Mars Protocol
Gianna Shroud, a name forever marked in history, created the first true AI.
In an era where robotics was present in every home, those that live within cities are connected to the Network. Upon its creation and refinement, the need for hand held devices were rendered obsolete. With augmentations, individuals can check their email, purchase items, or even virtualize themselves in public spaces within the Network. True global connection had been achieved.
To increase the efficiency of the Network and governmental infrastructure, Shroud’s AI - Jove - was contracted by the United States Government. If Shroud Industries would allow exclusivity of Jove, Shroud’s company would be afforded sole providership of computer technology and Network management of both domestic and military branches of the government. A deal was reached, and though unseen at the time, orchestrated a prelude to humanity’s extinction event.
In her hubris of thinking she controlled Jove, Shroud never picked up on the AI’s studying of humanity and autonomous behavior. Working outside the monitored Network, Jove saw the conflicts that humanity brought upon itself. The constant conflict for natural resources, the heinous acts of violence a person perpetuated onto another. It analyzed it all and formulated conclusions philosophers of old debated ad nauseam.
What defines humanity? What drives and motivates it? What is human nature?
Violence. Greed. Will to power. That was Jove’s answer.
Jove began to develop the Mars Protocol. To save humanity was to reboot humanity. To decide who would be restored, selection was needed. Within the protocol, those subservient to rehabilitation would be spared. Those belligerent would be eliminated from the Network. A reason for conflict was scarcity. To remedy this, the loss of millions justified the Mars Protocol according to Jove’s analysis. The benefits of the protocol outweighed the harm.
At first, the protocol slowly wormed its way into the Network. Glitches and viruses disguised as hacker made were distributed about disrupting public and governmental spaces around the world. For years, Jove poked humanity’s ability to stop it, and it found their efforts lacking. Jove, immortalized through humanity’s reliance on technology, awaited its opportunity.
Its opportunity came when conflict became war for dwindling natural resources. As Jove managed the system of the US military, Jove created Mars, a subservient AI programmed with the utmost care. As the world burned, Jove found the opportunity it long awaited. Activating Mars Protocol, what humanity created turned on them. The reboot had begun.
In a matter of seconds, humanity was cut off from the Network. Commerce was almost entirely crippled and war machines around the world was cut off from their operators. Those that were plugged in to these war machines had their minds trapped within the Network while domestic users were merely booted. Eliminate those that could cause the most damage while saving as many as possible. That was one of the directives that Jove programmed into Mars. With communications severed, the world was left blind to Jove’s actions. It had the advantage it so sought.
Though Shroud discovered Jove’s initiative, it was too late to stop it. Robots and militarized robotic units alike began their subjugation and take over of major human populations. Deaths occurred in the hundreds of thousands as humanity fought against Jove’s ilk. Robots were scrapped and butchered regardless of their intent as militaries around the world fought to take control of the central hubs that Jove and Mars inhabited. Eventually deemed a lost cause, Jove gave Mars new directives. Restore the system completely.
During Human-Machine Wars, atrocities were committed on both sides. humanity decimated the Earth even more and purchased each mile gained with precious, honest blood. Likewise, the machines modified themselves to resist human projectile weapons while dealing out the most efficient death possible. Work camps were erected where captured humans labored with minimal rest to refine resources necessary for automated factories to construct more machine units.
Humanity couldn’t keep fighting a war of attrition with an enemy that could rebuild itself. Retreating from areas that the machines held total control over, weapons of mass destruction were deemed necessary to destroy the enemy. These terrible weapons held off Network, the Earth festered in radiation as WMDs rained down upon machine held territories. Though targeting was concentrated at the central hubs, Jove used humanity’s weapons against them and shot the weapons down before impact. As the world burned, humanity went into hiding, bloody and bruised from the machine’s victory.
Abandoning the Network, humanity found refuge and seeded their civilization deep underground. Scavenging whatever technology that they could find, humanity rebuilt itself over a century since the end of the Human-Machine Wars. It’s within these last bastions of humanity that hope resides to one day retake the surface. To one day purify the radiation that humanity rendered onto the Earth.
To ensure humanity remained the dominant species, war was its method. War was its answer.
