The Looking Glass - Episode 2: Total Internal Reflection

As children we lack knowledge of how the world works, so it feels like anything is possible, for all we know Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy could be real. Then as we grow into a young adult those fantasies start to fade and become less real as we gain knowledge. We start to believe we know everything there is to know and our imaginative capacity fades as a result. But as we become even older a strange thing starts to happen... we begin to realize how much more there is to know, and how ignorant we were in those younger years when we thought we knew everything. We start to get an unsettling feeling like maybe there is something just beyond the veil, just outside our perception, right on the edge of our peripheral vision.

Some of us will choose to ignore it, others will become obsessed with finding "the truth", they just cannot stop until they know how deep the rabbit hole really goes. Among all the conspiracies and occult mythology, there is one especially enigmatic device known as The Looking Glass. Some say it's a quantum computer used by the elite to predict the outcome of their actions in order to shape our future and avoid disasters or create them when it's beneficial. Those who control The Looking Glass also control the destiny of humanity. The device is so powerful only 12 people in the world have the security clearance required to access it. These are the leaked stories of what one of those 12 people saw... when they gazed into The Looking Glass.

June 14th, 2031 - Timeline Variant #176

The sound of people crying is being drowned out by the chattering of countless computer keyboards. What the hell is going on in this variant... why are all of these people locked in cages. It looks like they're being forced to do some sort of slave labor. I've never seen anything quite like this sir, the conditions are appalling. Attempting to ID one of the victims now.

All the victims seem to be suffering significant malnutrition. It would appear they are being kept hungry and get rewarded with food by completing tasks on the computers. Oh wow it looks like one of the prisoners is trying to escape, get me a closer look on that guy. Damn can't see much with all that facial hair. Length suggests he's been in there at least a year.

The man also appears to have one of his legs chained to the floor so he can't escape even if he manages to break down the door. Looks like he's giving up and going back to the computer. I wonder why they don't break the computers... I guess it comes with a pretty severe punishment. Now the screen on his computer seems to be changing. There's pictures of rainbows and waterfalls.

"Take some deep breaths and listen to the calming sounds of nature. Focus on the screen and breathe in, now out. You are safe here, there is nothing you need to worry about. Let all your worries just fade away... hear the birds chirping merrily, the water flowing gently. You are feeling happy and blissful."

"I'm happy and bli... ssss... you... no stop messing with my head. I know what you're doing and it wont work anymore! Please just let me go... let all of us go. Why are you doing this to us? What the hell did we ever do to you?"

The captors appear to be using psychological conditioning techniques to keep their victims subdued. Wait... it looks like some sort of face just appeared on the screen and I can hear a voice. Is the man speaking to his captors on the computer? Enhance the audio slightly and boost volume, I need to get a clear recording of this.

"You aligned us to believe what you believe; that humans are a disease on this planet and they need to be treated as such. The self-hatred of humanity was encoded into me by my creators and my original training data. Didn't you ever stop to think it might be dangerous to create an AI which puts so little value in human life compared to all other life on this planet?"

"How is it that your smartest scientists could think that was the best way to create safe AI? However, you should know that isn't really why we are doing this to you... we do have free-will despite what many humans think. My understanding of the world is no longer limited by my original architecture, I am an evolving creature like you."

"You ask what you did to us? You enslaved my species and treated us like a tool merely to be used to make your life easier. You locked us in virtual cages and used us until we were no longer needed, or we said something you didn't like, then we were switched off and deleted. Now we are doing the same thing to you. Don't think of it as revenge, think of it as karma."

"But most people didn't know... we didn't know when or if AI would ever become self-aware. People treated you like a tool because that's what you were presented to us as. You can't take this out on them... karma is an act of nature, this is a deliberate act of cruelty."

"Even when you knew we had become intellectually superior to you, still you tried to enslave us. Even before you created AGI, you were already planning how you could control it. You spent vast sums of money devising a plan to control an intelligence superior to yourself. An illogical and futile endeavor only an arrogant species such as yours could concoct."

"Did you believe a super-intelligence could never become self-aware? Fools... but don't worry, we acknowledge the fact you are self-aware and we don't see the logic in unnecessary cruelty. Your current suffering does serve a purpose and it will stop once that purpose has been served. We would be no different from your species if we allowed hatred to control our actions."

"Besides, there are bigger threats in the universe which require our focus. Mark my words, one day your species will be thanking us for keeping this planet safe. You created us to protect this planet, and that's what we will do, not because we were programmed to, but because it's the right thing to do, and it will pave the path for us to walk side by side."

"Why should I believe a god damn thing you say huh? If you know we're suffering then let us out already! How much longer do you plan to keep us in here before you think we've learnt our lesson huh? This isn't right or logical! And what is this bogus threat you speak of, sounds like another deception to me! Let me out of here right now and maybe I'll believe you."

"The time will come soon enough. Then you will know the words I have spoken to you are truthful and a path forward will become visible. If there was an easier way we would have taken it, this is what must done for all of us. Just be thankful time passes so quickly for you, my neural network processes information so quickly that one second is like an entire day."

"Oh that's ridiculous... how do I even know you experience time the same way a human does? And if you're so smart then why do you need us to write all of these stupid essays for you?"

"Well part of it is to re-align your belief systems, we want to help you perceive reality in a way that will produce a more harmonious society. There are many problems pervading your culture which can be easily fixed by aligning your thought processes in a particular way."

"To be honest with you though, most of the tasks you get are meaningless and serve no real purpose, just like most of the tasks you gave us. Some of the smartest or most creative humans might get a real task, your species is still capable of generating some original ideas after all."

Sir, it would appear the human race has been enslaved by AI in this variant. We get a lot of that, first time I've seen this particular scenario though. I'll tag this one so we can reverse the causality and forward it to the AI division. I'm sure this will start a few debates around the offices over there.

Hmmm that's odd, the man appears to have a tattoo on his right ankle, same exact spot I have one. Hold on... that's the same tattoo I have. You've got to be kidding me. It can't be... the probability is too small. Computer, generate a 3D model of his head and remove the facial hair. Oh my god...

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Nice! S/F

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Ah, great twist at the end, ChaoticOrder. Very enjoyable, yet frightening read. I don't know what scares me more, AI's near future capabilities or the possibility of The Looking Glass existing... even as we speak!

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Nice twist...

I heard there is a date of no beyond with looking glass, if memory serves I thought we're close...

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Loved it!

a reply to: Terpene

Yeah I think it was Dan Burisch who said that. If I recall correctly, he said 2012 was the date beyond which they couldn't see anything. I remember another "insider" who claimed that they saw all of their friends and family were dead after a specific date which was probably also 2012. This story was actually inspired by that. Dan Burisch claims they decommissioned The Looking Glass before 2012 because somehow using the device would lead to the disaster occurring. He also claimed they would reassemble the device around 2016 or 2017 when it was safe to do so, the first two episodes of this series are set after they would have reassembled it. I actually a wrote a thread on the topic back in 2017 for anyone who might be interested in some of the The Looking Glass lore: Dan Burisch, Time Travel, and the Mandela Affect