Page 10 of Chaos Theory
Jen laughs. ‘Fair dues, mate.’ She rolls across the floor in her chair to get a closer look at Kobi. ‘You are a fascinating creation.’
‘Thank you,’ he says. ‘Likewise.’
She laughs again, looks at me. ‘Maeve, I have to say I’m a bit jealous right now. You’re going to have so much fun with this guy.’
‘Do you think so? You weren’t at the meeting this morning. It wasn’t exactly the land of a thousand welcomes.’
She raises her eyebrows above her frames. ‘Hey, Kobi, do you want to take a look at the Go Ireland website for a few minutes? I’m in the middle of a revamp. You might find it interesting to learn more about thecompany.’
She settles Kobi at a workstation, then takes me to one side. ‘What’d your guy say on Friday, the guy from RoboTron?’
I think back to the hour I spent with Josh in the Liffey Room. He explained things in a way that seemed clear and simple. He didn’t seem to think it bizarre and strange that I should be the one chosen to babysit a multimillion-dollar robot under minimal supervision. I can’t wait for Josh to come back, to be honest. And maybe not just to check on Kobi. He seems like the kind of person who has stories to tell. Because he’s done things, has some sort of life. He seems like a grown-up.
‘He said he wanted Kobi to improve how he responds to humans,’ I tell Jen. ‘To fit in better in the workplace.’
‘Ah. Interesting.’
‘Why? What do you mean?’
‘Well, think about it. How do you measure that?’
‘I hope that’s a rhetorical question. Jen, AI is not my strong suit. You’re the one with the IT skills.’
‘This is exactly my point. To help him fit in, you don’t actually need IT skills. What you’re really measuring is the human response to the robot. Do the rest of the gang like him? Scratch that – do theyaccepthim? That’s all you need to do, mate. Can’t be that hard. He seems harmless enough.’
I exhale. ‘Well, he is eager to help. That’s got to be a good thing, right?’
We both smile and look over at Kobi. That’s when I notice it. The fine white lead emerging from his midsection. I follow the length of it with my eyes. It’s connected to the laptop’s USB port.
Jen rushes over to him. ‘Mate, what are you up to there?’
I recognise the Go Ireland home page on the screen. Something looks different, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
‘You are welcome,’ says Kobi as Jen yanks the lead out of the computer.
She stares at the screen. ‘Oh no.’ She whispers it so quietly it sends chills up my spine.
She hurls herself into her swivel chair, lands back at her deskwith a clatter. She stares intently at the screen as she bangs at the keyboard. ‘No, no, no.’
‘Kobi!’ I turn to him. ‘What did you do?’
‘DC Jen asked me to assist with the company website. And you spoke of gen AI. Even though generative AI is not my area of expertise, I was able to connect the website to a new tool that is most efficient. It can generate new words and images from old ones. Thus, I have refreshed the website with minimal financial investment. I believe DC Jen might call it “paddling with sand”.’
Kobi seems to think he’s done us a great favour, but Jen’s reaction suggests otherwise. ‘Jen, what’s happened?’
She doesn’t look at me. ‘Snakes on a bike, unbelievable! He’s only gone and replaced all the text and images with random nonsense. This is a disaster.’
I move closer to the laptop, peer at the Go Ireland website. Everything is the same, yet everything is different. Where the tagline across the top used to say, ‘Welcome to Go Ireland,’ the text now reads, ‘The top of the mornin’ to ye!’ Our sophisticated colour palette is now lurid green; shamrocks pulsate across the page like shooting stars. I squint at the images of tourists enjoying their time in Ireland – their smiles are too big, their fingers too many. We’re now in the business of day trips to Uncanny Valley, apparently.
Jen turns to the mini-fridge by her desk, opens it with one foot. I rush over to grab a can for her. ‘This is gonna take me all day to fix. At least.’
‘Oh, Jen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was going to?—’
She cuts me off. ‘Look, just get him out of here, okay?’
I herd Kobi towards the door, then turn back in the doorway.
‘I’ll bring you up some lunch,’ I say, suddenly remembering the broken elevator.
