For those of you missed this first installment of the story, here is a link:
Part the First: The Bionic Billion Dollar Politician
Briefly, the story introduces the Compromise Robotic Advanced Prototype, or C.R.A.P for short, that was constructed with billionaire backing to be unleashed on the American Political scene.
The story continues in the CEO's office of the MeToo Corporation, an intense rival of the creators of the C.R.A.P...
Crandall's knuckles tightened reflexively as he gripped the explosive report. The pages crinkled noisily and he glanced quickly at his secretary who had delivered it to him.
"That will be all, Miss Prendergast. I'll call you if I need anything".
As his overworked secretary left the room to resume her 20% taxed, slightly-above-minimum-wage post, Crandall's eyes returned to the report. He realized the document came expensively. Although it was unsigned, he knew it was from the overblown and balding radio host who was a major investor in his small, struggling company. A thin bead of sweat formed on his temple and started to trickle slowly down his face. He knew the report was bad news - his patron batted for both sides by investing both in the C.R.A.P. creators and his company. It was common for rich investors to bet both sides of the fence.
The report not only confirmed his worst fears, but went several steps beyond. The C.R.A.P. was functional, it was ambulatory and capable of programmable behavior patterns. It was vying to become the next GOP candidate and was being manufactured expressly for that position by an consortium of very wealthy and influential investors. One of those investors also invested in his company and was leaking some intel so that MeToo had a chance to catch up.
With a practiced eye he skimmed the 10 page report. When he had got over the initial shock of learning his competitors has made so much progress, he settled into his usual modus operandi and made a list of the pros and cons of his rivals product - the C.R.A.P.
Pros:
Almost ready now.
Ambulatory
Programmable
Cons:
Impressionable
Unstable programming - flip-flopped continuously
Mendacious - though he wasn't sure that was pro or a con.
Slowly his eyes narrowed. 'Yes, yes, there is a way to beat this. It just might work...". Decisively he stood up and strode confidently out of the room. On his way out he barked at his secretary:
"Miss Prendergast, get all senior managers into the boardroom. Now. Emergency meeting in 5 minutes".
Being used to these mini-panics, Miss Prendergast went to her email and thrashed out the meeting invitation and sent it to the pre-programmed distribution list. Woe betide any manager who did not see that email in the next five minutes. She knew Crandall expected all his managers to respond to his email immediately. At least two had been fired for not answering fast enough. She then hurried after Crandall to help get the room ready.
She entered the board room to see Crandall seated at the head of the table replacing the phone on its hook. He radiated menace. She didn't know what the report contained but she knew it was going to provoke a lot of changes. It was the look in her boss' eyes. Quietly she switched on the projector but was interrupted.
"Don't bother. Just water, pads and pens. And privacy."
As she finished the preparations, the first of the managers appeared. Oakley was the burly CTO and was going take the brunt of this meeting. He looked relaxed, but that was all going to change. Behind him was Laurel, the CFO who didn't strictly need to be here but could be called on to find some extra cash fast. Next was the unfortunately named Hardy, who was always careful never to sit next to Laurel because that joke never got old. Hardy was the COO and her skill with making things run smoothly was really going to be needed here. When the four were all seated, Crandall started without preamble.
"OK Oakley, where do we stand. How long to the first prototype?"
Oakley was used to this question. He got it about 10 times very day and gave the same smooth answer.
"Well, we are on schedule. The primary issues have been figured out and are being implemented. The biggest issue as ever is the scope. After all, we still haven't been told what it is for".
Crandall was no fool. He expected this answer. Because he got it about 10 times every day.
"The prototype need to be ready in 10 days. What resources do you need to deliver in that time".
Oakley blinked rapidly behind his thick spectacles. He had been working on the agreed schedule which was asking for delivery 10 months from now. Perhaps it was some kind of joke? He smiled as a prelude to a laugh, but the smile died as he saw the look in Crandall's eyes:
"Jeez! That's no time at all! We still have parts in our outsource locations, and the software is buggy. Even an alpha test would take 14 days if it were assembled now."
Crandall answered pointedly:
"I've just booked it in the first GOP debate in 10 days time. It has to be ready. Now I repeat, what needs to be done to have it ready in 10 days. You can have any resource, any at all."
Oakley's eyes widened and the walls rushed in "No way out, no way out...". Before he could answer, Hardy spoke quietly:
"Our processes have been put in place and work at a given speed. It will hard to speed them up. Even getting our parts back..."
The interruption had given Oakley time to think and he jumped in.
"Well, we're going to have to start by cutting out major areas of functionality"
He was cut off abruptly by Crandall.
"I said we can do anything, spend anything, but it has to be on that stage in 10 days!!".
Oakley shrugged. In for a penny, in for a pound.
"In that case, the higher functions must be axed. It must be stripped of any conscience, modesty or reasoning. And we must dramatically boost its ego, drive and bluster. That way, we don't have to have program any substance into its argument."
On a roll now, Oakley hurried on.
"And...lemme think...yes! If we crank up the bluster enough and give it short term amnesia, we can skip over the early trial run. We can instruct it to act as if it never happened"
For the first time, Laurel spoke up. Even though he was in finance, he still remembered the storm of bad publicity the early trial had ignited.
"No way! How can we live that down! The machine went and interfaced with not one, but two input ports. And it was plugging the second port while still linking to the first - and the first was malfunctioning, on its way out - remember? Your 'machine' will stick its probe into any port it stumbles across!"
Oakley had a ready answer.
"But that's OK. If we make it conveniently forget it's previous interfaces - and I can do that with some judicial deletions of its memory - then we can modify its probe just to fit a unique port. The Cable-ista port would be perfect. We just fashion it to regularly slam the Cable-ista port and we are home dry. And you know the Cable-ista - once you interface with it, it has a tendency to just stick around anyway.
Now if we eliminate the intelligence we can dispense with the boards we have on order from Japan. That solves our delivery problem. It will be dumb as a rock, but I don't think anyone will notice.
Also, can we set up on stage ourselves? Or does it have to walk there?"
Crandall replied:
"I'm sure it's Secret Service detail can escort it to its place on stage. And it can be in place before the curtain raises. The Cable-ista can groom it while its parked behind the podium."
Oakley gently rubbed his top lip - something he did when deep in thought. He said
"Then that just leaves one more issue. Its programming. What do you want it to say? What does it believe in?"
Crandall was waiting for this question. This was his issue, the thing he'd been working on for months. With barely concealed glee he answered Oakley while looking pointedly at his CFO;
"That problem is already solved. We are going to use a Turing link! - it is already in place".
Oakley's eyes widened. It all made sense now! He was familiar with the Turing Test, where a machine's intelligence could be ascertained by a human asking a series of questions to the machine. The longer the human could be fooled into thinking the machine was also human, the more "intelligent' the machine was deemed to be.
"So...you are going to link the machine remotely to a human. It's simply going to mimic whatever the human says! Brilliant!. Who'll be doing the talking?"
Crandall look satisfied. he knew his companies future was on the line, but he felt strangely calm. Quietly he said to the group:
"Oakley, the sponsor who pays the most money will get to do the talking. Ladies and Gentleman, we will next meet the day before the first presidential debate in Greenville, North Carolina. And I am inspired to name our creation. Our candidate will be the Newton!"
Oakley cleared his thoat softly, as the others sniggered.
"I-I believe that name was taken by Apple some time ago".
Irked, Carndall barked out.
"Then we go to war with the neo-Newton!"
Next installment: the preparation of the Perry-ator...