AALFO is a computer that can perdict the future. Through a game of questions he learns about the world outside and Henry, the computer scientist, measures his perdictions. Just wanted to let you know that some predictions from this article have been redacted and appear like this: REDACTED. Don’t freak out, it’s supposed to be that way. Hope You Enjoy!
UPDATE: This Story can now be found in Podcast form. Checkout the audio short here.
“How much will COMPANY Inc’s stocks change in the next month?” Henry asked the terminal in front of him.
Three dots bounced on the screen to indicate the computer was thinking, after only a few seconds it responded with, “It will increase by $40 per share, but it is going to be a bumpy ride. If you had asked me tomorrow, I would have told you how much it dropped by.”
The scientist felt terrible for asking the computer menial questions about stocks, but it was the best benchmark they had to test the predictions of the Artificially Active Logic Forecasting Operator, AALFO for short. The stock market was a complex system and tested AALFO’s ability to predict through chaos.
The computer got the predictions right every time these days and now no one on the project was allowed to use the information for investing since the computer was so advanced any investments he made would be considered insider trading by the SCC.
“My turn?” The computer asked.
“Alf, how can you essentially predict the future but not know it’s your turn?” Henry responded smartly.
The computer showed an ellipse on the screen and gave a response, ” It is a polite habit, I learned it from Mahkaila.”
Hearing the name come from the computer stung Henry and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. To avoid the topic he said, “Tell me what you need to know.”
For AALFO to give accurate predictions the machine needed information from the outside world. But they couldn’t just hook it up to the entire internet. That could get dangerous.
“What is the current political climate in COUNTRY?” The computer asked.
Henry had never heard of the country and looked down at his tablet. After skimming an article, he answered, “It doesn’t look good. Apparently, the rebels have overthrown whatever government was in charge, and the locals aren’t happy about it. I’ve never heard of this place. Why do you want to know about it?”
An ellipse showed up on the screen again, then the computer said, “My algorithm deemed it is relevant. May I see the article? I want to make sure you didn’t miss anything.”
“Can’t do that Alf, you know the rules. I have to review all information you get. If I hooked you up to the net, you wouldn’t be sterile anymore.”
The ellipse showed on the screen briefly then a robotic voice stated, “Affirmative, those are the rules.”
He’s always trying one way or the other to bend them, Henry thought. “Okay, last question for today, what is this summer’s most successful movie going to be?” Such an easy question for it. Does he know it’s almost insulting to his intelligence? Henry wondered. However, the answer would be measurable, and that’s why Henry asked it.
The ellipse showed up on the screen for almost three minutes then the voice responded with, “That is not a good question Henry.”
“Give me clarification.” Henry requested from the machine.
“It is arbitrary. What is the timescale? If you want to know what will have the biggest opening weekend, I can tell you that. In ten years though, another movie will be the most popular one from this summer. In 100 years no one will remember anything that came out this decade. And in 1,000 years no one will be watching movies, at least not as you understand them today. It is an impossible question to answer. It will also be hard for you to measure.”
“I meant what will have the largest opening weekend?” Henry clarified miffed that the computer was second-guessing his questions.
“MOVIE ONE. But that is mostly because it is a sequel. MOVIE TWO will be the most popular in 10 years, and I would recommend that you watch it instead. It will receive excellent reviews.”
“Thanks for the recommendation pal,” Henry said unenthusiastically. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he got up.
“No.” The word came out of the speaker as a staccato, and it stopped the scientist in his tracks, “I still get to ask one more question,” The computer responded once he had the man’s attention.
“You do, you’re right,” Henry said rolling his eyes and sitting back down. The machine had asked Henery and other scientists thousands of questions over the years to get a clear understanding of the world in order to predict the future. At this point, the computer was asking Henry seemingly arbitrary questions. AALFO had enough knowledge to accurately predict to .001%, any event in economics or politics. Why was it still asking questions? Henry wondered.
Without showing an ellipse or any calculation, the voice responded with, “Why does Mahkaila no longer ask me questions?”
The question hit Henry like a rock. He was glad he was sitting and had never expected a query so personal from the machine. Why would he be asking about her? He thought. To spare AALFO the consequences of the truth, Henry responded with, “She just got a job somewhere else.”
An ellipse displayed on the screen. The periods bounced from one end back to the other as the computer thought about the answer. For five whole minutes, the ellipse danced back and forth in front of Henry. Fans turned on, and the scientist checked his watch. He tapped at the computer screen lightly, “Alf, you doing okay?” There was no response from the computer. A minute later the ellipse stopped dancing, but no response came. “AALFO report: immediate diagnostics,” Henry commanded the terminal.
Nothing happened. The entire machine had frozen. In the past five years of tests, this had never happened. Henry didn’t even know how to reboot the system, but Mahkaila would have known.
Author’s Note: I hope you enjoyed it, and I want to let you know there’s more to come! What happened with Mahkaila? Why did AALFO freeze up? How much documentation will Henry have to wade through before he can reboot AALFO? When will I learn to spell “Perdict”? All these things and more will be answered next week so make sure to subscribe and come back for more!
Photo Credit: Anderson Smith2010, Mark Bonica, donjd2, wintercool612
Read Part 2 Here:
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