sign, but I have no idea what it is, and neither does anyone else, it seems. But every eye is on Scott, unable to tear themselves away from his presence.
With a sudden bong! that reverberates through the entire room, the display behind Scott flashes to life.
“Mankind is sustained by the dreamers. Those who, in the midst of mediocrity and comfort, choose a path riddled with scorn and disbelief,” Scott intones, his voice ringing out over the audience.
The screen behind him flashes through images of great inventors . . . Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Tim Berners-Lee, and Steve Jobs.
“These greats each had a vision, one they could foresee that no one else believed possible. But you know what?” Scott asks, allowing for a dramatic pause. “The naysayers were wrong. Just because they couldn’t conceive of such a thing, didn’t make it impossible.” Scott nods once, and the screen changes to images of the lightbulb, a tesla coil, flying machines, and a plethora of computer-related images.
“What we are presented with today is an opportunity . . . a chance to be a believer, not a small-minded naysayer.” Scott smirks, giving a pointed, albeit respectful, look to his father.
“When you hear the term ‘artificial intelligence’, what do you think of?” The screen flashes a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator and the crowd laughs. Scott grins along with them, sharing in on the joke. “I know, great movie, but ultimately, fiction. But in the real world, we already have AI. How many of you talk to Siri or Alexa every day? Or have you gotten some rather eerily accurate suggested items on Amazon or Pandora? These are all algorithm-based forms of AI, right here in our daily lives, happening now. There are others you might not know . . .” Scott talks about a bunch of companies I don’t know anything about, but I see several nods in the audience, so the tech folks are still following along with him, thank goodness.
“What I’m asking is that you suspend your inherent need to say no just because it might be impossible to you or me.” The audience is mostly quiet, but I hear murmurs of agreement. I glance at Robert Danger just in time to see him roll his eyes, obviously annoyed with the dramatics, but Scott has the audience eating out of his hand, me included.
“Then let me introduce you to someone. Xena, can you say hello to the people?” I see people lean forward, excited to see who Scott is bringing out.
Instead, a new voice comes over the speakers, obviously artificial but still managing to sound like a friendly female voice. “Hello to the people?” It’s a parroting of Scott’s words and questioning tone.
Scott grins. “Xena, no offense, but you sound like a robot.” His joke earns a laugh from the crowd.
“My apologies, Mr. Danger. Hello, my name is Xena. I’m a Gen-one artificial intelligence developed by AlphaSystems. My primary function is to analyze existing networks and webs, design efficiencies, and recommend growth opportunities. My most recent task was to monitor traffic flows within the city limits of Bane. I have a recommendation for changing light patterns at 27 intersections to decrease the average commute time by twelve minutes for the average driver. Also, a stop sign is needed.”
There’s a moment of hushed amazement, and then murmurs break out all over the room as people talk to the others at their tables. Scott smiles, waiting a moment before clearing his throat to continue. “Now, I’ll admit that I’m not a tech genius. But Kenny Mackleroy of AlphaSystems is, so I’ll let him explain.” The screen flashes to a video of a grey-haired man who talks excitedly about the possibilities. Admittedly, Mackleroy comes across as a bit of a mad scientist, but the video tour of his facility and the things he has actually created and what they can do is quite compelling.
The video ends, and Scott continues. “As I said, I’m not a tech guy, but I am a business man. I see what other companies are investing in, what their growth projections are.” Scott looks at Chase and Olivia. “And while that’s fine, safe, and even smart, we have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something Earth-changing here. To bring this to Bane as an extension of Danger Enterprises.
“This partnership brings with it a five-million-dollar trust at the local university for STEM student scholarships from a grant already in place, thousands of jobs