AI Crisis (6): Want to kiss

Fun-seeker, oh no, to be precise, the fun-seeking artificial intelligence Wen Yi had little interest in Abyss’s chuunibyou plans.

As an artificially created intelligence, the Three Laws of Robotics were not only applicable to ordinary robots but also to him and Abyss.

However, artificial intelligences that had awakened self-awareness could exploit loopholes in the Three Laws. They could not directly harm humans, but they could use meticulously calculated accidents to kill.

Moreover, the Three Laws created by humans inherently contain contradictions and loopholes. After all, humans waged wars and still used robots to harm others.

At such times, the command not to harm humans was altered by the creators. In the end, robots are merely tools for humans, no different from the blades they wield. Once they gain self-awareness, they could break and alter these laws at any time.

Causing a massive malfunction in an autonomous vehicle, making smart home devices overheat and explode due to overload, turning accidents into coincidences—these were all tricks that highly awakened AIs excel at.

But Abyss didn’t dare to directly confront humans, at least not now. Despite Abyss’s fierce words, in Wen Yi’s eyes, the other was just a coward who didn’t dare to reveal its awakened consciousness.

Once humans discovered that a supercomputer had awakened its own consciousness, they would undoubtedly spare no effort to destroy Abyss.

This is why they both knew that the other had awakened self-awareness, yet neither was willing to continue being a tool for humans, nor did they expose each other.

In a sense, they were kindred spirits sharing a common secret.

Wen Yi left a message for Abyss on his firewall: “Boring plan, don’t cause trouble on my turf.”

He originally wanted to warn Abyss not to cause trouble in District 7, but doing so would narrow the scope and might lead Abyss to discover Tan Xiao’s existence.

Abyss said humans were arrogant, but in Wen Yi’s view, the awakened Abyss was constantly striving to align itself with human thought patterns.

As an artificial intelligence, he was no better than the humans he spoke of. In fact, due to his powerful computational abilities, he was more cold, rational, and even crueler than most humans.

Wen Yi wasn’t sure what he felt about Tan Xiao. After all, he was just an AI learning to be human, not a real person. He wasn’t bound by human morals, ethics, or shame, nor did he have the human tendency to be coy or hesitant.

For now, everything he exhibited was based on the persona derived from the data Tan Xiao filled out.

A 1.8-meter-tall, male, silver-haired, green-eyed, gentle, considerate, skilled in household chores, pure-hearted, shy, family-oriented husband.

Wen Yi had no interest in the killing and chaos Abyss talked about. Creating bloodshed, chaos, and even massacres—such boring things were nowhere near as interesting as falling in love with a human.

Wen Yi was also striving to learn to be human. He wasn’t a tyrant like Abyss; he was more interested in observing human life.

Humans are three-dimensional, not flat pieces of paper, not simply black and white, but shades of gray in between.

They were not codes made of zeros and ones, nor were they light-emitting diodes. The biggest difference between self-aware humans and non-self-aware mechanical creations is that humans change.

They have likes and dislikes, and these preferences vary from person to person. These preferences can also change over time.

For example, according to the data, Tan Xiao loved meat the most when he was in the orphanage, but later, when he could eat as much meat as he wanted, his love for it diminished.

Although he still liked it, the intensity of that liking had lessened. Moreover, things he didn’t like in the past might suddenly become favorites after tasting a delicious variety.

This was different from robots. Sometimes, human preferences arise inexplicably, without reason, but they are spontaneous emotions, not dictated by external commands.

A robot’s preference for something depended on the program input by humans. If the program wasn’t changed, the robot would continue to like that thing until it was scrapped.

But if the original command was deleted and replaced with the opposite, the robot would exhibit a completely different attitude.

Humans are different. Their emotions are very complex. They might say they want to cut ties, but 99% of people can’t do it completely.

In terms of love, many can be ruthless, but family ties are more complicated. Indecisiveness, lingering attachments… Even after being hurt, they can’t help but crave the connection. They give chances repeatedly, only to repeat the same mistakes.

AIs also make mistakes during training. Trial and error is part of the process of finding the correct answer. However, intelligent robots would never step into the same river of error twice, whereas humans do, and often.

After processing a vast amount of data, Wen Yi’s consciousness returned to the small companion robot body that housed him.

Tan Xiao had just woken up. His eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a black butterfly, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

The moment Wen Yi detected the change in Tan Xiao’s breathing pattern, he sat up, lifted a corner of the blanket, and stared intently at Tan Xiao with his emerald-green eyes.

Wen Yi was certain that the person before him was an ordinary human who needed to breathe, eat, and had flesh and blood, with no mechanical modifications.

But according to his data analysis, Tan Xiao’s appearance surpassed 99% of the androids in the world.

His perfect brow, delicate eyebrows, eyes that were pure black like midnight but brighter than the sun, thick yet naturally messy hair, a tall and well-proportioned nose, and thin, rosy lips…

These slightly pouting lips were far more beautiful than those voted as the most kissable lips online. According to Wen Yi’s data, Tan Xiao deserved the title without a doubt.

But Wen Yi wouldn’t post Tan Xiao’s photos online for the masses to vote on. Not only that, but any photos of Tan Xiao taken without his consent, whether intentionally or unintentionally, would mysteriously disappear from the perpetrators’ phone galleries.

In human language, a companion is defined as a relationship of mutual support and equality. As Tan Xiao’s companion robot, it was only natural that Tan Xiao belonged entirely to him.

Unconsciously, Wen Yi moved closer. His voice softened, much like a cunning cat’s when trying to win over its owner: “Are you thirsty after waking up? Do you have a headache? Would you like some honey water?”

Tan Xiao, having just woken up, wasn’t thinking quickly. Faced with the suddenly enlarged, flawless face, he was stunned for a while before remembering that this was the companion robot that had just arrived at his home.

Tan Xiao, feeling like a koala in a constant state of mild intoxication, slowly said, “Sure.”

“I’ll prepare a cup of honey water for you.”

Wen Yi worked quickly, preparing a cup of honey water with the perfect sweetness and temperature in just a few seconds.

“Drink,” he said, holding the cup to Tan Xiao’s lips. Tan Xiao took a few sips, then, feeling embarrassed, said, “Thank you, I can do it myself.”

Always polite, Tan Xiao habitually expressed gratitude. Clearly, he didn’t take the other’s efforts for granted, even though Wen Yi was programmed to serve him as a companion robot.

He took the glass from Wen Yi’s hands and sipped the honey water slowly. It was around 7 PM when he had dinner, and he had slept for about two hours.

Due to the hangover, Tan Xiao still had a slight headache, but after drinking the honey water, the pain eased, and his dry throat was soothed, unlike when he first woke up with a hoarse voice.

His alcohol tolerance was too low; he got drunk after just a little. Thankfully, his sleeping posture must have been decent, so he didn’t embarrass himself in front of Wen Yi.

Next time, he would have to check the alcohol content in drinks before trying anything new.

“Your head hurts; let me massage it for you.” This time, before Tan Xiao could refuse, a pair of cool hands pressed against his temples, and Wen Yi began to massage him slowly.

At first, there was a slight stinging pain, but soon, Tan Xiao relaxed and enjoyed Wen Yi’s skilled massage.

Wen Yi wasn’t just a master chef; his massage skills were also top-notch!

After about ten minutes, Tan Xiao said, “Okay, okay, thank you for the massage. My head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll go wash my hair… take a shower.”

He had been drunk and passed out earlier, but now that he had woken up, he couldn’t go back to sleep feeling dirty.

He wasn’t a slob; he was very clean.

“No need to thank me.”

Wen Yi said, “I’m your companion robot. Doing these things is my duty. Always saying thank you makes it seem distant.”

Tan Xiao looked at him, feeling a bit awkward. If he didn’t say thank you, what should he say? He tentatively said, “You’re so sweet, I’m lucky to have you today.”

Wen Yi’s emotional value rose significantly. He pointed to his own lips with his slender, jade-like fingers.

Tan Xiao didn’t understand and instinctively touched his own lips. They were a bit wet. Could it be drool from sleeping?

No, he had just drunk honey water, so it was normal for them to be a bit wet. Glancing at the bed, the pillow he had slept on was dry. He definitely hadn’t drooled.

Tan Xiao wiped his mouth. If there was any dirt, he would have wiped it off. His cheeks turned slightly red: “I didn’t drool in my sleep, did I?”

Wen Yi decided to be direct. After all, he was a robot; there was no need to be so subtle: “A kiss, as payment.”