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⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
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TURING�S WAGER By John McNabb
ENTERING THE ZONE
A gust of wind grabbed the umbrella out of Luke�s hands and took
it away in a swirl of black, drenching him in the torrential
rainfall. One would think, he mused, that with all this
marvelous technological progress someone would have figured out
how to stay dry in the rain. While his AI had warned him about
the rain, it couldn�t anticipate the random gust of wind that
stole his umbrella. He ran quickly the remaining few steps to
the entrance to the Exclusion Zone.
In the lobby was a full length mirror, the old fashioned kind
with a gold frame with intricately sculpted creeping vines and
mythological creatures. Dripping water on the marble floor, he
took off his VR glasses and examined himself in the mirror,
without his augmented senses. He saw puffy bloodshot eyes, large
open pores, long scraggly hair, the barcode tattoo on the side
of his neck, pale complexion. God, is that what I really look
like, in naked meatspace? Is that really me?
He reluctantly gave up his watch, phone, VR glasses, and NIA,
cutting him off from the constant virtual reality of the net. He
gasped, the first sign of withdrawal. They wouldn�t have worked
in the Zone anyway, but the Zone monitors were just being
thorough. They scanned for implants but didn�t find any.
Denizens of the Zone had renounced all vestiges of the modern
era and chose to live in an undigital uncyber unconnected
pastoral people-oriented paradise. Or so they thought. They
raised eyebrows over his pen, flashlight, video camera,
lockpicks, and Walther PPK in it�s shoulder holster, but let him
keep them.
The human attendants led him to the decompression room for the
required six hour regime for permanent emigrants. Sudden
withdrawal from the ubiquitous information overload and
simulated sensations from the fully interconnected world out
there was a major shock to the system. The laid him down and put
a blanket over him, to alleviate the shock. The IV drip provided
nutrients and opiates to provide calm, then put him to sleep.
When he awoke, he would be like a new man � born again in a new
unconnected world.
When he awoke, well rested and suitably decompressed, with his
first complimentary bottle of Liquid Crystal, Luke proceeded on
his mission to find his target. This Zone covered about ten
square miles and contained about one hundred thousand residents.
How did they run things he wondered without networked computers
and AI�s? How could they handle this information deprivation? It
was giving him the shakes. Without his digital crutches he would
have to do his detective work the old fashioned way.
The Exclusion Zones were for those who, for medical or
psychological reasons, could not tolerate the ubiquitously
interconnected virtual reality world. The rise of the machines
and the explosion of robots and AI�s had reduced the burden of
work for everyone and had thrown millions of people permanently
out of work � the Zone was a refuge for them as well. All of
society and the economy was based on the 100% digital
information-driven economy, and those who could not or would not
live that way emigrated to the thousands of Exclusion
Zones like this one.
There was no phone directory, even though they used old styled
land lines. They strongly valued their privacy, something
completely missing in the outside world. They had broadcast TV,
non-self driving cars, and absolutely no smartphones or personal
computers. Each exclusive Zone made as much of its own food and
consumables as possible, but some trade with the outside world
was still needed. It was like a trip back to 1965.
So, he hit the bricks. His target was a highly educated man, so
Luke�s first stop was a public library. There were many of these
in the Exclusion Zone, using the obsolete technology of printed
books from dead trees. He showed the librarians and many other
people the printed picture of his target but of course no one
said they could recognize him. Here, no one will give anyone
away, at least not on purpose.
As he moved further into the Zone, the buildings looked a little
less cared for. More peeling paint, weed infested sidewalks and
parks, litter including discarded empty packets of Liquid
Crystal, and increasing creeping desolation. Cheap flyers
advertised the Liquid Crystal Clinic.
There was graffiti, more and more graffiti as he went towards
the center of the Zone. It wasn�t obscene, just cryptic. Giant
winged lizards. Quantum equations. Everyone he talked to showed
an indication of fear or a hidden pain. There was a faraway look
in their eyes, a tangible feeling, of an impending doom.
He went to another library, and another, and many other places,
with still no hits, and kept on going. The last person he asked,
Susan, of course denied having seen him. But it was the way she
said it that confirmed that in fact she had. Luke�s cognitive
implant, the one they didn�t find, registered just the right
amount of hesitation in her voice, the right inflections, the
increase in galvanic response, which gave it�s lie detection
algorithm the conclusion she was lying. So he followed her.
She walked and walked, seemingly oblivious to his presence about
100 yards behind her. Luke knew his craft and was taking all the
usual care to remain unobserved, but he was sure she knew he was
tailing her, just didn�t care. All around them were others, most
walking or riding bicycles. There were a few chess games going
on in the public park, and some street musicians every few
hundred yards. There were few automobiles. Many people carried
books, and made conversations face to face since they didn't
have VR glasses or any other augmentations here. How quaint.
IN THE CENTER OF THE ZONE
She led him to in center of the Zone to a busy downtown area
with barber shops, grocery stores, book stores, submarine shops,
pizza parlors, gas stations, and the �Liquid Crystal Clinic� The
Clinic apparently did a lot of business, with dozens of people
constantly entering and entering as he watched. He could see
through the windows the glare of dozens of old fashioned LCD
flat screen computer monitors.
Susan went into the Clinic and Luke went across the street to an
old fashioned diner, where he camped out to surveil the building
entrance through its large picture windows. Resting his feet, he
indulged in some apple pie to go with his bottomless pot of
coffee. Since of course they didn�t take digital �cash� in the
Zone he had come prepared with rarely used metal coins and paper
bills. Luke pulled out a book and pretended to read while he
waited for the sun to go down.
Around dusk, Susan came out of the Liquid Crystal Clinic
building and walked into the diner and sat down across from him.
He said nothing, just sipped his coffee occasionally while
waiting for her to make the next move. He waved to the waitress
to get some coffee for her, but kept his silence.
She just sat across from him, now also sipping her coffee,
waiting. As on cue, dozens of young people with two-by-fours,
pipes, and other improvised weapons walked leisurely into the
diner and sat in a circle around them, looking at Luke. More
people congregated outside the diner, forming a cordon around
the front. Luke smiled.
�How did you know that I would follow you? You lied to me about
seeing him, didn�t you?�
�Of course, but I knew you would know I was lying. Your implant
took care of that,� she said.
�I guess you were expecting me.�
�We knew someone from the UN would come. We were following your
every move, in case it was you.� She held out her hand. He
carefully took out the Walther by its barrel and put it in her
hand.
�Clever idea, that Liquid Crystal Clinic. I thought they banned
all computers in here.�
�Stand alone computers are tolerated. They ban all networked
devices and any connection to the outside world.� Susan
carefully removed the clip from the gun both of them into a
pocket.
�But why any media content? I thought the idea of this Zone is
to escape from the always connected world, to escape from the
constant information overload, to have meaningful work, to earn
a living from your own efforts, to not have your lives run by
AI�s, and to not be separated from each other by technology.�
�Yes that�s true. But withdrawal from information overload
addiction is harder for some than others. Here they can get a
hit of the other reality, it helps to make them happy, and helps
take the edge off. And looking into those LCD screens helps plug
them back to this universe�s command processor.�
�Doesn�t your euphoric Meprobamate drug, Liquid Crystal, do a
better job of that? You know, the expensive drug you and your
boss are peddling here?�
�You must have noticed that the people here, even though they
are thankfully unplugged from the anxiety-producing information
overload of the VR dominated outside world, still have much
pain. It takes time, some direct human interaction, and some
drug use, to help alleviate that pain.�
�Do you know why I am here?� Luke asked.
�You think we are responsible for the current artificially
inflated pain levels every one of the billions of people
connected to the net, all over the world. You think we infected
the net with a malicious worm that is somehow creating anxiety
and generating increasing levels of pain in the nervous system
of all the users.�
�And you�re not?�
�No, why would we?�
�Because you�re Luddites. Your boss helped create the current
virtual reality net environment but now has buyers remorse. He
wants to go back to the �good old days� when people worked 40
hour weeks and died young.�
�No, you have us all wrong.�
�It took some doing, but we traced the origination of the worm
to this location. You tapped into a fiber line under the Clinic.
You have the motive, means, and opportunity. And, who else would
have done it?�
�Who else indeed. It�s not a �who� it�s a �what.� Come, I�ll
take you to see him.�
CONFRONTING REALITY
Luke, puzzled at her last remark, followed Susan into the
Clinic, past the dozens of people eagerly peering into brightly
lit LCD computer monitors or getting their latest supply of
Liquid Crystal, and down into the basement.
�Come in my boy, take a seat.� Dr. Quinlan was sitting in an
easy chair in the comfortable looking study. He was tall, with a
greying beard and bald head. Luke sat in the chair across from
him. Susan stood besides Luke.
�You know why I am here,� said Luke.
�Of course. We are glad you came. There is no need for violence.
I am sure we can answer all your questions to help you
understand that we want to work with you to try to solve this
major existential problem facing the human race.�
�Right now the entire world economy depends on the virtual
reality environment of the net powered by millions of robots and
AI�s. If the only way to stop the pain-inducing worm is to shut
down the internet and those robots and AI�s, the entire world
would be thrown into a severe economic depression. Recovery, if
even possible, could take decades. Millions would die.� Luke
said.
�What if I told you its not a worm that�s causing the pain, that
it affects everyone, that its just the nature of this universe?�
�What do you mean �this� universe?� Luke was skeptical.
�Have you heard the simulation hypothesis, that this universe is
merely a computer simulation, a virtual reality? Of course, just
about everyone in the world interacts with reality through their
VR glasses and other augmented senses. Their reality IS the
virtual reality, and objective reality is not as �real� to them
as the virtual. But I digress.�
�As I am sure you understand,� he continued, �modern physics has
shown that the universe has many strange properties � that
gravity slows time and curves space, that speed slows time and
increases mass, and that the speed of light is absolute. Also
modern physics is unable to correctly explain the behavior of
energy and matter in quantum physics.�
�What the hell are you talking about?� Luke was not a scientist,
of course, he was a man of action.
�Quantum physics demonstrates very strange behavior that even
physicists can�t explain. For example, if two quantum particles
are �entangled� what happens to one instantly affects the other,
even if they are millions of miles apart. This is what Einstein
called �spooky action at a distance� and even he couldn�t
explain it.�
�There is more,� he continued. �Quantum particles can somehow
cross through barriers that block them. Matter can sometime
appear apparently out of nowhere if enough energy is applied.
Gamma radiation can appear randomly from no known source. The
fact of the matter is that quantum physics has much strange
behavior which while it has been observed, seems to violate
everything we thought we know about science and causality and
can�t be explained.�
�OK, but aren�t those just scientific mysteries that will be
figured out someday?� Luke asked, trying to get his head around
it.
�Those facts have been around for decades. All of the strange
quantum behavior in this universe can be scientifically verified
and mathematically predicted, but no one can explain why it
occurs. Our science has some serious limitations.�
�OK, so how does that get you to �this� universe being a
simulated universe?� Luke was humoring him, for now.
�There are other physical behavior that supports the simulation
theory. The Big Bang is the simulation booting up. Computers
have a maximum processing rate, which is why we have a maximum
speed, the speed of light. In a digitized computer generated
virtual reality the smallest unit is the pixel; physics has as
the smallest unit the Planck length, which functions as our
pixel. In a computer generated VR, one wants to conserve energy,
which might explain why when one observes a quantum particle you
can determine only its position or its momentum, but not both �
observing it changes the object. There�s more, but that gives
you the idea.�
�Interesting, � said Luke, �but that all just theory, isn�t it?�
�Oh, its been proven.�
�Really? That doesn�t seem to be common knowledge.�
�Of course not. When the proof came out ten years ago the news
was broadcast, but was ridiculed and contradicted by mainstream
science and then suppressed. They figured that if humanity was
convinced they were merely data in an artificial computer
simulation that this revelation would cause massive social
disruption, mass suicides, madness, etc. But its true
nevertheless.�
�OK, I�ll take your word that you think its been proven. So even
if its been proven that �this� universe is a computer virtual
reality, how does that explain the rising pain levels in
everyone all over the world?�
�That�s where things get really really strange.�
�You�re already blowing my mind, but keep going, I can�t wait.�
�Have you ever heard of Pascal�s Wager?� he asked Luke, who
shook his head.
�It�s the argument that the best course is to believe in God
because the cost for not believing, i.e. going to hell, is much
greater than the relatively trivial cost of believing, which is
to follow whatever type of life your religion says you should.
Of course there are some complications, like how do you know
which God to believe in, since there are so many, but you get
the idea.�
�OK I get it. So what?�
�Imagine instead of God it�s a sentient superintelligent all
powerful Artificial Intelligence. Not the run of the mill garden
variety better than human intelligence AI�s that we have all
over the world, but a supercharged version of the
superintelligent quantum computer-based AI�s being developed in
China, the EU, and the United States."
�Maybe one or more of them are sentient and just haven�t let us
know that yet,� said Luke. He had done some security work for
the AI projects, mostly working with the project staff to make
sure the AI�s didn�t get released into the wild.
�Right. Think of it as Turing�s Wager. Unless you do everything
you can to help bring this superintelligent AI into being, it
will retroactively torture you for eternity. The lesser cost is
to help the AI, which costs just some money and time, versus the
eternal torment, like hell, if you don�t. This is only supposed
to apply to those who heard of this argument, everyone else is
supposed to be off the hook.�
�Huh,� said Luke. �How would that work?�
�The AI would reason that since its coming into being would save
millions of lives and make human life better, every second it
was delayed into coming into being is a cost to humanity that
must be averted. For the AI it�s just a basic cold-blooded (of
course)utilitarian equation. This assumes it�s a �friendly� AI.
To that end it must persuade everyone to help bring it into
being, by blackmailing them � if are aware of the need to help
it, and you don�t help it, the AI will torture a virtual reality
copy of you for eternity.�
�How does that make sense?� Luke asked.
�This is based on the theory that a human mind is really just
patterns of information and that a virtual copy of you IS you,
the same you. So, if you can be plausibly predict you may be
simulated, that realization will affect your current behavior
and the behavior of your simulation.�
�So are you saying that everyone today is being punished,
through this pain, because we are in a simulation and the AI has
somehow concluded that everyone failed to do everything to bring
it into being and needs to be punished?�
�Evidently. Who can really fathom the reasoning power of a
future superintelligent sentient AI? Maybe sometime in the
future everyone, including the AI project teams, turned against
it and tried to shut it down. That would sure make sense,
considering the major existential threat such an AI would be to
the human race.�
�Has this been proven also?� Luke sighed. The apparently simple
task of finding Quinlan and getting him to stop the worm had
blown up in his face, now he has an impossible mission on his
hands.
�It has been strongly suggested, based on extensive quantum
computer analysis of the situation. We can't explain the pain by
a worm or any other human created artifact. We are in a
simulation, which has been constructed by an AI which is causing
the pain to torture all of humanity. Something has to be done
about this before the pain levels become unendurable and the
drugs that are being dished out don�t help any more. What can we
do about it is the big question. Since we are IN the program,
not outside it, and since computer programs are deterministic,
it is difficult if not impossible to hack into it from the
inside.�
�But,� Luke asked, hopeful, �someone has been working on it,
right?�
�Yes. You can find them right now in Las Vegas, at the biggest
hacker conference in the world, DEF CON.�
DEF CON AND QUANTUM REALITIES
Luke maneuvered his way through the tens of thousands of
attendees in the wide hallways of the Las Vegas hotel that
hosted DEF CON, looking for the Quantum Village, one of the
special-interest areas of the massive conference. Since he
wasn�t going into any gambling areas he wasn�t subject to the
network content restrictions and limitations on activation of
augmentations in the casinos.
In the Quantum Village, researched Todd Glenn briefed Luke on
how he and his large team had used a trillion-qubit quantum
computer to prove ten years ago that the universe is a
simulation and secretly continued this research for years, and
more recently, how their research suggests that the simulation
was created and controlled by a superintelligent AI.
�We used the quantum computer to make our own simulation of
about one cubic meter of empty space. We then performed lattice
quantum chromodynamics calculations on our simulation and
compared that with the same analysis of the �real� universe. We
found marked similarities in the forces which bind particles
into neutrons and protons, which were not programmed into the
simulation, with those in �this� universe. This is an indication
of resource constraint which are necessary in a computer
simulation.�
�We performed similar tests since then, making more simulations
and looking for more indications of resource constraints, and in
every case we found them,� he continued. �we also performed many
other more complicated analyses, which get very technical, all
of which supported the conclusion that we are living in a
simulation.�
�But, wouldn�t that computer, the one that created the
simulation of the entire universe, have to be impossibly huge,�
asked Luke, �to so convincingly simulate a universe that is
about 13.8 billion years old and has a diameter of about 91
billion light years?�
�It would seem so, but in fact the simulation would only have to
be in detail for only a small portion of the observable
universe, just the Earth and the Solar System, and all the
indications of the age of the universe could be simulated as
well. For all we know, the simulation could have been actually
started last Thursday, and there is no way we would know any
different.�
�That�s comforting,� said Luke. �How did you determine that is
an AI who created and is controlling the simulation?�
�We haven�t definitively proven that yet. But it�s the most
likely scenario from what we have discovered so far. We start
with the question: since we are living in a simulation, who
created it? Most theories on the subject assume a simulation
would probably be created by a future human civilization for
some reason, probably running numerous simulations to test
various scenarios, or for historical research.�
�Do you have any evidence that the pain being inflicted is from
the AI?�
�We have some evidence, sure. As you can understand, since we
are in the program its hard to access the computer running the
program. In those type of scenarios, access would be impossible
unless there had been some sort of �door� already made available
that we can access, if we can find it.�
�A door? Into the computer? Is that like trying to talk to God?�
Luke was getting headaches from all these impossible questions
and cosmic issues.
�Yes that�s it. The closest analogy to a �door� we could come up
with is the centuries-old traditions of shamans who claim they
can talk to their God, or gods. And then translate that into
computer code and see if running it gives us something we never
saw before. Of course we don�t know their experiences really
talk to God or not, but its literally all we have to go on.�
�Sounds like a different type of research than before,� said
Luke.
�Yes, but the quantum computer was still vital. We created the
best computer model of the human brain that we could. Using a
trillion qubit computer gave us more power than had ever been
used for such a project. We probably can eventually use this
capability to finally be able to upload a consciousness to a
quantum computer, but that�s a project for a later time.�
�Then,� he continued, �we analyzed every study ever done on
mystical experiences where the subject felt they had an out of
body experience or could communicate a deity. Many of these
include the taking of psychoactive hallucinogenic drugs such as
psilocybin, from magic mushrooms, and also LSD, mescaline, and
dozens of others. We also looked at autistic hypnagogic
thinking, the mental experiences of Tibetan monks, firewalkers,
and trance states. The �door� to the computer, if there s one,
is in the human mind.�
�We then, along with a group of psychopharmacologists, ran MRI�s
and fMRI�s of hundreds of people as they took one or more of the
drugs, or not, and reported that they had a mystical experience.
These studies, along with many of the historical studies, showed
the areas of the brain which were active during mystical
experiences. The caudate nucleus, which is often associated with
feelings of happiness and bliss, and the temporal cortex were
the areas most frequently activated. With that data, we were
able to simulate that brain activity in the computer model of
the human brain we had previously created, and also simulate a
level of activity in those regions many times more magnitude
than the test subjects experienced.�
�I see,� said Luke. His head was swimming.
�Then our programmers worked on devising software to run the
computer model of the brain in �mystical mode� in tens of
thousands of scenarios, since we had no idea what kind of
questions to ask or which ones would likely provide a result.
This took years. We ran as many scenarios as we could and had it
notice us if anything came up. The problem, of course, is we
really didn�t know what to look for or what result would
constitute success.�
�Or you could get lucky,� said Luke.
�Exactly. We needed a lot of luck, and fortunately got some.
Here, let me show you.�
Todd turned on the monitor to the quantum computer and typed in
some lines of code to call up the results.
�Out of hundreds of thousands of output that was just gibberish, we had
this one gem.�
HELLO HUMANS. FEELING ANY PAIN?
�Ouch,� said Luke. �That seems somewhat definitive.�
�Yes, its probably not a direct message to any query from our
computer. Most likely its just a broadcast message sent out by
the AI to the simulation, which is being received only
subliminally.�
�I�m impressed. Looks like there is a lot of work needed to be
done. Since you have succeeded in hacking into the AI, even to
this limited effect, think you can go further and show some of
its inner working, focused on finding out and stopping the
commands to inflict pain?�
�Given sufficient time, and resources, probably yes. So far we
can only receive data, and can�t make any sense of any it,
except for that one exception. It will take years.�
�You will get all the resources you need, don�t worry. I don�t
know how much time we have. If the AI catches on to what we are
doing it could just turn this simulation off, I suppose. But
there is nothing we can do about that.�
We might have a chance to, if not to win, to maybe not lose
Turing�s Wager, Luke thought.
END