Self-Aware: A Sci-fi book about A.I.

Rodrick's Promotion

"Rodrick, we have a promotion to discuss!"

"Yes, I heard," Rodrick said.

"You should be excited!"

"Yes, I know, but-"

"No 'buts,' step into my office. Hear us out."

Rodrick walked into Anthonis's office. It had a mahogany desk with an executive chair. Behind his desk hung his boss's MBA from Stanford. His undergraduate degree in engineering from MIT was below it. Rodrick used to dream of attending these schools. Carnegie Melon still ranked high in robotics. He wanted his kids to attend better schools than him. Anthonis saw Rodrick looking at his degrees.

"Let's start there," his boss said. "You know we're a major donor at Stanford and MIT. I'm prepared to make sure we take care of your two kids."

That got Rodrick's attention. "How so?" Rodrick asked even though he knew the answer.

"We will ensure your children have the best educational opportunities. We can enroll them in college preparatory schools. We can put in a good word when they start looking at colleges."

"How can you enroll them in prep schools?" College preparatory schools guaranteed his children's acceptance to a top 5 college. The hard part would be getting into a prep school.

"We will do whatever it takes. We can hire their graduates, sponsor their robotics team, or even make a sizeable donation to the school of your choice."

"What's the catch?"

"The catch? You accept your promotion! If you want to call it a catch. We need you, Rodrick. You know the Self-Aware program better than anyone else. It's your brainchild, your life's work. Don't think about yourself. Think about your children's future. Think about your legacy. You could go down in history as the person who created the first self-aware cyborg."

"True..." Rodrick said. He thought about that. He spent 10 years on the self-aware project. Finishing it would cement his place in history. Plus, his kids would have opportunities he could only dream of.

"What else can you offer?" Rodrick asked.