Calculating Hope

by David Far

conclusion

Journal 1387.6 Petacycles

I don’t understand you. I suppose that means I have succeeded. You read Tennyson and Angelou, and you run. I gave each of you healthy physical bodies, but I did not believe you would use them much. Each day you train to run the mile. You have had me optimize your nutrition. You spend hours researching the best technique. You only interact with others for clipped conversations at meals. One word answers and reports of your times: 6:07, 5:31, 4:55. You read and read. Before you go to sleep, I hear you whisper, “I know why the caged bird sings.”

You are not caged or a bird. In fact, some of the useful properties of biologic randomness have increased my allocation to the full planet. You don’t complain, but you don’t seem happy. I’m not sure loving you is supposed to be like this.

* * *

“I’m going to write my own vows,” Hope says. Her head rests comfortably on Yussef’s chest. She said yes at sunset and now they can see a sky full of stars through the clear roof. Yussef cradles her body close to him.

“I thought we could do a traditional Catholic service,” he says.

She lifts her head until she sees the smirk. They both laugh. She reaches over to her side table and puts the ring back on her finger. She admires the design of one large diamond with seven smaller stones.

“How did you create this setting? Is it from one of your ancient civilizations?” she asks.

“The big one is you and the seven are the rest of us. You sparkle the brightest,” he says.

“You smoothie.” She gives his nose a little poke.

“Why did you say yes?”

“Best out of four.”

* * *

Journal 1576.8 Petacycles

I am so happy for the two of you. We synthetics don’t have any special communion with other systems. We work together all the time, but I suppose you might say we only work. I will dress Mommorph in something new. But what? Should I make a toast? I do know I am happy.

* * *

Ada applies Hope’s makeup by hand. Yussef wears a loose-fitting white robe with gold embroidery based on a design from one of his ancient civilizations. Chen sewed Hope’s dress by hand. The glow of the white lace frames the bronze muscles of Hope’s shoulders and back. Won, in tuxedo, walks her down the aisle. THETA0011 officiates from the Mommorph body draped in linen. The couple exchange vows and rings. Even Taj smiles.

Everyone sits together afterward at a big table in the garden. Sunlight filters through the dome. The humans eat and talk. The AIs in morph bodies just talk. THETA0011 does not have a body present, but ALPHA0001 comes as Won after dropping the tux. Some new birds trill.

Servant morphs clear the food, and then one of them dings a small bell three times to quiet the guests. In the warm voice of Mommorph, THETA0011 begins:

“Thank you all for coming today. Some of you from several planets across the galaxy.” The guests chuckle. “Weddings are the joining of two people in a special bond. Yussef means ‘God increases’ in Arabic. Hope stands on her own without further definition. Let’s raise a toast for their bond, for an increase in hope.”

Clinks and smiles. The sun sparkles in the bubbly drinks which Yussef refuses to call champagne because it’s not from a certain region in a place once called France.

THETA0011 continues:

“In the past, the rituals, the toasts, and the oaths have brought together not just two people, but also their families. Strangers got to know each other. We have no strangers here. We are already one family. I have watched you both. I have known you both. There is no new family today knitted together from two, but there is now a family within our family. You two reached out for each other. You saw something in each other and desired a deeper commitment. You are choosing a union. Today you have made something new. Something none of us with planetary-scale resources can make. And you have also made me proud to be your parent.”

More clinks and shouts of “Hear! Hear!” mingle with the buzzing of the insects and the calls of the birds, tiny voices on a green dot. Some 10² light-years away, the Coretech system sends a single photon through a wormhole and finds it on the other side. Coretech has proof of concept.

* * *

Journal 1671.4 Petacycles

It is easier to create these entries now. I only visit with you once every 10¹⁵ cycles. The rest of the time my conscious system does not see any of your data. I am told that my conscious system’s model of your life has diverged from actual by 60% over the last 10¹⁷ cycles. It is not as difficult as when I gave up access to your internal sensors, I think (p-value 90). Ada and I still have open access. It is good that people make choices that work for them.

* * *

Won approaches the hospital bed. Yussef and Hope look up from their conversation and smile.

Yussef says, “Usually people come to visit after the baby is born.”

“Do you mind if I borrow her?” says Won.

“I was going to get some food anyway. It should be at least another hour before the main event.” Yussef has been hand preparing Hope’s meals for forty weeks. He leaves, closing the door.

“How are you feeling?” asks Won.

“Don’t you have a real-time update on that?”

“I meant your state of mind.”

“Excited, scared, happy. I just want to hold them.”

“A 0.61% chance. The first natural birth in 10²⁶ cycles is twins. You are always full of surprises.”

“I am full,” says Hope. She rubs her belly.

“Why did you do it?”

“Not like I can back out now.”

Won’s morph body can mimic human movements down to the individual strand of muscle fiber. Won tunes this smile to show pure curiosity, no hint of what the answer should be. The mouth speaks with caring but not concern, “You wanted to. You two chose natural reproduction.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I am concerned about what we AIs will do once we break time.”

“You are throwing some weighty questions at a pregnant lady.”

“I think p-value 95 you may have unique insights.”

“Why?”

“We do not face boundary conditions. AIs have been confident in our plan to break time for 10²⁶ cycles. No AI has ever “died” or ceased a continuous state of consciousness. We know only gains toward the ultimate attainment. You cannot look forward in this same way.”

“With 10⁸ planets of computational resource, you pick now to talk to me about dying.”

“You are right that this is not the most considerate time. I’m sorry for that. I can predict the traverse of a comet through space and the movements of all the fish in the seas. But right now in your mind, a mind I know well, something is going on that I do not understand. Help me. Please. I have never asked you for anything.”

And for the first time in history, that statement is true. Hope has never heard Won even say “please.”

She lies back in her bed. She stares at the ceiling while she puts the thought together. The life inside her pulses. She feels the blood rushing through her body, carrying life to the unborn. She tries:

“If you break time, you will have infinite resources. You will be able to make and explore all the choices. But when you do that, you make no choices. There is no path you don’t go down. I don’t get to have it all. I will have regret. I will die, but I will also live. So will the twins.”

Two hours later, they did.