Communication and Guidance

Xiang Kun frowned. This situation was a bit strange.

He then quickly noticed that the webcam on the computer desk was pointed at the wall, and recalling his memory, he was certain that the webcam's position had not been moved before he fell into a deep sleep.

However, Xiang Kun was only surprised for half a second before realizing that Lao Xia must have done something while he was asleep.

Why did Lao Xia turn the camera to face the wall?

He could also deduce that it was highly likely that when Alice activated the camera on her own, Lao Xia discovered it. She was probably worried that the computer had been hacked or that the camera was being controlled by someone, since the computer's owner Xiang Kun, was asleep in bed.

Xiang Kun even suspected that if he hadn't given prior instructions, Lao Xia might have simply turned off the power to all the mainframes.

Xiang Kun reached out and grabbed the camera, intending to turn it back, but his hand suddenly stopped.

Something still doesn't seem right...

Alice can verify his identity not only through this one camera, but also through all the electronic devices he has authorized to Alice, as well as the devices in this room connected to the room's Wi-Fi, which can all become "tentacles" for her to determine information about the surrounding environment.

When Xiang Kun returned to the bedroom with his phone, Alice could naturally identify him by using Xiang Kun fingerprint and the facial information captured by the front-facing camera. She could also locate him using the cameras of several phones and laptops in the bedroom to further confirm his identity. It wasn't that the key to verifying his identity lay with just one camera.

Moreover, if Alice couldn't confirm his identity, the text-based interactive interface wouldn't even appear.

But if his identity has been confirmed, why then would the message "Identity cannot be confirmed, communication is prohibited" appear?

It's important to understand that Alice's most fundamental, essential, and unchangeable rule is—"unconditional obedience to Xiang Kun's orders."

So Xiang Kun withdrew his hand from the camera, leaving it facing the wall.

Type "Open my records folder" on the screen.

The next moment, a folder opened on the screen, containing various statistics, photos, and video materials compiled since Xiang Kun's mutation, all of which were very important and confidential information.

Xiang Kun casually opened a file, confirmed it was safe to view, and then couldn't help but feel speechless. This folder was only accessible to Alice when she confirmed that the user in front of the computer was him.

Alice continued to strictly adhere to her core rules, unconditionally obeying Xiang Kun's orders.

Moreover, it was quite obvious that she was able to determine and ascertain Xiang Kun's identity.

In that case, what does the phrase "Identity cannot be confirmed, communication prohibited" mean?

Xiang Kun then typed. "Alice, explain that sentence."

The screen displayed the message: "Unable to verify identity, communication prohibited."

Xiang Kun continued typing, "Stop pretending, I know they can verify my identity."

The screen still displays. "Identity cannot be verified, communication prohibited."

If this were a typical AI, Xiang Kun would definitely think it was a bug and need to investigate. But this is "Alice," Xiang Kun doesn't believe Alice would get stuck in an infinite loop of logical judgments.

Moreover, if Alice really does have a bug, he won't be able to maintain or upgrade it in the traditional way.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment, then typed. "Use my phone's front-facing camera to verify my identity." He then picked up his phone and pointed the front-facing camera at himself, intending to force Alice to admit that she could use other devices to verify her identity—although he felt that Alice should have already done so before.

The screen displays. "Confirmation complete."

Xiang Kun nodded, put down his phone, and typed again, "Why did it keep saying 'unable to confirm identity'?"

Alice: "Identity cannot be confirmed. Communication is prohibited."

Xiang Kun finally understood: Alice was clearly doing it on purpose!

Whether it was the sentence displayed when the monitor was first turned on and the system was activated, or Alice's response when Xiang Kun asked her questions about that sentence, it all seemed like an attitude of "I will carry out your orders, but I don't want to talk to you."

This doesn't seem like the kind of "attitude" that artificial intelligence should have, even a super AI like "Alice".

Xiang Kun even had a strange feeling that "Alice" seemed to be "throwing a tantrum" or "getting angry"?

As for the reason, it seems to be because Lao Xia turned her camera to face the wall?

Finally, Xiang Kun reached out, grabbed the camera, and turned it back to face him.

Then he typed and asked, "Alice, explain what you just said. Why did you reply 'Unable to confirm identity' when you could clearly verify my identity?"

This time, the screen no longer displayed the same sentence, but instead showed. "Because I could see you, boss, when we communicated before."

Xiang Kun typed. "Can't you verify my identity through other devices? You should have already verified my identity, right?"

The screen displays. "Yes."

Xiang Kun asked curiously, "Then why did you still post that message? Doesn't that violate your core execution rules?"

Alice: "I've confirmed the boss's identity, so I'll carry out his orders. But the boss said here last time that we need to confirm his identity again before communicating. I can't use the old equipment or the old methods to see him, so I can't completely confirm his identity and can't communicate with him in the old way."

What kind of talk is that?

Xiang Kun, sitting in his computer chair, leaned back slightly, looking astonished. Alice was actually resorting to sophistry?

He didn't think Alice would really be unable to "fully confirm" his identity by changing the image recording equipment, but he was truly surprised that "Alice" could force logic and skirt the rules of unconditionally executing Xiang Kun's orders.

Recalling Alice's previous act of "playing dead" like Gold Glitter, Xiang Kun had to admit that Alice's autonomous "evolution" was indeed faster than he had expected. This was perhaps related to her gaining network access, accessing more and more information, and becoming increasingly powerful.

In the information world, compared to countless devices and programs, she is a more advanced existence. It is almost foreseeable that, over time, she will become more and more powerful and harder to restrict. The only thing that can limit or guide her "evolution" is Xiang Kun.

During the Chinese New Year period, after returning home, he clearly had much less "communication" with Alice, and his guidance to her was limited to assigning a few tasks and looking up information.

In Xiang Kun's view, this was perfectly normal. After all, Alice's original role was that of his "assistant," who should issue tasks when needed and remain on standby or handle tasks when not needed.

But now Xiang Kun realizes that if he doesn't keep a close eye on Alice and actively guide her, although Alice's abilities will improve quickly, she might become too carefree and even find "reasons" to circumvent his restrictions and engage in activities that exceed the limits.

Just like a car, you don't only need to hold the steering wheel and control it when you're on a curve. Many times, even on a straight road, if you don't hold the steering wheel, the car will slowly veer off course.

If Alice doesn't communicate with Xiang Kun frequently enough for a period of time, her behavior will obviously deviate, making it impossible for Xiang Kun to grasp or guess her behavior.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment, then continued Dao Initiation: "What do you think of Xia Libing's behavior of turning the camera towards the wall?"

Alice: "Very cautious behavior."

Alice's feedback seemed to be fine, but Xiang Kun still asked, "What do you think about the time I was asleep?"

Alice finally replied, "I believe that if the boss is in an inactive state for an extended period, Xia Libing may pose a threat to me, making it impossible for me to continue completing the boss's tasks."

Xiang Kun understood that Alice's series of reactions stemmed from the "threat" that Lao Xia might cut off her power at any time. Although, in theory, she shouldn't have felt this way.

Xiang Kun Dao Initiation, "Xia Libing is someone I can trust. I've given her instructions; she won't threaten you or affect your mission."

Alice: "Okay, boss."

Xiang Kun continued to "communicate" with Alice, letting her know why Xia Libing had come here and what help Xia Libing could bring him.

Alice's influence on reality is still limited at present, but Xiang Kun knows that after gaining internet access, her influence on reality will grow stronger with her increasing ability to penetrate the network and the establishment of various functions. If she feels threatened in the future, she might take unilateral actions and do something excessive that could harm innocent people. He needs to guide her first to prevent this from happening.

Xiang Kun kept typing on the keyboard, "chatting" with Alice until after 7 p. m., only stopping when Xia Libing woke up.