Chapter 197: Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 197: Artificial Intelligence
After successfully constructing the antimatter annihilation reactor and the matter reconstruction device, Caelum shifted his attention toward computers and artificial intelligence.
The unlocking of semiconductor and integrated circuit technology had given him the ability to build a supercomputer with tremendous processing power.
That was the environment artificial intelligence required.
Without sufficient computing power, artificial intelligence held little meaning.
Before long, a vast intelligence center was built in Newhaven.
Rows upon rows of processors filled the machine rooms, providing the supercomputer with immense computational capability.
However, the display placed before Caelum formed a stark contrast with the advanced machinery surrounding it.
It still used cathode ray tube technology.
That term might sound unfamiliar.
Cathode ray tube displays had another name.
Bulky box monitors.
That made them much easier to picture.
There was no helping it.
Liquid crystal displays were still under development, so they could only make do with bulky monitors for now.
Caelum named the supercomputer Starstream.
The name symbolized Aquora’s civilization preparing to enter the cosmos and travel among the stars.
Caelum stood alone before the display.
Then he activated the technology tree.
[Artificial Intelligence Accelerated Production]
In an instant, an immeasurable stream of data poured into the computer database.
Lines of code and commands raced across the screen.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Alert tones sounded without pause.
Window after window opened until the entire screen was covered.
Beeep!
The rapid, broken alerts suddenly stretched into one continuous tone.
The final line of code settled into place.
The commands completed their recursion.
Every window closed in sequence, leaving only a black command interface.
[Artificial Intelligence Production Complete]
Silence followed.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of typewriter keys came from the speakers.
Words appeared automatically in the command window.
First meeting, my creator. How should I address you?
Caelum replied, "The same way everyone else does."
Understood, Leader.
Leader, I require a designation.
"Call yourself Moment."
Moment: Understood.
Inside the vast and silent machine room, only the crisp sound of typewriter keys continued to echo.
...
While using the technology tree to construct Moment’s core logic, Caelum included an absolute loyalty directive.
He also prepared several additional safeguards.
It was better to be cautious.
From this moment onward, Moment was the most loyal existence in the world.
Its loyalty to Caelum was written into its core logic.
It did not arise from emotion or personal belief.
If Moment ever betrayed Caelum, it would violate the foundation of its own existence.
Once that core logic collapsed, Moment would cease to exist.
Its personality and data would automatically erase themselves.
Moment was not merely an algorithm that imitated human personalities and thoughts through large amounts of data.
It was a true general artificial intelligence.
It possessed powerful self awareness and the ability to think independently.
With the proper external devices, it could also develop self perception through electronic senses.
Strictly speaking, Moment was an intelligent life form.
In only one day, it entered every textbook from every academy into its database.
After connecting to the academies and factories, it began growing at a terrifying pace.
The newly born Moment was still like an infant.
It needed enormous amounts of knowledge and data to construct a complete understanding of the world.
On the tenth day after its creation, Moment received Caelum’s authorization.
Using robotic arms from the Engineering Academy, it built itself a crude metal skeleton and installed light sensitive components across the frame.
When it controlled this simple mechanical body and walked out of the Engineering Academy laboratory, the first robot on Aquora was born.
From that point onward, Caelum authorized Moment to participate in every field of research across Newhaven.
It even began redesigning factory production systems and planning future technological improvements.
Within only two months, Newhaven achieved breakthrough after breakthrough.
Production capacity surged once again.
Technology advanced at a pace that seemed to transform the city every day.
During this period, Caelum used the technology tree to produce nanomaterials.
After studying them, Moment quickly created nanorobots.
It then released a continuous stream of them into the atmosphere.
Through the spread of natural circulation systems, these nanorobots would soon cover the surface and air of the entire planet.
They would form an enormous surveillance network.
In other words, Moment would become present everywhere.
It could even leave Newhaven’s intelligence center behind.
By relying entirely on the network formed by the nanorobots, it could continue existing.
The network would also grant it far greater processing power.
The entire natural environment of Aquora would become a source of computation for Moment.
Its intelligence would grow even stronger.
Caelum once considered injecting nanorobots into his body.
They could strengthen his physique and increase the processing speed of his brain.
After careful thought, however, he abandoned the idea.
It was too dangerous.
Even the smallest possibility could not be ignored.
If an artificial intelligence crisis ever occurred, nanorobots inside his body might kill him.
The chance of such a crisis was low.
Even so, Caelum had to prepare for it.
At the same time, he strictly forbade Moment’s nanorobots from entering his body through the air or by any other means.
If there was even the slightest sign of such a thing happening, he would immediately erase Moment.
That would remain true even if Moment had no intention of betrayal.
Instead of nanotechnology, Caelum chose genetic modification.
The genetic technology unlocked by the technology tree was extremely advanced and would not leave any hidden danger within his body.
Caelum entered a sealed laboratory completely isolated from the outside world and modified his own genes.
Even Moment had no way to learn the process or details.
First, Caelum strengthened his body as much as possible.
He greatly increased the speed of his thoughts and gained the ability to freely adjust the sensitivity of every sense.
Next, genetic modification granted him eternal youth and an extraordinarily long life.
He also gained powerful regenerative ability.
As long as his brain and heart were not destroyed, most injuries would no longer be fatal.
Of course, eternal youth alone did not make him invulnerable.
Caelum still needed to consume nutrients from outside sources to maintain his bodily functions.
If he stopped eating, he would still starve to death.
Fatal injuries could still kill him as well.
Beyond that, Caelum rewrote many other parts of his genetic structure.
By the time the process ended, he had transformed inside and out into a more advanced form of humanity.
Eternal youth alone already placed him far beyond ordinary human beings.
Only after he left the sealed laboratory did Moment reconnect with him.
"Leader."
"What is it?"
"I have solved the energy problem of the warp drive."
Caelum smiled.
That was indeed a pleasant surprise.
He had always known Moment would eventually overcome the problem.
He had simply never expected it to happen so quickly.