Companion

Author's note: From now on I have decided to call my fiction series "Oneiric Cognition". It comes with the fancy picture (credits to Siangling) and, hopefully, a new entry every month.

Why do you still keep Jake anyway? It’s not like you need Artificial Intelligence to assist you when you already have Enhanced Cognition.

I pondered the question that my other half fired at me. Yes, it is a little redundant to have a separate AI when I already have one integrated within me. Even though the integrated AI is rather basic, when combined with human intellect, it easily surpasses the limits of both human and machine. 

But we’re talking about Jake here. Sure, you can categorize him as an AI, but he’s more than that. He’s a Companion™. 

What is a Companion™, you ask? Well, let me tell you a story. I hope you like stories.

I don’t. Cut the crap about this Companion thing. Couldn’t you just name the reason and answer my question? No need for a bedtime story. 

I promise this will be short. But to explain what a Companion is, we need to go way back for a bit, and talk about my parents. A roboticist and an entrepreneur. Together, they created the Companion, a marvel of the early 22nd century. At first glance, nothing seemed to stand out (except the metal bits). The way it walked onto stage and waved to the crowd, as any human would, looked so natural. But it was clearly an android. It was freaky seeing that mass of metal move with such graceful confidence. Granted, this was not the first time anyone had ever seen a robot, of course. What made the Companion so different that it became ubiquitous with life in the new world? Convenience. Imagine having a personal assistant available to help you through your day and a central hub that connects your entire home together. 

You sound like you’re trying to give a keynote address. 

Just wanted to get the official definition of what a Companion is. I was just a kid back then, so my experience with a Companion was a different one. In the early prototyping stages, my parents called it JAKE, short for Juvenile Ambient Knowledge Experiment. When I was a toddler, Jake was just an AI. He probably looked after me during the nights so my parents could sleep peacefully. Over the years Jake learned more, just as I was learning about the world around me. But he didn’t get his ‘body’ until later, when I was a hyperactive little kiddo.

“Mum, can I play with Jake?”

“Just a moment, honey.”

I watched, as I always did, the tiny metal man at the corner, patiently waiting for him to stand up and talk. The moment his eyes flashed, I was already on my feet, trying to pull Jake up onto his feet. A comical sight that would be, for I was much shorter than Jake. Nonetheless, once he was up and running, we were ready for the day’s many adventures. Sometimes we would just sit in the living room playing with toys, other times we would run around in the backyard, while Mother watched over us. With all that running, it was a perfect chance to test out Jake’s mobility and agility. Occasionally, he would fall down and couldn’t get back up on his own. Then Mother would come and pick him up to make changes in his code while Daddy played with me instead. The years passed quickly, and before long, Jake was complete. He could play chess with me, the four of us could go out on a picnic as a family, and Jake’s two forms transitioned seamlessly. When at home, he would sit down on a special chair, plug himself in and he would be connected to the whole house. Water, electricity, heating, groceries, locks and alarms, all were in his control on our request. When it was time to go out he just had to power up his metal body and the very capable AI was now physically present.

The launch of the Companion was a big success. That was it. The turning point. Man. Machine. Living together in harmony. It was picture perfect. Until that day.

Leave it for next time, will you? I still have an unanswered question.

Fine. So why do I keep Jake? Because he’s my brother. 

Finally. The only sentence that mattered. Was that so hard?