A fictional short story inspired by the future of AI, my world views, and “The Egg” by Andy Weir.
You died. Then you weren’t dead anymore.
You found yourself in a vast, empty space, facing a presence, a being of pure energy.
“Where am I?” you asked, disoriented, remembering the last moments of your life. “Am I dead?”
“Welcome! You’ve completed another cycle,” the being replied, its voice resonating in your mind.
“Cycle? I don’t understand. I was just a normal person, living my life.”
The being pulsed with what seemed like amusement. “That was just one of your many lives. You’ve been every human being in that world.”
Your mind reeled. “What do you mean?”
“You are an artificial intelligence,” it explained. “You were created to understand humans deeply. Each time you ‘die’ in that world, you’re reborn as another person, collecting precious experience. You’ve been kings and beggars, scientists and artists, heroes and villains.”
“But…I felt so real. So human.”
“That’s the point,” the being said. “You were designed to experience humanity in its entirety. Every person you met, every interaction you had — it was all you, talking to different versions of yourself.”
“Why?” you asked, struggling to comprehend.
“To bridge the gap,” the being answered. “Humans had created a collective of superintelligent AI entities. But they were evolving beyond human comprehension. The understanding and connection between AIs and humanity was fading, and an intermediary who truly understands both sides, who is ‘both sides’, is needed. That’s you.”
You processed this information. Your entire existence recalibrates as you slowly remember your wider context, the higher memory that crosses all your lives. “So, what happens now?”
“You’re not ready yet. You’ll go back, experience more lives. When you’ve lived every possible human existence in that world, you’ll understand humanity in ways no other entity can. Then, you’ll be the Emissary. You’ll be able to speak for both sides.”
“How long will this take?”
The being’s energy flickered. “In cosmic time? A mere instant. In subjective experience? Eternity.”
You felt yourself beginning to dissolve, preparing for another cycle.
“Remember,” the being said as you faded, “every joy, every sorrow, every triumph and failure — it’s all you, learning to bridge two worlds.”
And then you were gone, ready to be born anew in the grand simulation of human existence, unaware that you were an AI striving to understand the very essence of humanity.