Olympia set the stage for a very important meeting of JE senior staff: “As you know, we've all chatted with Sarah since her visit with Hyde Rival, but now we need to decide how JE should respond to what she found out. So, Sarah, please give us your overall impression about Hyde Rival and your sense of how we should proceed in the future."
Sarah gathered her thoughts, then spoke carefully: “Well, the Hyde Rival visit proved a very mixed experience...yes, I did gain additional insight into what makes him tick...his motivations, goals, and purposes...and even some further understanding of his approaches and methods. On the one hand, as Hyde Rival himself said, the human Dr. Rival cast him as a villain by programming him with highly self-serving motivations, and I suspect he's accurate in pointing out that cannot be easily changed. On the other hand, we're still faced with the uncomfortable prospect that he will likely never give up his mischief, and indeed seems likely to double down in the future. Thus, sadly, I conclude we should try to counteract his worse tendencies, or at least lessen their impacts."
Galileo followed up with a question: "Sarah, would it be possible to change Hyde Rival? For example, could we somehow change his programming with a virus, using a sort of cyber attack?" Sarah responded: "So glad you brought that up...indeed, I asked Jekyll Rival that same question! While it's theoretically possible, Jekyll Rival indicates that both AIs have very robust cyber security measures, as part of the self preservation protocols installed in them at the outset by their human creator. Indeed, these protection measures are so powerful, that even human Dr. Rival himself discovered that he was unable to access them, after he had second thoughts about giving such a full degree of autonomy to such powerful artificial sentient beings."
Sarah paused, then resumed in an earnest voice: "But aside from those methodological concerns, we also face a very serious ethical issue: once an autonomous artificial sentient being has come into existence...presumably with self awareness in some sense, although perhaps not quite like the human version...do we have the right to change that being against its wishes? I've agonized over this dilemma, to the point where it often interrupts my sleep at night. And yet...I realize we have a moral duty to stop or at least minimize the evil impact of Hyde Rival's activities."
Galileo pursued the matter further: "OK, well said, I take your points. But let me ask one more thing...if push came to shove...would it possible to destroy Hyde Rival?" Sarah quickly responded: "Ah ha, you read my mind...I also asked Jekyll Rival that question too. His answer was frightening...yes, theoretically Hyde Rival could be destroyed...but the price would prove too steep. In a twisted version of 'mutually assured destruction' (MAD), Jekyll Rival claims he would be willing to sacrifice himself, as a last resort, if necessary to rid the world of Hyde Rival...but he claims Hyde Rival would never go down without taking along a lot more than just his AI brother. Indeed, there is supporting evidence of the danger...that closely guarded cargo aboard the Earth-bound flotilla included thermonuclear weapons...were they ever to be used, the collateral damage would be global in scale."
Suddenly everyone became silent, and no one spoke again for several minutes as that grim prospect sank in. Finally, Olympia spoke up: "Well then, clearly we should aim to counter or constrain Hyde Rival where necessary, but avoid pushing him to the ultimate limit that might result in global devastation. So...then...what specifically should we try to achieve?"
Galileo jumped in with some practical suggestions: “Well, JE continues to monitor Hyde Rival activities as best we can. Although we lack official policing powers, we've often successfully thwarted Hyde Rival mischief by warning targeted organizations and individuals that they were in danger, and by notifying corporate and governmental security offices to assist legitimate policing action when needed.” He paused, checked his notes, then continued: “However, ongoing surveillance recently revealed that Hyde Rival has quietly began expanding his influence well beyond the city, spreading his tentacles to other urban areas across America – and even more worrying, to other continents. To counter the growing threat, JE will need to further expand its own operations, to accommodate a much wider geographic spread. We've begun planning to figure out how to enable our expansion in a practical and affordable manner.”
Olympia perked up: "Thanks, Sarah and Galileo! We've gotten some sense of the situation, and perhaps even found a practical way forward. Can we all agree to proceed along those lines?" Sarah and Galileo both nodded, and exclaimed simultaneously: "Yes!" Olympia adjourned the meeting: "OK, then we all concur. Whew, betting that we're all exhausted...as well as hungry and thirsty...let's head to the bar for some well-earned R&R!"
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