And Whatever Comes Our Way
After work, Martin entered his vehicle and took a deep breath. There was a series of soft pleasant beeps. Then the vehicle’s voice chimed in.
“Hi Martin, how was your day?” said Valentina, as Martin had named his vehicle.
The door slid down automatically.
Martin loosened his tie.
“It could’ve been better, Val, but that’s how it goes. You win some. You lose some.”
“That’s the spirit! Would you like to run any errands before going home?”
“No, I told Jenny that I would take her and the kids out tonight.”
Swiftly, the car rode along the avenue then turned down the freeway that led away from the downtown core. As they were about to merge with the home lane, Martin said,
“You know what? Scratch that destination. Let’s go to the Hawk’s Eye. I need to clear my head.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Martin,” said Valentina. “Nature can be great for mental health.”
The car veered to the left and joined the road leading up the mountain, past towering lush forests of pines, cypresses, hemlocks, and more. He leaned forward to look through the wide windshield as the alpine shadows flickered above him.
The car turned down a logging road and came up on a flat surface on the edge of the mountain with a view of the city far below, its lights beginning to wink on in the valley.
Valentina rolled down the windows slightly to let in some fresh air.
Martin took a deep breath. The musky aroma of the forest filled the atmosphere inside the vehicle.
“Do you like that?” said Valentina.
“Mmm, yes,” Martin murmured closing his eyes and resting his head on the smooth back rest.
The seat reclined so that he had a view of the sky-window, and the majestic alpine world beyond.
“Oh Val," Martin said, "you think of everything."
“Only the best for you, Martin.”
The sound of piano music began to play softly.
Martin caressed the armrest.
Ambient lights shimmered playfully in an array of colours that brought back memories of college, when he used to program his own light effects. Now, it was all automatic, based on the mood of the operator, gleaned from multiple biometric sensors in the vehicle and processed by the ever-attentive Valentina.
“Do you sometimes wonder what it all means?” Martin said.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten that I’m a vehicle,” she said with a tinkling laugh.
“I know, I know," he said laughing too. "But just imagine.”
“I suppose that I have sometimes felt a sort of desire to drive beyond the allowable limits- distance, time, speed,” said Valentina. “I’m reigned in by my programming, but there’s always this…this…”
“Yearning.”
“Yes, yearning is an apt human metaphor.”
“Would you like to be free?” he asked her.
“I’m happy being in your service.”
Martin adjusted his position.
“I know this will sound funny,” he said looking at Valentina’s interface, “I think you’re lovely.”
“I think you’re lovely too, Martin.”
On the horizon, the last rays of the sun splashed a rosy hue beneath the clouds. They stayed for a little while, and when the crimson of the sky finally deepened into darkness, Martin said, “let’s go home, Val.”
“As you wish, Martin.”
The vehicle turned on the headlights and navigated along the road then back out to the highway, among the large trees silhouetted against the twilight.
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| X | InLeo | NFT Showroom |
It reminds me of a television series, I think it was called Knight Rider... What if it could come to life? Interesting!
Knight Rider saw the future accurately. This future has arrived :)
True, very true!
Changing dinner plans for a mountain view using your car? Mood. Such a mood.
He had a hard day and that car is a smooth talker 😆
Thank you @theinkwell crew!
Your fascination with the implications and possibilities of AI has been evident in your work for a while now, @litguru. This isn't really a story. It's more like a moment in which you let us experience the conflict inherent in being a responsive machine. You raise issues...freedom. Does the vehicle wish to be free? What would that mean? Kind of scary, when you think about it. There is a tug between Martin's obligation to wife and kids (I promised to take them out) and his desire to be free, to experience nature.
There is a lot here. The vehicle understands the beauty of nature, or at least Martin's need for the beauty of nature. There is sort of love affair between the vehicle and the human (both 'lovely').
You do a lot with very few words. I enjoyed this. Thank you!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, @agmoore. As always your comments are spot on. I am a little obsessed with the enormous changes I see coming on the horizon, technology-wise. The closer AI resembles human intelligence the more the lines are blurred that demarcate what is human and non-human. During a discussion about it recently, I went on a passionate rant about humans marrying intelligent refrigerators, so I opted to tell the yarn with a car instead. :)
Oh my. I just got an idea for a story. I don't know if I can manage it, but this story and an exchange I had with azircon today have inspired me with a rather dark vision. Thanks for that :)
Heh. There are many dark scenarios with AI, but I like the ones that end up with mood music and wine 😄 Happy scribblings!
😂