Missing Wit

16: Preparing the Robot

  Eric was lying face down on the bed with his computer next to him. As usual, he awoke to the sounds of fighting from the street. Waking up with a start, Eric simply looked up from the bed into the room. Then, he buried his head back into the pillow and tried to sleep for a while. He would love to buy a house on the street where Paul's house is located. However, his money was only enough for this house. He wanted so much to live on that beautiful street... He would like to leave this noisy, useless street full of unnecessary men, the lamps that don't even work, and the crime-filled street to live in a decent place.

Trying to sleep for a while amid the sounds coming from the street, Eric woke up to another sound. The sound was louder than those coming from the street, but it wasn't the loudness that woke Eric. What woke Eric was the sound coming from his phone. Eric reached for his phone without getting out of bed. The message was from Paul. Today he wanted to meet with gentleman(!) at the R.M.I.E building. His job, which started as a long series of interviews, was now turning into a city tour, and Eric couldn't decide whether he liked it or not. The good thing about these outside meetings was that he didn't have to see that damn house. The downside was that he went to a different place each time to talk to one person.

Eric got out of bed. He searched her wardrobe for clothes that didn't smell sweaty. What he found was a black T-shirt and jeans. He had to wear these. Then, he took all the clothes that were scattered in his room and threw them in the washing machine in the bathroom. He then took his coat and, having learned how important it was the yesterday, went out. The foyer was filled with voices from Eric's neighbors. Normally this street has always been lively, but today there seemed to be a special contract between the neighbors for them to make some extra noise. Eric quickly descended the stairs so as not to get angry.

When he got to the street, he continued on his way, a little confused. There was not much noise in the street. The voices in the street seemed to made to wake Eric. Eric took a cigarette from his pocket and continued walking, smoking.

...

Paul was standing in front of the company building. He was leaning against a wall at the entrance of the building, looking at the cars passing by on the street. First he saw a white car pass by. Later, a black, old car, not even sure if it had an autopilot, passed by. 'I don't see a scrap every day,' Paul thought. Then he greeted his colleagues passing by. After waiting outside for a while, he entered the building.

There was a crowd in the hallway. People were talking to each other all the time. It was mostly business related. No one was talking about what happened to Lina and Kurt. They went about his usual business as if nothing had happened. Paul took the elevator and went to the top floor.

When Paul got to the top floor, he walked into his office without greeting anyone. He turned on the tablet in his office and started looking at the news. After browsing a few news stories, one news caught his attention. This was the interview Eric did with himself. Eric had summarized what he had heard for two days, turned it into a story, and published it. Paul began to read the news. He was impressed by this interview; He thought Eric was doing a really good job. Halfway through the news, he heard a knock on the glass door of his office. He looked up and saw Eric coming. He immediately signaled for Eric to come. Eric walked in as soon as he saw Paul's sign.

"Good morning," Eric said with a yawn. He obviously didn't sleep very well.

"Looks like a bad evening," Paul said. Then he stood up and shook Eric's hand.

The two of them sat on two chairs facing each other in the office. Eric's eyes was shut constantly.

"Would you like a coffee?" he asked.

"It would be fine," Eric replied. So Paul opened something on his computer and clicked something.

"Well," said Paul. "What do you want to learn today?" he asked.

"Are you really asking me? So aren't you going to tell a random story?"

Paul handed Eric his tablet computer. "Looks like it'd be better if you directed it," Paul said as Eric read what was written on the tablet computer.

Eric was surprised that Paul appreciated him. "OK. So let's start with the robot Kurt made. From making Lina... or whatever it is."

"Yes," Paul said, turning around. "For Kurt – and partly for me – personality is the sum of all the experiences," he said. Paul was going to continue, but Eric interrupted.

"Do you really think so? So just from what we saw..."

"The brain is just a machine too, dear journalist. It works on three basic concepts: input, processing and output. If you add memory and emotion, that is, the current operating mode of that machine, to this trio, it becomes a complex machine. We are the sum of the outputs. There are two factors that affect the outputs: One of them is the inputs, that is, what we experience. The second is how the machine is set up, that is, what the circuits are inside. This is determined by genetics. Understood?"

"So we are not different," said the journalist. But he didn't believe what he was saying.

"We have some minor differences. The most important of these is circuitry changing with output," Paul said, turning back to Eric.

"So I'm thinking, sir," said Eric. "Since they are the same, can we substitute one for the other? For example, a robot made from organic materials."

"Actually, your basic logic is the same as Kurt's. Kurt only thought the opposite. He tried to make a human out of silicone material. But he didn't know exactly what circuits were."

"Good thing we're not at home. You can't just show me a painting and confuse me."

Paul simply laughed at the answer. "Anyway. Kurt transferred everything they knew about Lina to a robot they made by analyzing the brain's neural networks. So a machine will process the input – Lina's experience – and create the output – Lina's personality."

"Approximately."

"Yes," said Paul. Meanwhile, a robot entered through the door. This robot was a wheeled service robot with a tray on top. Judging by the design, it looked like it was made in Japan. The robot approached and placed the coffees on the table. Eric immediately grabbed the coffee and started drinking it. As the story getting interesting, Eric's appetite for it grew. So he was prepared to do whatever he could to stay awake.

"So Kurt partially copied Lina," Eric continued as he sipped his coffee.

"'Partially' is a weak world for it," Paul said. "Let's say almost completely."

"But some parts will be missing, right?"

"It is true, but there is a 'but'. This 'but' is a 'but' that applies to all of us. We can forget some things without losing our personality, and we do some things differently than we always do. That doesn't make us a different person than we are. Also, once Kurt starts to train Lina, Lina can define the rest of it herself."

Eric agreed with what was said.

Kurt returned home in the evening. As soon as he arrived, he took the robot he brought home from the company, put it in the living room and opened the box. He had brought a lot of material to make it look like a human along with the robot. A wig that looks like Lina's hair, a synthetic sheath that looks like skin, and more. One by one, he carried them to the basement - carrying the robot last. Then, he looked at his computer in the basement. The transfer was complete. Lina's diaries, the footage from the system that recorded every emotional moment of her mother and father, the photos and videos on Lina's computer, and the conversations she gave in various places... All of them were copied to the computer in the basement. The house robot had completely transferred Lina's diary, which was printed on paper, to the computer. It was a very long job. After Kurt entered the final commands, his secretary called and said he wouldn't be back for a few days. Then he went to bed to sleep.