The hype surrounding artificial intelligence was actually quite similar to that of nuclear fusion. Both represented monumental scientific hurdles that had remained unsolved for decades, or even centuries, giving them a distinct "modern scam" reputation among skeptics.
The only difference was that nuclear fusion was an energy issue, the absolute lifeblood of civilization and something the Federation had to solve, no matter the cost.
The existential impact of artificial intelligence, however, was much smaller. Even if humanity failed to develop it, it wouldn’t threaten their survival. Ironically, successfully developing it was what could cause catastrophic problems.
Humans were truly an ambitious species. Long before they understood the underlying mechanics of reality, they were already dreaming of creating artificial life, envisioning both carbon-based biological creations and mechanical, synthetic consciousness.
The former relied on genetic engineering, while the latter... was artificial intelligence.
However, researchers in both fields quickly hit a brick wall.
Genetic engineering had been heavily hyped for decades, yet humanity hadn’t even grasped the most basic principles of genetic dynamics; their work remained entirely superficial. Artificial intelligence was slightly better off. It had produced tangible achievements and wasn’t entirely built on empty promises.
During the dawn of the internet age on old Earth, the wave of artificial intelligence development had grown so intense that many believed the "Singularity" was imminent.
But the senior scientists at the colony were not easily fooled by historical media hype. They represented the absolute pinnacle of their respective fields.
One of the lead tech experts sighed during the meeting. "The concepts of ’strong artificial intelligence’ and the ’Singularity’ are basically relics of old Earth’s science fiction. Honestly, it was mostly just boasting."
"So... Captain Jason, the ’strong AI’ you’re hoping for is essentially impossible to achieve with our current level of technology."
"To expect computers to genuinely think like humans, to possess initiative, independent thought, and the ability to make active choices—we would first need to study the human brain much more deeply and fully map its cognitive patterns."
At this point, the expert chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Besides, if a computer truly developed independent thought, why should we expect it to willingly serve humanity? Just because we are its ’God’ and creator?"
A ripple of quiet laughter went through the room.
If humanity suddenly discovered that the "God" who created them was physically weak and intellectually inferior, would they willingly serve that deity?
No. Humanity would most likely rise up and beat their "God" to a pulp!
Following that logic, creating strong artificial intelligence would be a disaster, unless humanity possessed the ability to perfectly instill human morals, values, and a compliant worldview into the machine’s core consciousness.
But those concepts fell into the realm of philosophy. How do you program a worldview?
Should they raise an AI like a human child?
No one had a single clue.
Undeterred, Jason pressed on. "If strong AI is off the table, what about weak AI? Are you saying that won’t work either?"
Weak artificial intelligence referred to specialized machines that could effectively "reason" and "solve problems" within strict parameters. These programs might appear incredibly smart, but they didn’t actually possess true intelligence or independent consciousness.
Jason continued, "Decades ago, early deep-learning board game algorithms defeated the top human champions in complex strategy games, sparking a massive wave of technological innovation. Those machines clearly possessed the characteristics of weak AI. Could we adapt that for our heavy industry?"
"It’s been so long. Surely we haven’t made zero progress?"
The expert nodded. "That’s exactly what I wanted to bring up. In fact, after more than seventy years of setbacks and exploration on Earth, the terminology in the field quietly shifted. ’Strong AI’ was relegated to science fiction; instead, ’machine learning’ became the standard term."
"Machine learning involves simulating human learning behaviors so the system can acquire new knowledge or skills, thereby continuously optimizing its own performance."
"That kind of artificial intelligence has indeed been partially realized... and we are already using it in many sectors. For instance, the image recognition software, advanced automation protocols, and diagnostic tech at the Aegis Industrial Complex. These technologies significantly improve the efficiency of our industrial robots and allow for unmanned manufacturing processes."
"So, Captain Jason, the only reason a population as small as ours can maintain such a massive industrial output is because of weak AI!"
"But no matter how advanced weak AI gets, it still requires human oversight and top-level instructions. Under our current system, we are at the absolute limit of how many automated production lines a single human operator can safely manage. Scaling it up further is incredibly difficult. That is the exact bottleneck we are facing today."
"If we build more production lines, we simply won’t have the people to run them."
"I see..." Jason’s brows furrowed tightly.
If they couldn’t even complete the first five-year plan, then the subsequent Century Plan was nothing but a pipe dream.
Refusing to give up, he asked, "Is there really no other way?"
The expert paused for a moment, clearly weighing his words. "There is one theoretical approach. We use machines to manage other machines, thereby multiplying the number of assets a single human can control. Even routine maintenance, physical upkeep, and system monitoring can be delegated to automated repair drones. Human operators would only be responsible for the final, top-tier command nodes!"
Jason’s ears instantly perked up.
"In this proposed industrial system, the hierarchy of robots acts like a massive binary or ternary logic tree. The human operator is the root node, issuing macro-level commands down the chain."
"The Nyx civilization already explored this concept extensively. We can adapt their archived data, integrate their findings, and transform it for our own infrastructure. We call it the ’Multi-layered Intelligent Industrial System.’"
Jason was overjoyed. "How long will it take to build this multi-layered system? And how much will it increase our overall production capacity?"
"We can only do our best; it’s far too early to estimate exact figures," the expert cautioned, shaking his head. "We need to process and integrate a colossal amount of Nyx data into a centralized supercomputer. The more layers the command structure has, the greater the exponential increase in productivity. It could multiply our output by three, four, or even ten times!"
"To give a simple example: if we need to manufacture 10,000 industrial excavators today, it requires several distinct steps—mining, smelting, transportation, and final assembly. Each individual step is automated, but the transitional processes between them still require human logistics and intervention."
"But if this multi-layered system is fully realized... an operator would simply push a button, input the relevant parameters, and the interconnected machine network would handle every single step automatically. In this way, one person could manage an entire supply chain of machines."
The expert lowered his voice slightly, as he couldn’t guarantee that building such a massive, interconnected network wouldn’t take several years in itself.
Jason nodded and wrote the seemingly feasible plan down in his digital notepad, praying it could be implemented quickly.
This was currently their best chance to drastically scale up their industrial capacity: combining weak artificial intelligence with a multi-layered command structure. In short... Industry 6.0.
"Anything else? What other methods can increase our industrial output? Everyone needs to brainstorm solutions!"
This time, a long, heavy silence descended over the room. It seemed everyone was at a loss.
The root of the issue remained a lack of population. No matter how many clever tricks they employed, there was a hard limit to what they could achieve without more warm bodies.
Suddenly, Dr. Roman, the lead biologist, spoke up. "I have an idea. We can improve human intelligence itself, directly upgrading the brain’s processing power. If we do that, every individual will be able to process more data, operate more complex machinery, and achieve vastly higher productivity!"
"I’m talking about... Neural Implants! By interfacing an electronic microchip directly with the brain, we could exponentially enhance human computational and analytical abilities. With this device, a human operator could process massive amounts of information in fractions of a second!"
"How... how is that even possible?" another scientist immediately exclaimed in disbelief.
Anything involving direct manipulation of the human brain was incredibly dangerous and complex. Generally speaking, it was deemed impossible for their current tech level. Not even the Nyx civilization had successfully developed Neural Implants.
Using Neural Implants to boost human intelligence would essentially turn people into living computers.
Did humanity truly possess that kind of advanced technology?
Wait, the implications went deeper. If a human was equipped with a Neural Implant, their core logical reasoning and creativity would remain fundamentally human, but their processing speed would rival a supercomputer.
Wouldn’t an enhanced human essentially function as a safe, biological version of "strong artificial intelligence"?
More importantly... the Perfect Element! Neural Implants could optimize brain function and drastically increase the success rate of bonding with the Perfect Element.
The dramatically increased lifespan was an obvious benefit, but these enhanced individuals would undoubtedly become super-geniuses. Take Jason, for example. He managed a crushing workload every single day, yet he handled it smoothly and still found time for brief moments of leisure.
Why? Because his reaction time was inhumanly fast, and his brain possessed an incredibly powerful processing speed.
In an instant, every eye in the room locked onto Dr. Roman.
"This is just our current research direction. Just because it seems impossible right now doesn’t mean it will be impossible forever," Dr. Roman said calmly, offering only an ambiguous defense of his theory.
As soon as the meeting adjourned, Jason immediately chased after the biologist, his heart pounding against his ribs.
He knew Dr. Roman would never make such a bold claim without hard evidence!
Catching up to him in the corridor, Jason deliberately lowered his voice. "Doctor... have you finished analyzing the scientific data provided by the alien entity, ’Black’?" he asked, his tone betraying his extreme nervousness.
Dr. Roman smiled mysteriously. He leaned in, whispered something into Jason’s ear, and without missing a beat, the two men turned and hurried toward the spaceport.