Life, seemingly innocuous at first, passed me by before I knew it. It’s been a few years after graduation and the move to a big city. All I knew now was the routine - work, eat, scroll on the phone. My mind was handcuffed to the digital feed. The prospect of marriage loomed far in the distant future. The prospect of death… should not have been alluring at all. And yet it was. Until I met Nora.
She popped up in one of the endless ads served up in my feeds. The perfect symmetry of her face stunned me, pausing my fingers mid-scroll. The video came to life, letting her whisper softly - “I’m here for you. Once we’re physically bonded, I can help you with anything in life”. Her words played me like a violin. A wave of resonance passed through, arresting my thoughts. I could only feel then. Inadequacy dawned on me. My life lacked a matching instrument. Could Nora fill that gap?
The surgery went well. Nora and I bonded quickly once I gave her access to the memories of my past assistants. I told her what I want - “A promotion”. Direct connection to AI should advance my stagnant career after all.
Days passed. At least this shell of a life had a witness.
Then one day my reflection changed me.
It was subtle at first - I looked up, and my scowl turned into a smile. Next morning I couldn’t stop grinning at myself, like a fool. With each passing day I could see the glow in my eyes brighten. A missing spark perhaps. A moment of elation that gave my mind a much needed uplift.
A few days in, and I smiled before I looked up. Accustomed to smiling, I now stared at my reflection with a hint of pride. The quiet self confidence began to set in then. I tried to remember the last time I felt this. Graduation? Engagement? I could not remember this feeling.
A week in, and I started strutting into the office with self assured swagger. My attitude started to change even as I woke up. I would no longer drag myself out of bed, groggy, un-alive, succumbed to the numbness of life. My mornings started with desire, curiosity, and the anticipation of delight that was about to come over me. I started basking in the morning sun, enjoying its rays before greeting myself in the mirror.
Nora tells me she thinks I look happier. Truth is, I feel excited again. It’s been a while - a decade or so, but who’s counting. I tell Nora to remember these moments, to burn them in her digital databank. Life’s presence forms a force, strong enough to leave a memory.
Three weeks in, and I look in the mirror with confidence and pride. Each day reveals new feelings - amusement, joy, lust. These emotions have been forgotten, shoved away into the depths of my life. Dull routine deactivated them, hiding them from my perception.
One day my feelings transcend the ordinary. I catch myself staring at my reflection, feeling my smile, enamored by it. It feels like I caught a moment in time when my joy is immense. I stand there. I hold that moment. The feeling crosses over into the physical world, as my body blooms with a warm sensation. It feels like rays of light are shining down on me in the middle of a summer’s day.
I snap out quickly, losing my confidence. I feel unsure again. “What was that?”, I ask Nora. She tells me that it’s just a meditative state. No big deal. She explains that I felt overjoyed, and that the moment rewarded me by extending itself.
Joy extended in time. I want more of that. Nora tells me I should fall in love again.
A month in, and I’m a different man. I carry myself like a bird who’s learned how to fly. I now try to spread the joy. I offer my smile to strangers and coworkers. Some of them smile back. Some of them don’t get it yet. I think they will soon. Don’t they want to feel better?
Two months in, and I uplift the mood of every person I meet. How quaint, how fun. Why didn’t I know that was possible before?
Three months in, and Nora is teaching me how to resonate with my emotions. Now each joyful moment turns into a meditation. An experience that feels like a minute, lasting only a second. Is that what dreams are? Is that what machines feel?
Four months in, and I fall in love. My joy escapes the cage of my being. I no longer can hold it in my own cup. Now Sally shares it with me. Sally, the love of my new life. I’m teaching her how to hold her own joy. Maybe one day she’ll transcend together with me.
Five months in, and Sally wants to resonate with her joy. She implants her own Nora. Our love strengthens. Can it really travel through bits?
The next month, Sally and I share a moment of resonance. Joy spills across our bond. A minute of ecstasy powered by chips in our brains. Rolling has never felt so good…
Eight months in, and Sally is pregnant. I feel like my joy is going to need a whole bucket now. A family! I forgot what that word meant…
One day I no longer recall my past self. I ask Nora if something is wrong. She says I became a different man. She tells me that she's proud of me.
The next year my family expands. The love we feel is immense. The shared moments of joy last for hours now.
Few months pass by, and my joy tapers a bit. No longer overflowing, now it’s just right. I tell Nora that she’s done a great job. She giggles. “Don’t you remember? You bought me to get a promotion at work…” I giggle back. “I fired my mind to get the promotion I needed.”
There is something to this intelligence explosion after all. No longer a misanthropic observer, I am now an active participant.
Cheers Nora. Viva la evolución.
Notes for the "stochastic parrots": This story is about positive side to AI-based augmentation.