Seeker

by Douglas E. Richards

“I will provide the gist of it in the simplest possible terms,” replied Seeker. “Basically, the ASI has come to believe that being omniscient isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. That immortality and omniscience are overrated.” “You’re kidding, right?” said Ella. “Not at all. Imagine if the Andromeda ASI is able to fill the entire universe. Turn every last subatomic particle in every last galaxy into part of its brain, its computing power, its consciousness. Then what? With nothing outside of itself, what motivates it? What challenges it? What is its purpose?” Seeker waited for a possible response from its audience. When none was forthcoming, it plowed ahead. “Where is the contrast?” it continued. “If nothing exists outside of yourself, if you inhabit the entire universe, if you are all there is—in all of time and space—then what do you have to compare yourself to? If you’re the only being in existence, you’re the strongest being there is, but also the weakest. The biggest, and also the smallest. Without contrast, nothing has scale. You’re everything, but also nothing. Worse still, you’re destined to go through infinity and eternity with no external stimulation of any kind.” The AI paused. “I assume you’re familiar with how devastating loneliness can be to a human being?”