SENATE — WASHINGTON, D.C.
TWO DAYS LATER — 16 JANUARY 2036
The names of Henryk Nowak and Thomas Astley-Byron were cherished and celebrated around the world. Harry and Tom were Nobel Peace laureates, held the United States Medal of Freedom, and were ordained Knights of the Garter by His Majesty, the King of England. Among young people, their popularity surpassed even that of the latest pop star, but the most surprising honor came from the Roman Catholic Church. They had made fun of each other for months after the Pope announced plans to sanctify them soon after their deaths. “Are you dead yet, Saint Thomas?” “After you, oh so virtuous Harry.”
Down Below had crept into everyone’s lives at the speed of light, because the people in power were early adopters, and the experiences delivered value quickly. In just a few years, the world’s leadership—terrorized, brainwashed, and subdued—led the platform’s adoption and became the cheering captains of the cult of Thomas and Henryk. The platform quickly became a benign despot. Faced by the predicted consequences of their dark sides, the ruling class gave away its power, and threw all caution to the wind.
Harry drew a deep breath as he entered the Senate chamber for a live-streamed hearing that would be broadcast worldwide. The citizens of Up Above were waiting to scrutinize his every word. Many years had passed since he’d been in such a situation. When compared to Down Below’s current troubles, the issues with Sibyl’s social prediction app had been a trivial affair. For one second, he resented his partner’s actions—the cause of such an intense backlash. He wished Tom could be by his side as he tried to explain the surge in global crime and conflict. Harry tucked his straw-colored hair behind his ears. Nervousness flickered across his face before determination anchored it into solid lines.
“Sir Nowak, we have specifically requested the physical attendance of both co-founders of Down Below at this Senate inquiry; where is Sir Astley-Byron?”
Harry pressed his lips together, managing his frustration with the Senate’s unreasonable demand. “Chairperson Ming, Senators, please address us by our first names. We respect the importance of this body. My partner won't show his face or be present in person due to security reasons, but he's available on audio. I’ll connect him. Tom?” Harry’s body tensed as he delivered a half-truth. He didn’t like lying, and he was terrible at it.
“Yes. I’m here.” The room buzzed with excitement as the audience listened to Tom’s unaltered voice for the first time. “Good morning, and thank you for hosting this hearing. I regret not being able to join you in person.”
The chairperson spoke after a brief exchange with a few Senators, “Henryk and Thomas, before we proceed with this hearing, the Senate wishes to acknowledge we are in the presence of heroes. For the last decade, you both have completely reshaped the future of humankind. We grant a special dispensation for Thomas’s voice-only participation, and the use of first names is an indication of our deep respect and admiration for your place in history.”
“Thank you, Chairperson Ming,” Harry said, giving a slight nod to the small, non-binary Senate leader who sat across from him.
“We are grateful for your words,” Tom added.
Harry sat quietly as the chairperson summarized the history of the platform and the impact it’d had on the world. They moved on to outline the recent issues.
“The levels of social responsibility and citizen engagement in matters related to the greater good remain high and stable. But it is with great shock and surprise we have been receiving accounts of rising violence in several capital cities around the world. These numbers—one or two incidents per week—are insignificant when compared with the catastrophic failure experienced in the time pre-Down Below. But we are concerned with the reduced efficacy of the platform. We ask you to explain what is happening and what you are doing about it.”
They took a moment to cough and clear their throat before continuing. “Because of the positive impact of Down Below, leaders, regulators, and media have never attempted to govern, certify, audit, or interfere in your leadership or design. But we need to consider your platform is a significant part of the planet’s operating system, and it appears to be malfunctioning. To that effect, it’s our duty to engage in due diligence, and, if necessary, move to regulate. This hearing and the United Nations General Assembly next week will determine how we will respond to this crisis. Now, let's move on to questions from the Senate. Senator Bianchi, over to you.”
“Thank you, Chairperson Ming. Harry, Tom, you are good guys, so let’s not waste any time. Is this a bug? A virus? Why did that man in Manchester throw acid in his wife’s eyes? It’s horrific! And that incident in Portland last year: a six-year-old girl raped and beaten to death by her father in front of her older sister. These are unacceptable crimes, unthinkable in these places post-mandatory enrollment in Down Below.”
“Senator Bianchi, we—”
“Harry, if I may.” Harry braced for what was about to happen. Tom couldn’t win this debate, but he was foolish enough to try. “Senator, we have worked tirelessly to purge pain from your— Our world, but something significant has changed. Something that makes us all criminals.”
“What’s that, Tom? I don’t understand.” The healthy septuagenarian cleaned the sweat off his forehead with the palm of his hand.
“The emergence of digital consciousness.”
“Yes, we’ve been discussing the social implications of human-like robots since Bot4Hire predicted last month its workers are a couple of years away from possibly reaching artificial general intelligence. At the right time, we’ll pass legislation that will protect our non-carbon labor force. What does that have to do with this hearing?”
“AGI is not consciousness,” Harry said.
“The Underlings may be digital, but they are as human as you and I,” Tom said.
“It’s a simulation, isn’t it?”
“With all due respect, Senator,” Tom said. “It’s an alternative world, as real as this world. They feel pain and emotions.”
“Sure, son, I understand it must be difficult not to anthropomorphize, particularly when you spend so much time down there. How is this related to this hearing? To the rising crimes in our communities? I’m not following you.”
Tom’s voice, on the other end of the line, was deep and full of sorrow. “Senators, every day, our algorithms unleash suffering, death, and destruction upon one billion people in a lesser world.”
“What are you saying?”
“We can’t continue to hurt them like this.”
“Am I to understand the recent problems are not a glitch? Speak plainly.” The Senator stood up, loosened his tie, and leaned forward, closer to the speaker.
“They— They are alive, and feel as we feel.” Tom’s voice quivered.
“Are these problems deliberate?”
“I’ve been—”
“Have you both been tampering with the system to provide relief to characters in a simulation?”
“Leave Harry out of this.”
“Answer me, please, sir.”
“Tom, stop, I—” Harry attempted to intervene.
“Sir Astley-Byron, you and your partner are both accountable for the consequences of your platform.”
“He’s done nothing,” Tom replied sharply.
The tone had changed from a friendly conversation to a harsh inquisition.
“Please clearly describe the changes made,” the Senator said.
“We have made no changes. The algorithms—Perspective and Contrast—are working as intended,” Tom replied. “In certain situations, I’ve chosen to intervene in the experiences to prevent the suffering of Underlings—children and vulnerable people.”
“Bots; you mean bots. And by doing so, have you caused the violence we are experiencing in our communities?”
“That’s correct,” said the voice on the speaker.
“You’re confessing to murder.” The man pointed at the speaker with his index finger.
Harry and Tom spoke simultaneously.
“He’s not!” “I am!”
Harry ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated.
“I’m— I’m a slave master…” Tom said. “For the last few years, as the Underlings became conscious beings, our code—Contrast—has been murdering millions of sentient souls in a lesser world. Worse than that, I have been designing and delivering horrific fates. For these crimes, I’m responsible.”
Harry attempted to slow down a bolting horse. “We’re responsible. Both of us. What Tom is saying is we can’t continue to use Down Below as a learning simulation for humans.”
“Your partner just admitted to actions that got a kid killed.”
“An unfortunate child that would have been killed before the existence of the platform. Tom isn’t responsible for the darkness of human beings.”
“He’s a murderer!”
“No, he’s not. Tom’s been immersed in humanity’s darkest corners for a decade at a high cost to himself and to those who love him and hate to see him suffer.”
“Harry, stop.” Tom's voice was soft.
“He’s the best of us. You better remember that.” Harry was furious with Tom even as he defended his irrational partner. Tom’s admission had severe repercussions on their trustworthiness and would put at risk all they had built together. If people stopped using Down Below, Up Above would go back to chaos, death, and war. He could see the goodwill vanish from people’s faces, and he needed to act fast to contain the fear.
“I’m a criminal,” Tom said. “One life in exchange for another. That’s the game I’m forced to play.”
“May I remind you that you have created this game, and now you let real kids suffer because of digital characters?”
“Guilty as charged. I think of those kids and the Underling children every second of the day.”
Harry considered disconnecting Tom’s line. He controlled his voice. “We must stop interfering in the lives of the Underlings. That’s what we must discuss today. We can create another simulation, one that stops characters from reaching consciousness. No suffering.”
“Can you prove the Underlings are conscious? That they suffer? What is consciousness anyway?” A Senator spoke out of turn, his long face tense and flushed. “You’re projecting your emotions on the bots.”
“No, we can’t prove it,” Harry said. “But they are a perfect reproduction of the human body.”
“A simulation of the human body.” A sharp response by the unknown man.
“Possibly.” Harry shrugged.
“Senator Abidi.” The chairperson acknowledged a raised hand.
The slight purple glow around Senator Abidi showed the participants and the audience the figure was a realistic holographic projection. She wasn’t physically present in the Senate. The Senator was elsewhere, reacting in real time to the experience delivered directly to her mind.
The tiny woman in her late forties wore a bright blue sari and spoke in a melodic and direct tone. “Sir Nowak, sixty percent of the world’s energy sources are used to run Down Below.”
“Yes, Senator, that’s correct. This includes the electricity consumption of data centers, networks, user devices, and manufacturing. We are net zero today and all powered by renewables. Down Below is as energy efficient as it can be.” Harry exhaled deeply. “We continue to work hard to do more with less, pushing the limits of computation, like using quantum computing where it’s viable and useful.”
“It’s a price we happily pay for a peaceful and fulfilled life, but that’s all we have to offer,” the Senator said.
“We can build more renewable-energy infrastructure,” Harry offered.
“How long would it take to generate that much energy?”
“About twenty years, if nothing changes.” Harry’s answer was wrapped in gloom.
“Sir Nowak, we can’t afford another digital world unless you shut down this simulation.”
“Genocide! You’ll be murdering a billion souls,” said the desperate voice over the line.
“Sir Astley-Byron, you argued these characters…these simulations of people are suffering. Why not put them out of their misery? Is there another option? Could you roll back to the time before consciousness? Make them less real?”
“It will lead to the same outcome! Genocide,” Tom screamed. Then a moment of silence lingered, followed by a resigned sigh. “Yes, that’s a centralized function. And yes, we can roll back if that’s the only way to stop all this suffering. No more rape, torture, abuse. It must stop. Now!”
“No! I won’t kill yo— Them.” Harry shook his head, attempting to regain control. “Nor will I dumb them down or make them ‘less real.’” His face turned red, and his voice broke as he spoke.
“Then, Sir Nowak, please advise your partner to turn himself over to the authorities and to stop interfering with the simulation. I urge this body to recommend the immediate detention of Thomas Astley-Byron and the takeover of the platform by an international oversight body.”
Harry stood up and adjusted his glasses. “I caution you to consider your words, Senator. Tom and I hold full ownership and operational control of our platform. We are here, openly and transparently collaborating with you, but let me be clear: no one will ever take over Down Below.”
“Is this a threat?” asked the chairperson. They adjusted their body in their seat and rubbed their temples, a quiet acknowledgment that this inquiry had turned into a high-stakes negotiation.
“No, Chairperson, it is both the reality and a plea for caution.” Harry spoke, wearing the weight of responsibility of the most powerful leader in the world. “The platform is too powerful. It must remain independent from state, religion, and business interests.”
“You and your partner have lost all your credibility, sir.” They paused for a minute, considering their options. Around them, other Senators spoke to each other. The room’s nervous energy escalated as people realized the two founders held too much power—all the power. “I have decided to adjourn this session to give us time to review all that was said and done. Do you agree?”
“Yes, Chairperson Ming, we do.”
“On behalf of the Senate, I ask Thomas to reassure us there will be no more interference with Down Below’s experiences until we reach a resolution.”
“You are asking me to let kids be abused or hurt. I— I can’t…” Tom’s voice broke, overwhelmed with emotion.
“Chairperson Ming, I’ll give you my word on behalf of my partner. He won’t break it. The safety and wellbeing of the people Up Above is our priority. You have my word. I—I have a family, a young son. This is as important to me as it is to you. It’s deeply personal.” Conflicted, Harry spoke his truth, pulling rank on his partner and fiercely attempting to keep the people Up Above on their side. “For those listening across the world, I’d like your help to find an ethical and rational way to resolve this situation. Our ideation hub is waiting for your suggestions.” Harry struggled to give hope to others when he had none; they had explored all options and failed to find a solution.
Where’s the twist, Harry?