Marvin, a hardworking man burdened by financial stress and personal doubts, finds himself at the center of a rapidly changing society where automation replaces human workers, artificial intelligence reshapes relationships, and surveillance encroaches on privacy.
Technology plays a crucial role in shaping the lives of the characters, from the AI-driven surveillance systems that monitor society to the emerging trend of artificial companionship, which alters the dating landscape. The introduction of ultra-advanced tracking systems and predictive algorithms brings both promise and peril, exposing secrets and redefining personal freedom. Marvin, caught between his old-fashioned sensibilities and the new digital order, struggles to maintain his place in a world that no longer seems to need him.
Yet, despite the overwhelming presence of technology, human nature remains unchanged—driven by ambition, deception, love, and desperation. As government agencies use artificial intelligence to root out threats both real and perceived, Marvin’s quiet existence draws unexpected attention. His past decisions, personal relationships, and even his most private thoughts become subject to forces beyond his comprehension. The world is moving faster than he ever imagined, and as Marvin approaches old age, he must decide whether to embrace or resist the future that has already arrived.
### **1. Artificial Intelligence & Surveillance**
- **Providence AI** – A powerful, government-run passive ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) that monitors all digital activity, identifies potential threats, and predicts suspicious behavior. It collects vast amounts of data but only outputs reports through a single printer to prevent hacking or unauthorized access.
- **XtraDry AI** – A misinformation-detection AI that filters out false information online by analyzing text, images, and audio. It helps fight deepfakes, conspiracy theories, and propaganda.
- **AI-generated videos & conversations** – Some characters interact with AI-generated people without realizing it, blurring the line between real and artificial communication.
- **Automated crime prediction & tracking** – AI analyzes behavior patterns to flag people as potential criminals before they commit any wrongdoing.
- **Facial recognition and digital tracking** – Used by law enforcement and corporations to monitor individuals across cameras, online interactions, and financial transactions.
### **2. Smart Devices & Communication**
- **7G Network & Blind Relay Signal Share** – The next evolution of wireless internet, allowing all connected devices to share and boost signals, eliminating dead zones. Devices act as mini-transmitters, ensuring continuous connectivity.
- **AI-powered personal assistants** – Advanced digital assistants guide users in daily activities, such as analyzing objects through augmented reality.
- **Smart tablets with AR (Augmented Reality) features** – Tablets can identify objects in real time, such as analyzing rocks and historical artifacts by scanning them.
- **Embedded tracking devices** – Tiny, nearly invisible tracking chips that can be planted on clothing or objects, providing real-time location data.
### **3. Automation & Robotics**
- **Werliner Shoes’ Automated Factory** – What was once a traditional shoemaking business has been taken over by robotic production, reducing the need for human workers.
- **Autonomous delivery bots** – Robots deliver groceries and other goods directly to customers, replacing human couriers.
- **Giantess AI Warehousing & Shipping** – A logistics system that handles large-scale packaging and delivery with minimal human oversight.
- **Bipedal warehouse robots** – Advanced humanoid machines sort and transport goods in massive warehouses.
### **4. Autonomous Vehicles & Transportation**
- **Self-driving cars** – Standardized, AI-controlled vehicles that eliminate the need for human drivers.
- **Flying ambulances** – Airborne emergency response vehicles that can bypass traffic congestion and quickly reach patients.
- **Autonomous public transit** – Buses and taxis operate without human drivers.
- **Car security AI** – Self-driving cars recognize and attempt to evade carjackers and criminals.
### **5. Bio-Technology & Consumer Goods**
- **Mersine (anti-VR nausea drug)** – A medication to prevent nausea caused by prolonged virtual reality headset use.
- **Methane-free meat & fossil-fuel-free food production** – Genetically modified or lab-grown alternatives to traditional livestock that eliminate methane emissions.
### **6. Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy**
- **Tinfoil-wrapped phones** – A method used by individuals to block tracking and surveillance by AI systems.
- **Remote monitoring of factory operations** – Techs oversee factory production remotely, only visiting in person when necessary.
- **Hack-proof AI hardware** – Providence AI's core intelligence is hardwired as hardware, making it impossible to update or reprogram remotely.
Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes.
Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. From 2040 to 2195. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out.
The companion site is https://in20xx.com
These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world. This project is speculative fiction. These episodes are not about revealing what will be, but they are to excited the listener's wonder about what may come to pass.
Copyright © Cy Porter 2024. All rights reserved.
