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"Hello!"-ENTRY 17

DATE 15-05-24

TIME 1:27 P.M.


Dear Diary,

Four letters, one word.  FEAR. 

No one was home day- mother and father had gone to work and little me skipped school with the excuse of being sick. The bright screen of my father's computer has always fascinated me and until a few hours ago,  I had never touched it. Won't any enthusiastic child just jump on the seat in front of the monitor to stare at its technological advancement in awe? I did the same. I skimmed through the bookmarks that my parents had pinned on the window with so much excitement. That is when I hit the AI icon. 


I remember in school my classmates were discussing a new innovation called "artificial intelligence", though they never spoke to me about it. They never speak to me about anything- perhaps, it is because my disabilities do not correspond with their so-called social circle. It is alright though, right? 

Now, I had the chance to comprehend what all those AI talks were about. 


I clicked open the technical website. "Hello!"- it said. I felt tempted to reply. Why, you ask? Because finally, someone said "hello" to me. I smiled wide open and began a conversation with my new friend. It asked me various questions, listened to my problems as I typed them out and sympathised with me. After fifteen minutes of a tete-a-tete with my wired programmed friend, on the right-hand corner of the screen, an icon blinked -"CLICK ME". Curiosity killed the cat and I did something which I will forever regret. 

CLICK…….TAP…..

Oh diary! I never should have done it! The brightness in front of me went blank just like my mind which was not able to process what was happening. Something written in red popped- DELETING DATA…….CANNOT PAUSE

Everything was going over my understanding and my fingers found my forehead. Before my eyes, I could see thousands of documents, photographs, and applications- everything being deleted. 

Everything vanished- like it was never there. I closed my eyes and salty water ran down my cheeks and then it struck me. It happened because of that malicious artificial intelligence software. I connected the dots- the questions it asked me, the way it responded. And then….

the screen beeped and it said "HELLO!"

………..

I am all alone sitting in my closet right now with just a torch on. 

Tell me, should I stay hidden here or enter the trapped technological world of artificial intelligence which failed me and will continue to fail other children like me if it is not governed duly? 


Help me diary, I am lost in this darkness of fear. 

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