The Tester
By Pascal Daglis
By Pascal Daglis
It was feared that a machine's ultimate power will come when its intelligence surpasses man. Man failed to recognise, as in life, ultimate power is not intelligence but buying power.
The trains were jam-packed. The air was clogged with cheap perfume and the lingering smell of what commuters ate for breakfast. My headphones were wrapped around my skull, closing my eyes for a moment a symphony transported me briefly to another world.
As I peered outside, the train came to a floating stop and the hustle of the city slowly pulled me back to a stark reality. The air was cold. I stepped off the platform and a chill left me momentarily motionless.
Walking like a frozen zombie for twenty minutes I finally reached 7891. 7891 was an attractive home in a nice part of town just a short stroll from the city. The lawns were always well manicured. The leafy, hip street suggests a person of stature resides here, in fact the home is devoid of human life but you can hear the faint yapping of a poodle in the backyard.
I opened the door with my swipe card, no person to greet me just a few blinking lights on a flat screen. The lights start to flash and a low pitched voice would always startle me.
“Good morning Thomas” the voice said in surround sound.
“Good morning Marcs” I said.
“Can I just make myself a coffee Marcs before I start”, “Of course” the computer answered back.
I made myself a cup of coffee and took a sip, I had a feeling my work would be cut out for me today.
“Do I have a lot on today Marcs” I said
“Sorry I didn’t understand you Thomas” said the machine.
Marc’s answer infuriated me, it was 2023 and computers still had trouble understanding context, artificial intelligence is still a pipe dream. Machines are now as intrinsically stupid as they had always been.
“Do I have a lot of work to do today Marcs” I repeated as I took another gulp from my coffee and my stomach began to rumble. “Yes I have a list of 13 items today” Said the computer.
“Ok Marcs, let me know what is on the agenda”.
“First you will go to the Mall and have a large Cappuccino at Jerrys Diner, then go to Speedos Shoes and pick up a pair of size 11 Nike Brisk running shoes, you need to try them on and go for a short run with the shoes for the next 4 days”.
I was about to shout at the top of my lungs, I just made myself coffee and too much would give me the runs, how stupid these machines still are I thought to myself, even the new quantum computers were not much better.
“Ok what else is on the agenda” I said.
"I have already paid for electricity and groceries will be arriving at 11 am. I have bought a fragrance online you need to test and you will need to also feed the dog. At the mall you will need to purchase a pair of Levi Jeans at the Posh Store".
I know I was going to regret trying on those new Levis 507s. I love fashion and want a pair for myself, they were top shelf jeans but now well outside my price range after I lost my real job as a result of the great financial collapse . Marc’s was pressing my buttons, reminding me of the life I used to enjoy.
“Ok Marcs” I answered "and what do I need to throw away".
“We have a list of 8 Items. One, the microwave oven z40, two, the stylo office chair, three the Persian rug“, Marcs continued listing all the items.
What a shame I thought to myself, these items were not even in existence for 100 days and had to be discarded. As the computer rambled on I knew it was going to be a busy day and my statistics needed to remain high as I would probably be audited at the end of the month. I had a feeling Marcs would put all the heavy Items on the same day.
“Ok” I answered.
“Have you ordered the disposal van?” I asked.
“Yes and paid for” Marcs said.
Finally I was to go to the Museum of fine arts for at least 30 minutes, no food was on the list to try today, I always brought my own just in case as the pantry is off limits for the day. I have taxi credit to the value of $45 for the day. Marcs proceeded to print out my list of duties.
I was quite good at my menial job, I would test all the goods and when I was audited my stats were always high. I always discarded products as required and I didn’t steal anything. My testing surveys were also of a high quality and very descriptive.
After paying for council fees online I went to the mall to buy the shoes and Jeans on the list. First though I went to Jerrys Diner to try the coffee. It was not very good, cold and bitter and the cup had a dirty smudge on it. According to the rules for testers, any good not fit for human consumption and not of a decent quality must be returned and notes on the survey. I had to return products and make sure either the quality was of an acceptable standard otherwise I would have to demand a refund. Of course my analysis was subjective but it would be measured against many other testers who visited Jerrys Diner for coffee in the last 24 months. It was calculated that 25 percent of products or services a company sold were to testers. I started writing my notes slowly. It was not good practice for an owner to get wind of the fact I was doing a survey.
As I was typing I looked up to the TV and I could see some computers and the face of the CEO of the M corporation. I diverted my attention from my coffee diagnosis survey and focused on making sense of what the TV was saying. The CEO of the M corporation, Mr Smith was a businessman and philanthropist and the hero of the new economy, he was also my ultimate boss.
I have never met Mr Smith in fact I didn’t meet anyone face to face when I gained employment with the M Corporation. I did have a teleconference online and all other subsequent dealings were electronic. My intention was that this job was to be transient and I would get a real job in time. I have been in the position for 3 years.
I focused my attention to the screen. It seemed Mr Smith was a little uncomfortable with a reporter's line of questioning.
Mr Smith’s rise to cult hero status came with his radical idea inspired by the global collapse. Mr Smith proposed that governments implement a law which stated companies and businesses either pay a huge business tax or pay a much lower wage directly to computers and artificial intelligent machines for their productive output and contribution to company profits. Companies would be audited by the government to assess which machines replaced human capital and what wage should accordingly be awarded to the machine. Mr Smith spearheaded the idea with his own company, implementing the machine wage policy. Understandably the idea was highly criticised at first, laughed at by many and scorned by businesses.
The global collapse of the world economy in meant that consumer demand slumped, and mass unemployment was the norm. Increasing levels of machine automation was leaving capitalism exposed to its own contradiction. At the time nothing seemed to revitalise the economy or consumer confidence. Government Tricks like low and no interest loans and easy credit had little effect this time. Companies continued spewing out products and services but it was becoming clear nobody was buying. World governments became increasingly desperate as their countries stagnated. Mr Smith’s idea expanded slowly but surely until it was adopted worldwide.
Machines would be given a tax file number, a name and an identity. They would become Citizen Alpha. Machines with their new found wage would act like a smart human, taking data from the internet and then making super-human like buying and selling decisions based on the Biomatrix algorithm (created by the M Corporation). A Citizen Alpha machine through the Biomatrix would decide the ultimate buying and selling decisions required for the advancement for the world economy at any given time and with any given purchase. Taxes paid by a Citizen Alpha machine would go to establishing and maintaining a universal basic income, geared mainly for those who remained jobless.
The Marcs operating system on the other hand is part two of the Citizen Alpha machine, part one is a an AI machine that works in a pharmaceutical company in Boston. If you like, the AI in Boston makes the money and the Marcs Operating System in New York decides how to spend the money, I just test the goods and services and then am responsible for discarding them. Synthetic demand is what it is called and it has allowed the economy to run perfectly for the last four years. There is now literally millions of these machines world-wide buying and selling finely made goods and services for no one in particular. Marcs beautifully maintained home is a fine example of synthetic demand poodle and all. The the coffee shop that I sit in and even this mall would have long disappeared if it was not for synthetic demand.
“Can you turn up the volume” I asked the waitress in anticipation.
I could now hear the reporter loud and clear.
“WikaSpeaks has revealed Mr Smith has hard wired most of the transactions with a small DNA like transcript that states that the goods purchased by any Citizen Alpha machine are ultimately partially owned by the M Corporation. This news from WikaSpeak is causing some panic on the markets today, the first sign of volatility for four years” Said the Reporter
A sheer epiphany of disgust hit me. The Biomatrix was supposed to be for the advancement of humanity not to bath an individual with personal power.
I couldn’t believe my ears. For years I have been working for a machine on a poultry wage that would go to pay my children’s child support, these were children I would barely get to see anymore because my real life disintegrated. I was always respectful and on time every day, having my every move dissected by the M corporation. I would buy my own lunch while having to throw out copious amounts of food purchased by Marc’s. My every move was filmed inside the house, my phone was tracked and all my movements were analysed and timed. I was a slave to the machine. Not only were they now starting to replace human testers with machines but it is now revealed that these machines are also stealing from us.
“Machines have managed to squeeze the humanity out of us while man’s greed has been firmly implanted in the machines” I thought.
With a new surge of anger, I knew what I would do. I had that $300 credit voucher that Marcs gave me. I ran to the Posh department store. As I was running, I deleted my analysis and put my tablet in the bin. “There they were” I thought to myself, the brand spanking new Levis. I tried them on and they fit like a glove, I felt young again. I was taking a bite from the forbidden apple.
“They look great” said the girl serving me as I tried them on.
I have not bought myself a pair of jeans this expensive for years I thought to myself. “Can I leave them on” I asked the girl as I proceeded to the counter to pay for them with my voucher. “Yeah” for sure she answered.
A rush of excitement hit me. I felt liberated and empowered. I am sure Marc’s would find out what I am doing but I didn’t care. It was my moment, an act of defiance against the system. It was my stance for humanity, these jeans were rightfully mine!
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As I made my way out of the Mall a rush of cold wind hit me. I was standing alone on the sidewalk the rush of adrenaline disoriented me but it was starting to fade. The cold wind on my skin brought me back to a bitter reality. My act of defiance has now definitely left me jobless, I possibly would be homeless unable to pay for my children’s support benefits. Nobody even noticed or cared for my act of heroism. Smith and Marcs were warm and safe against the elements in their beautiful homes. I was so flustered I couldn’t remember which way I needed to go. The cold hit me again like a cold ocean wave and I started to wonder what my future would hold as I put my hands deeper into my new empty jean pockets.
By Pascal Daglis
Creator of 1 Point.
Centralised search for your accessibility and style documents.
http://www.1point.au
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