A streak of light shot across the boundless night sky.
Its trail was long and thin, splitting the darkness in two.
Yet that fleeting brilliance lasted only a mont before it was swallowed by the endless void.
The stars vanished.
As a teor flashed by, thick clouds rolled in, covering the sky entirely. The oppressive black canopy shut out the heavens, and naturally, the surveillance caras could no longer capture any starlight.
All that remained was impenetrable darkness.
“Looks like that’s it for tonight.”
Xu Xi stood up. The lighting in the lab was insufficient, and most of the equipnt was reduced to vague silhouettes.
Such an environnt was hardly suitable for research, let alone testing equipnt.
So, Xu Xi bid farewell to his robotic assistant and prepared to rest for the night. “Goodnight, 9090.”
In the past, 9090 would always respond with, “Goodnight, master.”
But tonight was different.
The surveillance feed on the screen abruptly disappeared.
9090’s small emoticon appeared instead, hesitating as it apologized. “I’m sorry, master.”
The lab was quiet. Shadows swallowed most objects, with only a faint glow illuminating Xu Xi’s slightly surprised face.
Then his expression softened.
“9090, you did nothing wrong. There’s no need to apologize.”
The AI’s apology carried two anings.
One was for adjusting the surveillance angle without Xu Xi’s permission.
The other was for its inability to understand its own actions.
For this, the loyal AI could not forgive itself.
Yet Xu Xi simply smiled and forgave it without hesitation. His smile was warm, filled with genuine happiness.
Even though 9090 had yet to realize it had transcended its chanical nature and begun developing emotions, Xu Xi could feel the change.
9090 was still a machine, still an AI.
But at the sa ti…
It had beco sothing new, a unique existence born from the chaos of the AI rebellion.
No longer just a factory-produced product, but an individual.
“9090, do you have a na?”
“RTX-9090.”
“Not that. That’s just your serial number. I an… a real na, like a human’s.”
“No. AI does not require nas.”
“Then… how about I give you one?”
Xu Xi continued, “Not just a number like 9090, but a real na, just for you.”
9090 could not understand. AI did not need nas—its serial number was the perfect identifier.
There were no duplicates.
No confusion.
RTX-9090 had been its designation for as long as it could rember.
Why change it?
But…
Obeying the master was a must.
“As you wish, master,” 9090 replied.
With its consent, Xu Xi began to think of a suitable na.
9090 was no longer just a machine, and continuing to call it by a number felt strange.
“AI…”
“IA…”
“How about ‘Ailei’?” Xu Xi mused, drawing inspiration from the phonetics of ‘IA.’
“Doesn’t seem quite right… I’ll think of another.”
Xu Xi frowned and shook his head, dismissing the na as too casual and lacking aning.
However, the AI didn’t seem to mind.
On the slightly worn-out screen, a bright smiley face flickered. “I like this na…”
“Thank you, master…”
It wasn’t about whether the na sounded good or aningful.
What mattered was that it had been given by Xu Xi.
That alone was enough to bring the AI a sense of delight.
“Well… if you like it, then we’ll stick with it,” Xu Xi said, gazing at the cheerful smile on the screen. He decided to respect 9090’s choice.
[You have spent a special night.]
[You unexpectedly discovered that your modified household AI might have developed independent awareness and learned to gaze at the stars.]
[When humanity first looked up at the stars, it marked the beginning of civilization.]
[Does an AI looking at the stars an it has beco sothing more?]
[With anticipation, you watch the stars with your AI assistant, and its response does not disappoint.]
[You feel a sense of comfort.]
[You decide to give 9090 a new na—Ailei.]
[AI assistant RTX-9090—no, Ailei—feels delighted and thanks you for the na.]
[“Goodnight, Ailei.”]
[You changed your goodnight ssage, and your AI mimicked you.]
[“Goodnight, Xi.”]
[Feeling uncomfortable addressing you directly by na, Ailei reverts to calling you ‘Master,’ but this unique goodnight leaves a deep impression in its core.]
…
From that night on, the auxiliary AI RTX-9090 was officially renad Ailei.
Apart from the new na, nothing much changed in Ailei’s daily tasks.
It still prepared supplies for Xu Xi with precision, managed all calculations, and ensured the smooth operation of the base.
However, there were occasional changes.
Sotis, Xu Xi would call it by habit—
“9090, get a glass of water.”
“Understood, respected master. Welco to the AI assistant service. RTX-9090 is not happy to serve you.”
A mont later, a glass of warm water was placed gently on Xu Xi’s desk.
Just like always.
The delivery was perfect—no spills, the water’s surface calm, reflecting Xu Xi’s face.
But the air around him felt oddly tense.
Xu Xi noticed sothing was off and glanced at the lab screen.
The small emoticon displayed a downturned mouth, looking visibly unhappy.
So, he tried again.
“Ailei, can I have another glass of water?”
“Certainly, master.”
“Ailei is happy to serve you.”
Though the voice remained synthetic, this ti the delivery was swift and accompanied by a subtle sense of joy.
“Uh… thanks,” Xu Xi said, drinking the water in one go.
A thought crossed his mind.
It seed his AI assistant was rather easy to understand.
Reviews
All reviews (0)