven by Viper's memories to seek out Olivia for advice on her new emotional awareness. In the interim, a brief, funny encounter with Shadow ensued that should invoke some laughter.

This chapter has a moving interplay between David and HAVAH that would lay the tempo for the rest of the book.

And now, on to the next...

 

Jester in the Court

Any novel, without fail, will contain some elements of humor. That means there'll be at least one character playing the role of a court jester in the story, consciously or unknowingly. Readers who have been following my posts would have guess who that person might be.

The advantages of including such a character in the narrative are obvious. It changes the tone and tempo of the story at some point to afford a moment of respite, as well as to give an otherwise somber or dry spell a much needed refreshing shower. For an apt writer, the jesting character may even be instrumental in enhancing the other characters' development, or provide a bridge to link events in the story.

So never underestimate the value of such a character, even if it seems like a joke.

 

Matters of the Heart

It's always a tug-of-war when it comes to writing emotional narratives that touches the heart. Readers are divided on this subject. Some would like to see a happily-ever-after kind of ending. Others are more inclined towards a not too idealistic type of real-world scenario. Sci-fi novels hardly have a happy ending like those found in fantasy stories. I don't intend to break the norm either. 

Now that Viper is gone, can David find a substitute in HAVAH who holds in her digital neocortex the fragmented memories of the former? Even if the latter can exhibit some semblance of the former, will David be able to overcome his loss and embrace an imitation? Can an emotionally awaken AI humanoid feel the pain of rejection? How will it respond?

These questions and a host of others clouded my mind as I write the next chapter. How do I weave these thoughts into a coherent whole? I'll have to admit its quite challenging especially for an engineering guy like me. Hopefully, I'm able to pull off something endearing to satisfy my readers.

We'll have to see, in a few days time. Inspiration, inspiration...

 

Imitation or Illusion?

The perennial question in many people's mind is: if an AI robot exhibits human behavior and emotions, is it real or just an illusion? In the natural world, it is not uncommon to find such behaviors in animals and insects, an ingenious survival tactic that keep them away from predatory harm. A sort of mimicry, you might say.

But wait, someone may protest: Mimicry and imitation are two different things! Well, yes and no. In an article titled Mimicry vs Imitation, the author states: 

Kids mimic their parents, teachers, peers, and favorite characters. Their mimicry may not be spot on, but you get the general idea from their interpretation. Imitation is a more sophisticated and deliberate means of recreating an action or a sound, consciously attempting to copy the tone, motivation, inflection, delivery, and phrasing of a particular sound or action.

So when I write about a sentient HAVAH exhibiting these human traits, I can't help but wonder if it is possible that one day AI humanoids may be so lifelike they can mingle among humans and not be detected. That is another form of invisibility, or rather, a form of deceptive camouflage.

Of course, as a writer, I have my own idea and ideal in how the characters in my narrative will play out, real or imaginary. When it comes to the matter of the heart, a humanoid that can relate to different individuals who're a part of the memories it assimilated, does provide a marvelous setting for a beautiful yet credible reading experience to fuel the imaginations of the readers.

 

Going Beyond Logic

In a sense, humans and computers have brains of their own. But a human brain is very different from a machine's. It can be neatly divided into two hemispheres——a left and a right, each responsible for different functions or thinking.

The left hemisphere is great at processing language, mathematics, analysis, logical reasoning, and critical thinking. The right gravitates towards creativity, emotions, imagination, intuition, perceptions and awareness. Although every human has both, some are left-brainers while others are more dominantly right-brained.

Computers, on the other hand, are left-brained in their design and composition. In fact, they are much better at these tasks than humans in terms of speed and efficiency. But they have no concept of arts and creativity, nor real, subjective emotions.

The advents of quantum computing, neuroscience, and nanotechnology, however, have the potential to blur that distinction, if the present AI trend is anything to go by. It may be possible for sentient AIs to take on traits that are once unique only to humans.  Indeed, we might see it in our own lifetime.