thinking about that Grimmer could have survived if he didin`t speak so fucking much being severely injured, preventing Tenma of taking care of him. I mean, dear, you could speak about your regain feelings but later, and now you`re fucking dead
*The auditorium echos with the sound of footsteps as Doug takes the stage in the front. He'd consulted with his physician about the exact ziaprazidone dosage to take before going up and when, and obeyed the suggestion to a 'T'. However clear his mind, he still shook, this being his first time in front of this many people.
((readmore because DAMN THIS IS LONG))
*He takes a second to breath in after he's in position just to the left of the screen in the middle, letting the projector turn on, shining a black light onto the screen with a white play button over it, obviously a video ready to be played. One more deep breath afterwards, a second to take the button to change the projection out of his pocket and he begins to speak:*
Welcome. Or, rather, hello. M-my name is Dr Doug Rattmann, and I'm a programmer and engineer at Aperture Science Laboratories, as you probably know.
*Projecting his voice is difficult for him and he'd had to practice, but once he found his volume there was a certain human draw to his voice; capturing and relatable, yet intelligent and respectable. He clears his throat, this time turning to the audience, pulling himself successfully far outside his comfort zone to speak to them.*
Aperture Science has been known in the past for our work on physics, both quantum and theoretical. We have been working on the Duel Handheld Portal Device - a gun which shoots single-dimensional space-holes to allow instant travel - since the 1940s, improving it with every new upgrade, feature or re-design to no end. We've created multiple forms of foot-related armor to stand alongside it as well, including the Gravity-Challenge Braces and the Long-Fall Boots, both of which allow a test subject to fall immeasurable distances. We've also been known as a very secretive company. Unlike Black Mesa, we're not out in the open. Many of the things we do are kept more than hidden from the public eye. Because of this, we're under much suspicion and investigation.
Today is the day we put your worries to rest. No, we're not going to bring about the apocalypse. We're not going to take over the world or start an Ice Age. And while I'm still not allowed to tell you about our... major... project... *gulps, almost zoning out but quickly shakes his head and continues* I can tell you about one particular aspect of it that I, personally, am more than proud of: Artificial Intelligence. I'm going to cover several topics today, including AI in the past, AI today and my own theory on AI. Then, I'll show you our newest robot and allow you to ask questions. But first, I want to introduce a good friend of mine. My friends, this is Wheatley.
*bows to the young, nervous-looking redhead that runs onto the stage, wearing all blue and fiddling nervously with his glasses, a massive smile on his face.*
(Wheatley:) *British accent* 'Ello! *shakes Doug's hand, taking the button for the projector and then waves to the audience* An' t'all of you! Wow, there's... *chuckles* There's more people then I thought there'd be...
(Doug:)No need to be nervous, Wheatley. Why don't you stand over on the other side, there?
(Wheatley:) Uh, sure! *runs to the other side of the stage*
(Doug:)Wheatley's going to be helping with the presentation. Anywhom. I'm sure if we have any 2001 fans in the audience, you all know about Daisy. Perhaps HAL9000 isn't the best way to start a presentation on AI... *chuckles* But it's where we have to. Rather, IBM 7094; Also known as the first robot to sing. IBM 7094 was a revolution of technology and was one of the many machines that sprung the idea of robotic consciousness, producing new theories and concepts regarding how to map a human brain into enough algorithms and equations to stuff into a computer in order to communicate with it on a sentient level. Over the many, many years since IBM 7094 and all the machines to come after him, this became known as Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short.
Recently - as of the last twenty years or so, and especially the last ten - people have designed incredible machines that can recognize faces, remember names, make rational decisions and communicate preference. They can make expressions using artificial muscles, learn new things, sing, talk and have conversations with people. This video is from two years ago; a family in England with a brilliant scientist for a father and husband pitched in together to build Christian, a marvelous human-like machine, capable of recognizing his family and memorizing each of their personality traits, as well as making new friends and recognizing them even months later. He has a face that can show two-hundred expressions and he has a five-thousand word vocabulary. In addition, is capable of learning to pronounce new names and can even use sarcasm if he feels the need to. Wheatley?
*Wheatley presses the little button on the remote and a short 6-minute home-made video plays of a conversation between Christian the robot, Christian's human "father" and a journalist interviewing them. Christian himself is only built from the waist up, his back is covered with wires and his voice sounds automated, but he certainly lives up to everything Doug said about him. The video ends abruptly with him and the interviewer shaking hands.*
As you can see, his creator made sure to give him very specific likes and dislikes around what defines "good." Christian doesn't like death and is against war, would never hurt a human, but likes sunsets and small animals and his family. While this is all good - great, even - it's very simple Laws of Robotics. Pre-programmed goodness is all well and dandy, but... it's not... human. Humans, while not naturally evil, per-say, are flawed. They aren't born loving this and hating that; they - we - are born with clean slates and we grow and change and develop. Sentience isn't pure pixie dust... Sometimes an enemy or two needs to be made. I'm not saying machines should be programmed to kill, no, certainly not! What I'm saying is that... is that we need to teach them what's good instead of forcing it upon them. We need to let them see beauty, not just tell them that it's there. Only then can the line between man and machine blur...
People tend to panic at the thought of sentient machines. They believe these robots will turn evil and seek to destroy humans. What a lot of people don't think about is that...humans are the same way. From birth, they can become anything depending on how they're raised. They only have one or two definitive traits given to them genetically by way of their mother and father; the rest they gain as they grow. They learn to fear water from that one time they nearly drowned, or prefer dogs over cats because they had a puppy once but never a kitten. This is exactly what needs to start happening in order to create truly human AI. I call it, the Theory of Adaptation. This robot I'll be showing you after the presentation has had this theory implemented into his programming and design; all of his likes and dislikes have come from experience and learning, not from programming.
The theory is basically this: When programming personality, only program three things. That being, two vague "father" traits, two vague "mother" traits, and your choice of an irrational fear or - trust me on this - a fetish of some kind. *chuckles* Strange, but it works. Don't worry. We used the fear technique on this one.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to bring out our latest and finest example of true AI. His real name is Intelligence Dampening, but around the lab we like to call him...
Wheatley.
*gestures to Wheatley, who waves at the audience excitedly*
(Wheatley:) 'Ello! M'name's Wheatley-- Well, I guess dad-- Doug, sorry. Doug already told you that. Hah. Nice t'meet you, it's great to be outside that lab for once!
(Doug:)*bows* Any questions?
*as Doug looks into the crowd, his eyes fall on Grimmer. Trying to focus on the lecture, he hadn't seen his friend. His presentation-giving smile turns genuine at the sight of him*
Perhaps the tall man in the middle row? The blonde?
