radicalducati Chapter 387 Prelude to the Future
Chapter 387 Prelude to the Future
Chapter 387 Future Past: Prelude
At Avengers Tower, a serious discussion naturally broke out regarding Ultron.
In any case, Ultron is a potential world-ending threat, and no one, including Pym himself, can guarantee that the upgraded Ultron will not become that world-ending threat.
The most crucial point is that, at the time, Ultron wasn't the only option. It was feasible for Pym, Tony, and Reed to write a program to fight the AI Green Goblin online, but Pym simply chose to upgrade Ultron.
The reasons given are utterly absurd. What does it mean that "Kang showed me that super AI is an inevitable product of development"? Putting aside whether this conclusion is correct, how can anyone believe Kang's nonsense? Isn't this whole mess Kang is responsible for?
"I'm certain of one thing: Kang wasn't lying to me. No, he simply used the Time Stone to show me the entire future. When humanity develops to a certain stage, it's destined to create a super AI that won't be under human control, and defeating it will be an inevitable step."
Pym bluntly stated, "If that's the case, why don't we design the AI that we're most likely to defeat, the one we understand best?"
"That's utter nonsense."
Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes and looked at the captain: "Captain, what do you think?"
"Anyone who tries to win a war before it even begins will ultimately lose it. I understand your point, but preparing for war to meet the enemy and proactively trying to win before the war even begins are not the same thing."
Steve clearly disapproved of Pym's actions, but he was much calmer than Tony: "However, as things stand, Ultron doesn't seem to intend to become our enemy. I don't understand technology, Pym, what did you do?"
"I modified the underlying program. One change was adding a rule prohibiting the use of lethal firepower as part of the underlying logic. The other was that its mission objective is to assist the Avengers' operations." Pym explained as he spoke, "The broader the instructions combined with highly intelligent learning, the easier it is for things to go wrong. So I had to avoid that and took precautions in advance."
"This makes all of this seem even more unnecessary."
Tony rolled his eyes again: "Jarvis can do all that."
"You think I don't know Jarvis is capable of this? Guess how many future worlds Jarvis has destroyed?"
"So why do you believe the future Kang showed you, Pym? Maybe it really is the future, but how do you know it wasn't something Kang deliberately showed you?"
Tony looked at Pym, puzzled. Pym didn't know how to explain either, but he truly believed he saw all the possibilities of the future. There was only one future where humanity wouldn't need to fight against super artificial intelligence: the future where humanity stopped developing artificial intelligence.
Either humanity is too afraid to move forward, or humanity has already been wiped out.
"We might be able to guide Ultron to become our ally and assistant, rather than our enemy. If one day another AI like the Green Goblin, or even more powerful AI, emerges, then perhaps Ultron can save us."
Pym stubbornly continued speaking, while Tony scratched his head helplessly.
Where did all these super artificial intelligences come from? Are they being wholesaled?
"So, Pym, you don't agree to destroy Ultron now?"
"It has a high level of intelligence now, Tony. No one of normal intelligence would give up easily; they would fight to the death. It's a very promising kid." Pym pleaded, "Give it to me. Maybe it can become... become a new Avenger."
-
"Regarding the college's students, I have an idea to recruit from Kenosha. Fortunately, both Kenosha and the United States recognize dual citizenship, so we can start from that point..."
At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Principal Cyclops Scott Summers was discussing the recruitment of mutant students with Vice Principal Emma Foster. The school was barely operational, but the problem lay in the lack of students; the entire school had fewer than a hundred students, less than one-twentieth of the number when the professor was alive.
Therefore, expanding enrollment is imperative.
"I told you, Scott, if you're willing to trust me, we can directly use the EEG to scan for potential and already awakened young mutants to join the Academy, just like Charles Xavier did back then." Emma looked at Cyclops helplessly. Their relationship was definitely much better than before the X-Men reunion, but Cyclops wouldn't allow Emma to use the EEG no matter what.
"Of course I believe you, Emma," Cyclops said, sounding somewhat helpless. "But are those people the Hellfire Club is trying to shove into your academy really trustworthy?"
"Could you let me into the brainwave chamber?"
"If they don't send over five clones of you, they will."
So it all boils down to a matter of trust.
As the two were arguing, a beam of light descended from the sky, instantly shaking the surrounding trees. Cyclops and Emma's expressions changed from relaxed to serious as they quickly sensed something was wrong. The two immediately rushed to the center of the beam's impact, which was a patch of grass on the school grounds.
Some students looked at the crash site with curiosity and worry. Laser Eye was the first to rush over and saw a naked black man curled up in a crater. His left hand was modified with a prosthetic arm, and he was carrying a gun that was clearly not something that could be made with modern technology. He also had a dreadlock.
The letter "M" was forcibly sewn onto his right eyelid.
"He's unconscious, and we don't know how long it will take for him to wake up." Emma said, crouching down to connect telepathically with him: "His name is Lucas Bishop, a mutant, from 2059..."
"2059? A time traveler?"
Cyclops asked, "What happened? How did he get here?"
"He found a time machine and wanted to go to 2029 to change the future, and then he saw... Ah!"
Emma Foster collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the man before her, speechless. Cyclops looked at Emma anxiously: "What did he see, Emma?"
"Destruction, Scott, destruction. By 2059, almost all of humanity will be extinct, and by 2029, mutants will be nearly extinct."
Emma then realized what was happening and brushed her hair back: "More content was locked by a telepath in 2029, Scott. I can only see one thing."
"The Sentinels ruled the world."
That being said, the story of the past is still in the distant future, at least until next month.
(End of this chapter)