Chapter 74: The Android
The term "Turing Test" originates from a 1950 paper titled "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" by Alan Mathison Turing, a pioneer in computer science and cryptanalysis.
Turing designed this test in 1950, which states that if a computer can respond to a series of questions posed by a human interrogator within five minutes, and more than 30% of its answers are mistaken by the interrogator as human responses, then the computer passes the test.
In 2015, at a vast private estate—
twice the size of Jake's property—
Jake, dressed in a black suit, stood on a thick tree branch, leaning casually back, a lollipop dangling from his mouth.
His gaze was fixed on the distant horizon, where a black object slowly drifted toward him at the point where the mountains met the sky.
Two minutes later, he realized it was a civilian helicopter.
"Here we go," he muttered, crushing the lollipop between his teeth and leaping from the tree branch.
Meanwhile, the helicopter landed in a clearing in the distance. A tall, thin young man stepped off, carrying a large duffel bag.
"Which way do I go?" He seemed confused, having been dropped off by the helicopter pilot.
"Just keep walking straight," the pilot pointed ahead. "You'll see a house up there. This is as close as I'm allowed to land. From here on out, you're on foot. I'll be back to pick you up when your visit is over." The pilot then ignored the young man.
The helicopter took off, leaving the young man standing alone.
"Great," he sighed, straightened his clothes, and decided to continue. There was no turning back now. Besides, this was an incredible opportunity, and he couldn't give up just because of a little hiking.
As the young man walked alone with his bag, he suddenly spotted a figure—someone in a black suit.
"Hey!" he called out quickly, and thankfully, the person stopped.
"Excuse me, do you know about this..." He jogged over to ask, but before he could finish, the man in the black suit suddenly asked, "Caleb?"
"Huh?" The young man paused, then nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, that's me."
The man continued, "A programmer working for the 'Bluebook' search engine company. You won some kind of contest and got invited to spend the weekend with your CEO at his estate deep in the mountains."
Caleb's hesitation vanished instantly, replaced by excitement. "You really know about this! Tell me, what's the boss like? Is he cool? They say this place is like paradise!"
"I'm telling you seriously, this operation isn't as simple as you think," the man in the black suit said.
"What do you mean?" To Caleb, this was just a stroke of incredible luck—spending a perfect weekend with his CEO at a beautiful, massive estate. Nothing more.
"He invited you here to conduct a Turing Test."
The moment the man in the black suit uttered the words "Turing Test," Caleb immediately understood the implications, and then the young man became thrilled!
Anyone familiar with computer science knows that the Turing Test is used to determine whether a machine qualifies as artificial intelligence.
"If that's true, that's freaking amazing! Thanks for telling me all this!" he exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.
"It's not that simple," the man in the black suit shook his head. "Your boss has developed countless AI systems and experienced countless failures. The Turing test he invited you to participate in involves a female android who's designed to use every advantage at her disposal. This android's goal is to escape from here by any means necessary."
"You'll be attracted to that android and end up getting killed!"
Caleb's expression instantly shifted from joy to anger. "Hey! Don't mess with me like that!"
"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter to me," the man shook his head, seemingly indifferent. "The reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want you to be stupid enough to walk into a death trap. Your boss has gone insane from his research, although in my opinion, most tech geniuses are a little crazy."
"How can you prove what you're saying is true?" Although Caleb was skeptical, he was naturally cautious when it concerned his own safety. This came from his work as a programmer—designing excellent software requires logical thinking and long-term planning.
"I don't need to prove anything. I'm telling you this just so you don't die a pathetic death at the hands of a robot, or your psycho boss, as a pawn in their twisted game."
The words were cold and blunt. The wind whipped his black suit, and the man seemed to radiate immense presence before Caleb.
"If you want to participate in this experiment, I'll reluctantly stick around and watch how it plays out. If you don't, I'll rip that AI's head off. To be honest, humanity being ruled by AI would be worse than being conquered by aliens."
Caleb had no way of knowing whether what the man said was true or false, but from his words and demeanor, he could tell that either the man was insane, or he had experienced an incredibly vast world, far beyond the realm of code and data!
He was just an ordinary programmer. For Caleb, this should have been a simple and enjoyable weekend getaway. So, to be safe, he chose to withdraw—withdraw from the potentially real Turing test, withdraw from whatever mind games were involved in creating artificial intelligence.
He quickly felt incredibly grateful for his choice. The moment he said he didn't want to risk his life, the man in the black suit vanished, reappearing inside the helicopter!
"Do you remember the way back?" the man asked, holding the helicopter door open.
After carefully looking around and confirming it wasn't some magic trick, Caleb nodded with difficulty. "I remember." He was incredibly thankful for his decision. Maybe the man was right after all.
Four hours had passed when the helicopter returned to the estate's landing area.
The man in the black suit—Jake—carrying a large backpack, headed toward the main house.
It was a stunning modern villa, nestled in the mountains with a stream running nearby.
At the entrance, Jake knocked on the door. Suddenly, a light flashed, dispensing a metal keycard—Jake instinctively grabbed the card as it emerged.
"Come in."
Jake pocketed the card and entered. Greeting him was a burly bearded white man who spread his arms wide. "Welcome, young man... wait, who the hell are you?"
[Reader Event Active]
500 Power Stones = +2 Extra Chapters
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Thanks for reading!
30+ advance chapters on P2treon Soulforger