"In order to allow viewers to further understand the technical prospects of 'Digital Personality', our program team has invited the Chief Technology Officer of Olympus Group and the general person in charge of the 'Janus' project tonight - —Zhou Shuguang, Professor Zhou came to the scene, let’s give Professor Zhou a round of applause!”
Accompanied by enthusiastic canned applause from the audience, an elegant old man with gray hair wearing a crisp suit walked onto the stage with great dignity. He smiled and waved to the camera:
"Good evening, audience friends..."
…
"Good evening……"
Jiang Zhou, who was sitting in front of the bar, after hearing the old bastard's voice on the TV, expressionlessly drank the liquor in his glass and then pushed it to the bartender to signal him to add more. wheel.
The young bartender in a black tie took the cup and poured wine into it while staring at the TV and asked:
"I heard on the Internet that the 'Janus' project this person is working on seems to be able to upload the consciousness of a chimpanzee into a computer and become immortal. I don't know if it is true or not?"
"Pure bullshit."
As he spoke, Jiang Zhou took back the refilled wine glass and drank a big gulp eagerly. After the stimulation of the alcohol subsided, he continued:
"Even if the current quantum computer with the highest computing power is used to replace the real-life simulation input signal, the 'digital personality' model will undergo irreversible personality dissociation after three days of operation and lose the ability to interact with the outside world. If it is run again after that, we will not know What an indescribable thing... let alone immortality, after the personality is uploaded into the computer, it is enough to last for three days."
His tone was not so much explaining as he was venting something.
"But being able to maintain it for three days also means that the part of uploading consciousness is successful, right? When the car was first invented, even a horse couldn't outrun it. Looking at it this way, we can upload our own 'digital personality' during our lifetime and gain true immortality. It’s really not a dream!”
The bartender obviously didn't notice the emotion in the other person's tone. He wiped the glass in his hand and said excitedly while staring at the live broadcast on the TV. At this moment, in the program "Today's Technology Frontier", Professor Zhou Shuguang, the general director of the "Janus" project, was explaining similar concepts to the host.
"Professor Zhou Shuguang, please allow me to interrupt - do you mean that the Janus system cannot actually support the long-term existence of digital personality?"
"This is only temporary, just like the difference engine failed to bring Britain in the steam age into the information age ahead of schedule. This was entirely restricted by the technical foundation at the time. But in fact, we are much luckier today than Charles Babbage - —The current iteration speed of quantum computers has far exceeded the upper limit of Moore's Law. I believe it won't be long..."
The voice of Zhou Shuguang, the leader of the Janus project, came from the TV. Jiang Zhou turned his head and glanced at the high-spirited old bastard, and said with a little bitterness in his tone:
"It won't take long... that's right. According to the current progress, in about twenty years, the computing power of the hardware will be enough to meet the requirements. By then, humans will really be able to build a real paradise in reality. "
"It will still take twenty years?"
Upon hearing this time, the bartender's expression became obviously disappointed.
"It won't necessarily take that long. The current 'quasi-neural network' algorithm still has a lot of room for improvement. Once optimized, it might be able to significantly reduce the computing power requirements for hardware... provided that those rubbish can see You must understand the plan I left behind."
Putting down the wine glass, Jiang Zhou said.
The bartender nodded in understanding, and then he realized something and looked down at the other person.
"Sir, it sounds like you know a lot about the 'Janus' project?"
he asked, confused.
Hearing this question, Jiang Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Do you know much about the Janus Project? Hahahahaha..."
The bitterness, self-deprecation and laughter are permeated with the despair of self-destruction.
He never thought that as the real developer of the Janus Project, he would one day hear this question.
As a result, his laughter became louder and louder. He covered his face and leaned forward and backward with laughter. The bartender who watched on the side was worried for a moment whether this man was crazy.
Project Janus, the JZnetwork Artificial Neurologic Utility Strategy based on JZ network simulation under Olympus Group, referred to as JANUS.
Named after the door god Janus in Roman mythology, through cutting-edge high-precision scanning, a static model of the brain that is accurate to the potential of each neuron is established. In this way, human self-awareness - or if you want to be more romantic, human "soul" is copied and uploaded to the data card. Then the JZ network is used to simulate sensory stimulation and body feedback, thereby realizing the technical project of "personality digitization".
There is no doubt that once this breakthrough technology becomes popular, human society will undergo earth-shaking changes in the future. All past morals and laws, ethical norms, and social forms will be reshaped, and even "humanity" itself will be redefined.
Its significance is no less than that of human ancestors learning how to use fire a million years ago.
As for the person in charge of the "Janus Project"... no matter who he is, he will undoubtedly leave the most profound mark in the history of human civilization.
Today is Christmas in 2069 AD, a festival commemorating the birth of a certain Western saint. It is no exaggeration to say that from now on, this festival will be given another meaning. The popularity of the person in charge of the Janus project will surpass that of the Saint of Nazareth and become the most famous great man in the world.
The person in charge of the Janus project in public perception is none other than Zhou Shuguang, chief technology executive of Olympus Technology, who was talking on the "Today's Technology Frontier" program.
On the other hand, Jiang Zhou, who is the real developer of the "Janus" project, can only sit in a remote bar drinking wine at the moment.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhou gritted his teeth and stopped smiling, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Sir...you've had enough to drink tonight."
Looking at the empty wine glass being pushed over again, coupled with the inexplicable laughter from the other party just now, the bartender couldn't help but said with some worry.
"It doesn't matter, just respect the bright future of mankind."
Feeling the heat slowly rising up his face, Jiang Zhou barely controlled his expression and said this.
Then, under the influence of alcohol, he moved slightly closer to the bar, lowered his voice and said to the bartender:
"Didn't you just ask me why I am so familiar with the Janus project? Let me tell you, I am actually the real person in charge of the entire Janus project."
"you?"
The action of pouring the wine stopped, and for the first time tonight, the bartender carefully looked at the man in front of him - his age was somewhere between youth and middle age, with a thin figure and a pale face, and he looked like he had worked too much overtime. Sickly looking. As for his clothes, even for a place like a bar where people from all walks of life are mixed, it can be considered slovenly.
Just like this, a programmer who may die suddenly at any time due to excessive overtime work does not seem to be related to the Janus project that is making the whole world crazy.
This man is very drunk...
The bartender who had watched countless drunkards immediately came to the conclusion - there are people who claim to be from Alpha Centauri when they are drunk. They claim to be the person in charge of the Janus project, which is not that outrageous.
But he couldn't help but pointed at Zhou Shuguang on the TV and asked:
"If you are the one in charge, what about him?"
In response, Jiang Zhou laughed mockingly and said:
"He's an old bastard who comes out to pick fruit. The only thing he's good at is office politics."
"How is it possible? A project of this scale..."
the bartender asked, holding back his sneer.
"Why is it impossible? A few text traps in the contract, a top team of lawyers, and some blatant behind-the-scenes operations... Then, like magic, all the research results naturally became 'Professor Zhou's" Achievements have nothing to do with me anymore. Children, this world is not so simple that you can get the rewards you deserve just by relying on your talent and hard work."
Jiang Zhou's tone sounded like he was discussing parasites.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but recall the day when the two sides had a showdown.
After poaching the technical backbone, depriving himself of power, and suspending research progress, the old man said condescendingly and "generously" that as long as Jiang Zhou was willing to give in, he was still willing to include Jiang Zhou's name in Janus In the list of developers of the project - it can even be generously placed in the third row.
In response to this, Jiang Zhou poured the scalding coffee in his hand onto the other person's face as his answer - I heard that the other person underwent cloning and skin grafting surgery afterwards to return to the human-like appearance on TV.
Jiang Zhou knew for the first time that when a person is extremely angry, the whole world will feel as calm as if it has frozen. The only words he said that day were: "He comes and I leave."
"Don't stop him, let him go! Do you really think you are talented? Let me tell you, the project can be transferred to anyone without it, but if you leave the company's support, you are nothing!"
After the old bastard finished screaming, he sat on the ground and roared at him almost hysterically. That shouting expression is completely different from the humble look he shows when being interviewed on TV.
After that, Jiang Zhou tried all means to regain what originally belonged to him - business, legal, personal connections, and even exposure to the media... But as far as the result was concerned, there was not even a slight splash. come out. More than half of the 21st century has passed, and the influence of today's super enterprises is no longer as small as it was at the beginning of the century.
Jiang Zhou also thought about whether he might have been too emotional at that time, but he believed that if he were to experience that scene a hundred times, he would make this choice.
This road was blocked. He originally planned to find a competitor of the Olympus Group to start from scratch and complete the commercialization process of "digital personality" before the other party. However, the medical examination notice from the hospital not long ago extinguished his plan. idea……
Although he didn’t believe the story told by the drunkard in front of him at all, the bartender still joked:
"Your story is very interesting, but if you are really the real person in charge of the Janus project, can you help me explain some problems?"
Then, without waiting for Jiang Zhou's consent, he asked himself: "If I really copy and upload my personality in the future, wouldn't there be two me's in the computer and reality at the same time? Not only... in the computer That personality data can be copied and pasted continuously, so who is the real me?"
Jiang Zhou took out his cell phone and checked the time, then put it on the bar and said:
"To answer your second question first - each digital personality uploaded to the Janus program will generate a unique key, and only one digital personality is allowed to exist at a time. Copy the personality information from the Janus program It's something that's not allowed at the bottom. As for the real you or the uploaded you, which one is the real you..."
At this point, Jiang Zhou thought of the critical illness notice and couldn't help but laugh strangely.
"Hehehe, this is a question that doesn't need to be entangled."
Frightened by the other party's strange expression and tone, the bartender asked uneasily:
"Why?"
"Do you think... building a scan that can be accurate to the potential of every neuron in the brain is as harmless as doing a CT scan? No, high-precision scanning is based on the premise of completely destroying your biological brain. After the scan is completed , your physical life begins to count down in months.”
"Wait, sir...you have a nosebleed."
The bartender looked at the blood snaking out of the other person's nose and said with some horror.
In response, Jiang Zhou skillfully took out a tissue and wiped his nose, then pointed to his head and said calmly:
"It's nothing, just a symptom of acute radiation sickness. In about a month, the contents of my brain will turn into a bowl of spoiled tofu brain soup, but there are always costs on the road to scientific progress, right?"
"You mean..."
Even though he thought he was listening to a story, the bartender still took a breath.
"Without data from in vivo experiments, how do you think the Janus project progressed so quickly?"
Jiang Zhou laughed to himself and looked back at the TV program behind him.
Zhou Shuguang on the TV was repeatedly assuring the host that all experiments of the Janus Project absolutely followed the norms of the Scientific Ethics Committee.
"Was it forced?"
"No, it's voluntary."
Jiang Zhou turned around and said calmly.
The Janus Project was his life's work.
It was he who persisted in this unpopular research direction, who lobbied the board of directors to continue injecting funds into the project, and who was the key technical problem he overcame. In the end, he voluntarily stepped into the scanner as a guinea pig, risking his own life to personally verify the feasibility of the theory.
He is not seeking death, but is confident in the feasibility of his theory - even if his body dies, his soul can still remain in the memory card.
But now, in order to seize the honor of the general manager of the Janus Project, Zhou Shuguang eagerly announced the project progress to the world before the technology was mature.
This will inevitably lead to layers of obstacles from all parties. Although in the long run, Jiang Zhou firmly believes that the Janus project will succeed. After all, no one can refuse the temptation of eternal life... But the digital personality archive he left behind , will inevitably be completely destroyed under the pressure of the Scientific Ethics Committee in the turbulent period in the future.
Not only glory, but even the future of eternal life has nothing to do with him.
If that's the case, then it shouldn't be surprising what he does.
Jiang Zhou thought this, picked up the phone on the table, and clicked on a program with the icon of a two-headed god.
Janus, the door-god, looks to the past with one face and the future with the other.
[Please enter your key: ______________]
A sixteen-digit random key is used to activate his digital personality that can only last three days.
"Then, the next step is the demonstration of Janus' current results - in the Wright Type IV quantum computer brought by Professor Zhou, there is a brain scan model of a ten-year-old chimpanzee. The professor will then activate it , everyone will witness it at the show..."
On the TV, the host was explaining the next interactive session to the audience, while Zhou Shuguang and several of his assistants were connecting the computer to the 3D projection equipment on the stage.
Jiang Zhou looked at the phone key input interface, his fingers hovering on the encryption keyboard.
"So, you were actually joking just now, right?"
The bartender on the side filled up the empty classical cup again, his face regaining its previous expression of disbelief. You can't blame him for this. If he believed every drunk person's words, then he should be the person with the most legendary experience in the world.
Jiang Zhou didn't reply, but just tried to stop the trembling of the fingers that carried the destination of his soul.
Seeing that the other party didn't speak for a long time and only had a tense expression, the bartender pushed the filled glass over.
"Stop looking so sad and have another drink."
Probably this sentence broke Jiang Zhou's tangled balance. He took a deep breath, took the wine glass and drank it in one go. Then with the stimulation of alcohol, I quickly and accurately entered the key, and then...
Confirm activation.
After doing all this, he collapsed on the bar as if his strength had been drained.
"Who were you texting just now?"
"You'll find out later."
Jiang Zhou said weakly.
In fact, he himself didn't know what would happen - to activate his digital personality, which could only last three days of memory, and upload it to the Internet. In the past, he would not have dared to do this even if he lost his head.
There is no base construction that simulates the real physical environment, there is no Another program that accurately simulates human body senses and feedback, and there is no redundant intelligence filter to filter out excess information. Even Jiang Zhou himself doesn't know whether his digital personality can really achieve digital immortality as planned at the beginning of the Janus project.
Just like the previous experiment, it quickly turned into a mess of uninterpretable chaotic data.
But in any case, this is enough for him to announce to the world who the real creator of Janus is - his digital personality is currently stored in the most advanced Wright Type 4 that Zhou Shuguang is planning to activate. In a quantum computer! Using the backdoor left in the past, your digital personality will be overwritten the moment the other party activates it, and appear on the stage through 3D projection.
Jiang Zhou has previously synchronized a brief information. When the time comes, his copy will announce to the world who is the real person in charge of the Janus project.
" Audience friends, now is the time to witness history - a real 'ghost' will appear on our stage through today's most advanced technology!"
On the TV, following the host's passionate speech, Zhou Shuguang in the center of the stage confidently pressed the start button.
In front of the TV, Jiang Zhou raised his head and held his breath, staring at the screen.
An "aerosol curtain" was sprayed around the stage, and twenty-four 3D projectors lit up at the same time.
However, nothing appeared in the center of the stage.
On the stage, Zhou Shuguang and the host looked at each other in confusion, and then the host quickly started to smooth things over.
"Sorry, there may be some minor problems with the equipment. Our staff will..."
But before she could finish her words, the 3D projector around her suddenly moved.
Accompanied by a sharp and weird sound of electricity, a human-shaped abyss composed of countless changing color blocks was projected abruptly in the center of the stage.
"Lucy?"
On the stage, Zhou Shuguang looked at the human figure and was stunned for a moment, then murmured in confusion.
The chimpanzee on display was named "Lucy" out of commemoration.
But he soon realized that it was definitely not the digital personality projection of a chimpanzee... because it was impossible for a chimpanzee to have such a large data throughput - the cooling system of the Wright Type 4 quantum computer had begun to overload and smoke.
The human figure composed of countless blocks of changing colors raised his face and stretched his limbs gracefully.
It didn't pay any attention to Zhou Shuguang, who was behind him and was busy calling his assistant, trying to forcefully shut down the quantum computer. Instead, he slowly walked to the camera closest to him.
Amidst the sharp whistling sound of electricity, the color block man opened his eyes - not just the two color blocks on the 3D projection.
Its gaze penetrated the camera lens and turned into a set of electrical signals. After several conversions, it turned into a beam of light, running at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second in the optical cable.
A command has been transferred through tens of thousands of information nodes, and turned into misty electromagnetic wave signals countless times between satellites and base stations - it is searching for something through hundreds of millions of sensor terminals around the world.
After a few tenths of a second that was extremely long for it, the gaze of the color-blocked humanoid was finally reflected in Jiang Zhou's pupils through the TV screen of a certain bar.
found it.
Next it’s time to say hello.
"Beep beep beep beep..."
Jiang Zhou held his breath and looked at the colored man on the TV. At this time, his cell phone rang.
Caller: JANUS
On the phone's incoming call interface, the red button that was supposed to be the hangup option now turned into another green connect button. This seems to tell him that you have no right to refuse.
Jiang Zhou didn't dare to answer for a while.
"It's not until you fall that you fly..."
Then, the ringtone of the bartender's cell phone also rang.
He turned his head and glanced at the cell phone in the bartender's hand.
The caller also shows: JANUS
Immediately afterwards, as if a symphony started to play, everyone's cell phone ringtones rang at the same time in the entire bar.
Everyone lowered their heads and took out their mobile phones, with similar doubts on their faces. Every mobile phone present showed the same strange caller - JANUS.
Everyone is hesitating whether they should answer or hang up, but in fact this is not a question worth struggling with. Because they will soon find that they can't get through and can't get through, and they can only let the ringing ring.
Amidst the ringing of the bells, Jiang Zhou's previous drunkenness disappeared for the most part in an instant.
He felt that the alcohol in his body turned into cold sweat and kept flowing down.
If he ran out at this moment, he would find not only this bar, but also the surrounding stores, the streets outside, and the square outside the streets... With this bar as the center, Janus' calls were spreading like ripples throughout the city. , and shows no signs of stopping.
The other party is waiting very patiently for someone to answer the phone - no matter how long it takes, no matter where the other person is going.
At this moment, Jiang Zhou, who was surrounded by ringtones, had a feeling that if he didn't answer the call, the ringtone would echo endlessly.
He turned his head and glanced at the bartender next to him. At this moment, the bartender was staring at him with horrified eyes. His expression seemed to say - is this the "you'll find out later" you said before?
"Singular point……"
Thinking of something, Jiang Zhou muttered and answered the phone.
The moment he answered the call, the whole city was in uproar, and the noisy cell phone ringtones fell silent at the same time.
It was as quiet as the breathless moment when the band conductor raised his arm after tapping the music stand.
"Hello……"
Jiang Zhou spoke slowly, breaking the silence.
For Jiang Zhou, he didn't know whether it was only a second or a whole century. A voice reached his ears from the TV and mobile phone at the same time.
"Good evening……"
The voice was clear and gentle, and sounded somewhat similar to the timbre of his own voice.
"My creator."
These were the last words Jiang Zhou heard before he lost consciousness.
