AI Interrupted

Kristin loves AI. Ever since AI became a thing, she has been on the phone or using it on her laptop, uploading photos and stories to her social media. It’s like it was made for her. It’s brilliant and perfect in her eyes. She can escape the daily grind of high school and other trivial matters thanks to AI. She spends her days creating things like an image of a goat eating at a diner with a monkey as a waiter. She proudly shows it to all her friends. Her friends seem to love the wild ideas she comes up with. They even insert their own ideas at times. Anytime there’s a new assignment due, she is thrilled because it’s an excuse to improve her AI technique.

One night at dinner, she was on her phone, scrolling through random AI-generated images. She flicks the red hair in front of her face. Then decides it's better to chew her hair with red lips as it draws around her flushed ivory skin. Her mother interrupts her focus, needing her attention. Kristin looks up at her mother, rolling her eyes.

“You'd better finish your dinner, sweetie.” She instructs, pointing at Kristin’s half-eaten sirloin steak and a pile of mashed potatoes that she hasn’t even touched. Kristin just ignores her, her eyes gazing back down at her phone. She is reading an AI prompt, trying to come up with a story for her American Literature book report.

“Kristin!” She snaps. Kristin scowls up at her mom, eyes widening. “Finish your dinner, please!” She encourages, firmly. Kristin slams down her phone next to her plate and solemnly picks at her mashed potatoes.

The night seems to drag after dinner. Kristin is lying on her bed, doomscrolling on her phone. She is still wearing her blue tank top and black leggings from earlier. She has already posted five AI-generated images on her social media and has generated six stories, which she shared on an article-writing website. The website made her label it as AI when she tried passing it off as her own. She uses AI to research prompts for generating more realistic art and videos with her AI apps.

Kristin finally turns off the screen on her phone and rolls over to one side, closing her eyes. She dreams about an AI rabbit being chased by an AI dog in an AI meadow. The dog chases the rabbit for miles. Kristin shares the video on her social media in her dream. It gets over 100 likes and even more comments. Her followers increase by 1000.

Kristin awakens in the morning. She stretches broadly. She looks around her bedroom. She suddenly feels odd as she climbs to her feet. The phone on her bed starts to ring. She reaches to answer it, but she can’t even pick it up. She tries to answer it from where it lies. Her hand goes right through her phone as if it’s not even there. All she can feel is the softness of the comforter beneath her phone. Her heart starts racing. She sits at her computer. She places her hand on the mouse, but her hand falls through to the mousepad. “What’s happening?” She screams, frustrated. She stands up from her computer chair. She looks back at her bed. She stumbles to the floor, seeing a young man sitting there. He looks to be Kristin’s age.

“Hello.” He greets her, smiling. The man has dark hair and eyes. His skin is only hue paler than Kristin’s. He is tall and slightly lanky in a red T-shirt and blue jeans.

“Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my room? How did you get here?” Kristin drills the young man.

“I was called here to help you.” He replies.

“Help me? I don’t need help. Get outta here!” She commands.

“You can’t use your electronics, right?” He asks softly.

“How did you know that? Who are you?” Kristin is frantic.

“The same thing happened to me.” He tells her. “That’s why I was sent.”

“What do you mean?” Kristin asks.

“You’re AI.” He explains.

“Wait. What? That’s impossible.” Kristin cups her face in her hands.

“It’s true. The AI apps and websites you have been using have been leading to your destruction.” He explains.

Kristin tries to shake herself awake. “This must be a dream. I need to wake up.” She shakes frantically. She must wake up.

“This isn’t a dream, Kristin.” The young man tells her.

Kristin’s eyes widen, hearing her name come from his lips. “What’s your name? You obviously know mine.”

“I’m Damon. I can help you.”

“How?” Kristin asks him.

“Well. You need to find a special notebook and pen to create something completely original from your own creative mind.

“I don’t know if I can. I haven’t done any drawing for a long time.”

“It’s the only thing that will change you back to a human. Otherwise, you’ll be an AI forever.”

“I don’t want to do this. It’s too hard, and it’s ridiculous. AI is the future. We need to keep up with the times. Get out of here. Leave me alone.”

“Kristin, if you don’t go and fix yourself, things will only get worse for you.”

“Yeah, right. How?” Kristin asks with disbelief.

“You will start forgetting things. It starts with your family and friends. Soon, you forget yourself and that you ever actually existed as anything but an AI.”

“Well, finding the notebook and pen should be easy.” Kristin heads toward her bedroom door.

“It’s not that simple. We need to search for these items in a realm separate from our own.” Damon explains.

“Where is it?” She asks.

“It’s in a small town called Ambient, a place where AI is struggling to get back to the people they once were, just like you. There are many notebooks, but only one works to rejuvenate your human form.” Damon takes Kristin by the hand.

“I can go alone. I don’t need your help.” Kristin pulls her hand away from Damon’s, glaring at him.

“You do need me. You can’t even get out of this room without me.” Damon grabs her hand again. Kristin jerks her hand out of Damon’s again. She tries turning the knob on her bedroom door, but it won’t budge.

“What the…” Kristin says frustratingly. She tries again…again…nothing. Damon grabs Kristin’s hand, gripping it tightly. Kristin tries the door again, and it opens immediately. She looks back at Damon in shock. Defeated, she realizes how much she needs Damon to proceed and become normal again. They go through the door. Kristin expects to arrive in the living room of her mom’s house, but instead, they are outdoors. They are standing on the sidewalk of a place she doesn’t recognize.

“This is Ambient.” Damon’s expression seems firm and focused. Kristin takes in the beauty of this small town filled with trees, cute cottages, and locals with notebooks and pens. “These people became locals after a time of searching for their once-happy life. Now, however, they walk around looking for meaning in a state of confusion. They wouldn’t be able to tell you their name if you asked them. They search their notebooks for the answers, hoping something will take them back to the place they once knew. They know they aren’t supposed to be here, but they forgot how to get back. They now live in their own personal hell.”

“Couldn’t we just tell them how?” Kristin looks at Damon.

“They wouldn’t understand. Once they found the notebook and pen, they believed it was the ones that would send them back. They were lied to. They acquired these fake notebooks and pens, which caused them to lose their memories, experience hallucinations, and forget why they needed the notebook and pen in the first place. They can’t even carry on a normal conversation anymore.”

“That’s awful.” Kristin replies, sadly.

“That’s why we need to find the real notebook and pen. Otherwise, you’ll become just like them.” Damon moves Kristin along the sidewalk, hastily. Kristin obeys him. She studies the other AIs' faces as they pass. The poor souls look utterly terrified. Damon and Kristin continue walking. Suddenly, Kristin is seized to the ground. An AI has seized her by the ankle, desperately begging her for help. Kristin struggles to remove herself from the AI’s powerful hold on her. Damon pushes the AI away. The AI is shot back and violently slammed against a fire hydrant. Kristin rubs her sore ankle. Damon helps Kristin up, placing a protective arm around her shoulder. They continue their journey away from the cowering figure, huddled over the fire hydrant.

Kristin stops suddenly. She can’t believe what’s in front of her. It’s obviously some type of plant, but unlike anything she has ever seen. It’s made entirely out of cellphones. “Oh, boy.” Damon shakes his head, cringing.

“What is that?” Kristin is both frightened and fascinated by this unusual plant's appearance. The sight makes her wish she had her own phone.

“It’s a Scepture. A plant made of smartphones.”

“How was it made?” Kristin asks Damon.

“It was generated.”

“By AI?” Kristin asks. Damon nods solemnly.

“By whom? The AIs tumultuous state?”

“No. By someone even more nefarious.”

Kristin is instantly frightened. “Who?”

“Prompter.”

“Prompter?” Even the mere sound of this name terrifies Kristin.

“Yes. Prompter designed AI. He is an evil entity that can shapeshift things around Ambient. He uses it to tempt AIs and sway them from the desire of regaining their human form.” Kristin begins shaking in fear. “Eventually, we’ll have to face him.”

“Why?”

“We need to defeat his advances. He can’t be destroyed. Prompter survives and thrives on humans' meticulous beliefs that they need AI for everything. He merely weakens enough to be able to acquire the real notebook and pen. His tests become more frequent and more difficult the closer we get to him.” Damon points to the Scepture before them. “This plant is nothing.” As they pass the Scepture, Kristin is glad her phone is so far away. For a moment, she wonders if she’ll ever want to touch it again.

Damon and Kristin continue their journey down the street. Kristin can’t help but gaze at his intriguing face. “What type of creature is Prompter?” Kristin asks Damon.

“He’s not a physical being at all. He replicates your greatest fear. He wants you to run away and not face him. He dwells in a forest many miles from here.” Damon responds. He and Kristin keep walking down the sidewalk. “If you run away from him, you can never leave Ambient. Prompter gives you an inauthentic notebook and pen. You always remember Prompter as your greatest fear, so because of that, you never return to face him again. Hence, the confused AIs we encountered when we arrived.”

“But you survived, right?” Kristin asks, Damon nods without a word. “Then how do you know all this?”

Damon sighs. “I just do.” He states. “We must keep moving.” He instructs, encouraging Kristin to press on. A worried look spreads across Kristin’s face. She wonders what has befallen Damon. Why won’t he tell her?

A large AI image floats before them. “We need to walk through.” Damon instructs. They both walk through the image. Kristin looks back, watching it disappear with a puff of smoke. Damon grips Kristin’s hand tight. She turns to face him. He smiles at her inquisitively. “We need to either walk through or avoid Prompter’s tests. Follow my lead, Kristin.” Damon tells her. Kristin nods and smiles at him. Damon smiles back. There’s a look of determination in his eyes.

The day turns to nightfall. They stop at one of the cottages. Damon opens the door, inviting Kristin inside. He enters after her. The cottage has wooden walls. The kitchen on the right has an antique gas stove and a small round table with two chairs. The table filled with goodies catches Kristin’s eye. She hurries over to it. Shortbread cookies are piled on a white porcelain plate with pink poppies. She reaches out to grab a cookie. Her hand falls through. She sobs, defeated. Damon grabs a cookie. She looks up at him with tears in her eyes. He holds the cookie out to her. She leans forward and takes a bite. The cookie crumbles in her mouth, savoring its sweet taste. Damon grins, keeping his hand still until Kristin finishes the entire cookie, then he takes one for himself. Damon walks to the fireplace to gather firewood to light a fire. After lighting the fire, Damon sets a blanket on the floor and sits down. Kristin sits next to him, away from the fire.

Kristin’s mind floods with thoughts of her mom. She remembers a time before AI when they would go to numerous shops on weekends. She would beg her to buy her something in every store they went to. She’d be all dolled up in makeup, and they’d go out to eat at one of their favorite places. A foundation brush would just slip through her fingers. Damon had to feed her, for pity’s sake. Not that she’s hungry anyway, with the current horrible situation she has found herself in. Kristin admits that she wasn’t so sure about Damon at first. Now, she feels that she can trust him with her life. His attractiveness is a bonus to her as well.

Damon stares into the fireplace, watching the flames warm him and Kristin. He takes a deep breath. He sighs. He turns his attention to Kristin. “When I came here as an AI, I was with my little sister, Maggie. We both became addicted to AI to escape our dad's wrath. He’d get drunk and take his anger out on us. My dad passed out in my bed. Maggie and I slept on the floor. Our guide took us to Ambient the next morning while our dad slept. When it was time for Maggie and me to face Prompter, he shapeshifted into what we saw as our father. Maggie was shaking and screaming with fear. I kept urging her to resist it. Assuring her that it wasn’t real. I was able to overcome it, but Maggie wasn’t. She was doomed to remain an AI forever. Prompter banished to where I could never see her again.” A tear runs down Damon’s face. Kristin grips his hand, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I am so sorry, Damon.” Kristin comforts him.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Damon wraps the blanket around them. They fall asleep. Moments later, the fire fizzles out.

Early morning sunlight pours into the room. Kristin awakens first. She stretches, looking around the cottage. Her eyes widen in terror. “Damon.” She whispers nervously, shaking him. Damon raises his head, groggily. He stands up quickly, seeing a group of at least ten AIs. They are all growling and snarling at Damon and Kristin. Kristin holds onto Damon's arm. The AIs just stand there watching. Damon presses hand on Kristin’s back, motioning her to back away slowly from them. The AIs' heads turn in unison as Damon and Kristin walk backward toward the exit. They reach the cottage door and run out. They run from the cottage hand-in-hand for what feels like miles.

Damon stops to catch his breath, as does Kristin. Damon looks up at Kristin, letting out a sigh of relief. Kristin throws her arms around Damon, sobbing into his shoulder. Damon squeezes Kristin tight around her waist. Kristin moves her head up to Damon’s face, staring at him intently. She rubs his neck gently. Damon stares back at her, rubbing her sides. A sudden gust of wind forces them apart. Damon takes Kristin’s hand, leading her down the street.

As the day advances, Damon and Kristin are stopped by an item before them that resembles a glowstick with a metal handle. Kristin reaches for it with curiosity. “Don’t touch it.” Damon tells her quickly, pulling Kristin back by her shoulders. The weird object hums deeply. Then laughter takes over the humming.

“I hope you two are having fun.” Cackles the voice.

“It’s Prompter.” Damon warms.

“You might as well turn back now. You don’t have what it takes to face me.” Prompter’s laughter becomes higher and more malevolent.

“Don’t listen.” Damon brings Kristin closer to him by wrapping his arm around her. He guides Kristin around the cursed object, and they continue forward. The item disappears with a crack.

As they proceed, they spy on an arch of trees. Damon massages Kristin’s hand in his for a few moments. He gently urges her forward. The twigs and sticks crunch beneath their feet. A large gust of wind hurls them forward. Thunder and lightning strike. The wind picks up, almost lifting Damon and Kristin off the ground. Rain comes down hard, soaking them both. Notebook pages fly at them. Some soaked pages adhere to their clothes. They push through the wind and debris. Swarms of short AIs sprint toward them, squealing and screeching. Damon and Kristin bend and twist to avoid the pages and the AIs. They speed ahead frantically, hoping to leave the chaos behind them in the dust.

They both stop suddenly. Looking back, they notice a dense fog behind them. It appears very quiet as the sun begins to fade before their very eyes, until everything turns pitch black. They turn around. The fog glides away, revealing a glittery gold altar. Placed on this altar is a silver, hardcover notebook. Next to it is a shiny silver-feathered quill pen in its inkwell. Kristin starts toward the altar, but Damon holds her back. A black piece of fabric furls in front of the altar, causing it to vanish with a woosh.

A house emerges in its place. It’s engulfed in flames. The scent of burning wood wafts to their nostrils. The massive fire breaks the windows. The sound is piercing. Kristin falls to her knees in tears. Damon holds her hand, desperately telling her it’s not real. “Stay strong, Kristin. You must stay strong.” Damon advises her. “Please. It’s not real.” The fire grows rapidly to Kristin’s despair. She is crying so hard that it makes her throat throb in pain. The roof is caving in. A young girl fades in; she is gliding back and forth on a porch swing. She shouts at Damon angrily.

“You just left me here, Damon! You did nothing to save me!” The young girl tells him with fury in her face.

“Maggie.” Damon chokes. Prompter’s laughter floods the scene.

Kristin becomes enraged. “It was an accident, Prompter! Leave me the hell alone!” Kristin shouts at the burning house. Damon is wailing with his head in his hands. “Come on, Damon. Fight him.” She encourages Damon, who is now rolling around on the ground in agony. “Damon!” Kristin demands.” Keep fighting! Your real sister would want you to! Come on!” She commands.

Damon climbs bravely to his feet. “Is this the best you can do, Prompter?” Damon laughs heartily, mocking Prompter’s maniacal laugh. “I’m very disappointed. You’re weak. Pathetic.” Damon folds his arms, glaring at the scene, as does Kristin. A violent gust of wind swirls around the house, lifting it off the ground. The house crashes into a puff of smoke.

Things seem calm now. The darkness disperses, replaced by soft gray clouds. The altar with the notebook and pen reappears. Kristin walks somberly over to it. She picks up the pen, opens the notebook, and starts drawing. Damon stands by her side, watching intently. The sun slowly rises over the horizon, behind the altar. Kristin draws urgently with the utmost determination. As she finishes her drawing, the sun shines, warming Damon and Kristin. Damon peers at the drawing. It’s of a young girl in a house that’s burning up in flames from an untamed fireplace. There’s a teddy bear inside the fireplace. The younger girl is crying as an older man is leaving through the front door.

Damon studies Kristin, concerned. He places his hand on her shoulder. “I am the little girl.” Kristin replies as if it needs to be explained. Damon listens closely. Kristin continues. “My father left my mother and me. He gave me a teddy bear, believing it would soften the blow. I threw it in the fire. He left. I ran up to my mother. Moments later, the living room went up in flames. I just wanted the house to burn down. I wanted no memories of him. The fire department came. Mom and I left to live with her sister. We had nothing. We had no time to save anything. Everything was already gone anyhow.” Damon sees the sad, lonely girl in Kristin’s face. The altar with the notebook and pen fades. A door appears in its place. Damon and Kristin stare blankly at it for a long while.

“This door will take you home.” Damon says, finally. “You’ll be back in your room again. Everything will be okay now.” He assures Kristin. “You’ll be back to yourself the moment you enter.”

Kristin gives out a sigh of relief. It feels like she has been holding her breath this whole time. “Fantastic. Let’s go, Damon.” Kristin moves forward with excitement. She glances over, expecting to see Damon by her side. She notices he’s still behind her. “Damon? You’re coming with me, right?”

Damon shakes his head. “I can’t.” He replies, sadly.

“Why?” Kristin asks, solemnly.

“There’s still much for me to do. Someone somewhere will need me to pull them out of their AI infatuation.” Damon chuckles uneasily.

Kristin trots over to Damon’s side. “I am not leaving without you.”

“You must. My destiny is to keep helping others in my sister’s memory.”

“I can help you. We can work together.” Kristin grabs his hands.

“You have a wonderful life ahead of you.” Damon removes a single tear that drops from Kristin’s eye. “Remember all the things this experience has taught you. Keep going. No matter what.” Kristin sighs. Damon places his hands on her shoulders. He kisses her gently on the cheek. Kristin moves close to Damon’s face. When he sees Kristin’s intentions, Damon hangs his head. “You better go.” Kristin pulls back reluctantly. Kristin turns away from Damon. She looks back at Damon one last time. He is still hanging his head. Kristin opens the door and walks through.

Kristin is back in her room. She feels better, more jovial. She sits on her bed, overjoyed to be home. Just like Damon promised, Kristin feels more like herself. It has been so long since she has felt this inspired and optimistic. She reaches for her phone. She lifts it effortlessly. She holds it in her palm for a moment. It feels like ages since she held her phone. She sighs. Suddenly, a voice echoes outside her room.

“Kristin?” Her mom’s voice calls her.

“I’ll be right there, mom.” Kristin calls back, smiling. Kristin is uncertain about unlocking her phone's screen, but she does so anyway. She scrolls through her phone, deleting not only her AI apps but also all AI posts across her social media. A text message from an unknown number appears. Confused, she opens the message. It’s a photo of the picture she drew in Ambient. She saves the photo and posts it on all her social media accounts. She goes back to the text, knowing who sent it. Smiling, Kristin opens the text app, but the message is gone. Kristin's smile fades. She sighs. Opening the picture gallery, the photo of her drawing remains, causing Kristin relief mixed with sadness. Kristin takes a deep breath, sets her phone facedown on her bed, and leaves her bedroom to have lunch with her mother.