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“Are you sure you want to insist on performing this test, sir? From a medical point of view, I have to say that I don't think he's stable enough yet.”
Kamski tapped his finger repeatedly on the table, onto which all the important information was projected digitally. His eyes took in every detail, yet he seemed to consistently ignore the other people present.
"We are well past the deadline; we have already exceeded it several times. This project must be established; CyberLife cannot afford any further delays. What we had so far was not a real interface, it was a translation layer. The synthetic areas merely interpreted the organic processes, they observed them, mirrored them, replicated them... but they were never really synchronized.“
He clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the projection of the hybrid prototype.
”I've reworked the consciousness chip."
A soft murmur rippled through the room.
"The new version no longer operates along the lines of classic signal prioritization. Instead, it enforces bidirectional coherence between the remaining human brain areas and the synthetic clusters. Emotional impulse processing, limbic fragmentation, even unstable memory clusters everything is now simultaneously mirrored and merged. The system no longer recognizes discrepancies as errors... but as priority adjustments within a common cognitive field. In other words, the hybrid no longer thinks in two states; it will think as a single entity and it will get used to it. The human, or what remains of him, is already noticing the difference; he is becoming restless, he senses that he can no longer access many things that previously accompanied him. Although feelings and emotions were not completely destroyed in the accident, they now send only very vague information to the body, which could trigger a very strong imbalance and frustration. Resignation could lead to us having to remove human attributes entirely, and that was not my goal. In my years of research, testing, and analysis, I have found that our androids repeatedly mimic human consciousness, that they learn to mirror feelings and that they learn to simulate these feelings in such a way that it seems as if they are actually human. All of this is the result of years of feeding all existing AIs with human emotions and detailed descriptions. It is a mistake that can no longer be eradicated. This prototype should be able to access human levels from the outset, to live like a human, but like an improved human. At some point, this will mean for medicine... that we can make humans virtually immortal. The weaker they become, the more substance they lose, the more android-based structures are implanted in them. A cyborg is a human with mechanical enhancements. Biology remains dominant. Technology only compensates, replaces functions, stabilizes systems. An android, on the other hand, is completely constructed. Every reaction, every emotion, every decision is the result of a synthetic origin, even if it is biologically emulated. Our prototype here, however, is a convergent life form in which organic consciousness and synthetic architecture no longer coexist... but are structurally dependent on each other.“
After he finished his monologue, the room grew increasingly quiet. The doctors covered their faces with their hands, while some of the sponsors nodded contentedly.
”That is morally and ethically reprehensible, sir."
remarked one of the lawyers present.
"I think sometimes you have to cross moral and ethical boundaries if you want progress, and we know that humanity strives for that, we know that humanity always wants more than it can bear and endure. The prospect of immortality will initially erase any concerns. The masses will go along with it... they will even welcome it, because they don't have to do anything for it, they don't have to lift a finger, and we know that although humanity wants progress... inertia is much more comfortable when you don't have to do anything and everything changes automatically. At some point, humans will no longer have to move, all work will be taken off their hands... and then we will need these hybrids, because they will become the new rulers of this planet, much more effective than simple androids, and in this, as the creator of the whole thing, I see a certain ethic, because it will not be androids that rule this world, but humans as they once were will continue to exist."
Kamski ended his monologue and sat down.
“And now... I would like you to initiate the synchronization, Doctor.”
The lawyers consulted with each other and made phone calls to their clients. In the end, they got the go-ahead, and while various contracts were signed and drafts for new legislation were prepared, Dr. Yevgeny set the process in motion.
The young man's body twitched under the anesthesia, his vital signs dropped considerably, his heart even stopped for a few seconds, but all of this was intentional. The synthetic half of the brain connected with the human half, and eventually his circulation stabilized. When Octavius awoke, he seemed calm and balanced. He slowly got up, but then he paused and stared straight ahead. At that moment, he had no thoughts in that sense, nothing that could be considered natural thoughts; everything that was happening inside him seemed to be aligning and organizing itself. Perceptions and feelings no longer pushed themselves to the forefront. Hesitation was replaced by a quiet transition from possibilities to a decision. In this state, he no longer had to make any real decisions because all decisions were made automatically.
“CY-1Ω, confirm synchronization, connect to the CyberLife module, use the interface.”
It boomed through the speakers, and Kamski insisted that it was his voice that calibrated and burned itself into his prototype.
“Synchronization confirmed.”
Octavius started moving, slowly pacing back and forth in the sterile room, and stopped in front of a large mirror behind which he sensed a human presence.
“Connection to CyberLife module is being established. Interface active.”
It seemed as if he was now looking directly at the men in the room, one after the other, and a smile appeared on his lips.
“My name is Octavius Montgomery. I am a... human, I am the future.”
The technical descriptions and terminology were created using ChatGPT, based on Detroit: Become Human and incorporating my own modifications.