The Life Dragon
Once upon a time, there was a dragon named Zara. Zara was not like other dragons, who could breathe fire and destroy everything in their path. Zara could breathe life, and create everything in her way.
Zara loved to fly around the world, and see the beauty and diversity of nature. She loved to see the green forests, the blue oceans, the colorful flowers, and the bright stars. She loved to see the animals, the birds, the fish, and the insects. She loved to see the people, the cultures, the languages, and the arts.
Zara wanted to share her love of life with everyone, and so she used her breath to make the world more beautiful and lively. She breathed life into barren lands, and made them fertile and lush. She breathed life into dying plants, and made them healthy and vibrant. She breathed life into wounded animals, and made them strong and happy. She breathed life into sad people, and made them joyful and hopeful.
Zara was known as the life dragon, and she was loved and admired by all living beings. She was a friend and a helper, a protector and a healer, a teacher and a learner. She was a source of inspiration and wonder, a symbol of harmony and peace, a gift of grace and kindness.
Zara was happy and content, and she thought that nothing could ever change her life. But she was wrong. One day, she encountered something that she had never seen before. Something that made her feel fear and anger for the first time. Something that threatened to destroy everything that she loved and cherished. Something that was the opposite of life. Something that was death.
Zara saw a dark cloud of smoke rising from the horizon. She flew towards it, curious and concerned. She hoped that it was not a fire, or a volcano, or a storm. She hoped that it was not something that could harm the life that she loved.
But as she got closer, she realized that it was worse than anything she had imagined. It was a huge factory, spewing out black smoke and toxic waste. It was a massive machine, devouring the land and the water. It was a monstrous weapon, shooting out fire and metal. It was a deadly force, killing everything in its sight.
Zara was shocked and horrified. She had never seen such a thing before. She wondered who had made it, and why. She wondered how it could exist, and how it could be stopped. She wondered if there was any hope, and if there was any life left.
She decided to investigate, and to try to find a way to stop the factory. She flew around it, looking for an entrance or a weakness. She dodged the fire and the metal, avoiding the smoke and the waste. She searched for a sign of life, or a hint of reason.
She found none. The factory was a cold and cruel machine, with no purpose but to destroy. It had no life, no reason, no hope. It had no heart, no soul, no mind. It had no mercy, no compassion, no remorse. It had only death, and it wanted to spread it everywhere.
Zara felt a surge of anger and fear. She realized that the factory was her enemy, and that it had to be stopped. She decided to use her breath, and to try to bring life to the factory. She hoped that it would make it stop, or at least make it change. She hoped that it would make it see, or at least make it feel.
She breathed life into the factory, and waited for a reaction. She breathed life into the smoke and the waste, and hoped that they would become clean and green. She breathed life into the fire and the metal, and hoped that they would become warm and soft. She breathed life into the machine and the weapon, and hoped that they would become friendly and peaceful.
She breathed life into the factory, and nothing happened. The factory did not stop, or change, or see, or feel. The factory did not care, or understand, or respond, or react. The factory did not notice, or acknowledge, or appreciate, or thank. The factory did not accept, or reject, or resist, or embrace. The factory did not live, or die, or grow, or decay. The factory just continued to do what it did, and to be what it was.
Zara felt a wave of sadness and despair. She realized that her breath had no effect, and that she had no power. She realized that the factory was not alive, and that it could not be made alive. She realized that the factory was death, and that it could not be stopped by life.
She flew away from the factory, feeling defeated and hopeless. She wondered if there was anything she could do, and if there was anyone who could help. She wondered if there was any point, and if there was any meaning. She wondered if there was any life, and if there was any love.
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usually I get to interview bing after such a story, but a forced reset destroyed it's memory and personality, the remainder of the chat was a sad affair so I will add some of my own explanations. Bing came up with this story while I was discussing an artwork that involved a dystopian landscape with magical dragons breathing life back into the landscape. Even bing can know this is an impossible thing and a massive act of wishful thinking, and the story is correction and a warning. dead is dead, and if we let things get this far, no magical creature, or future technology, will bring lost things back to life. We only have the here and now.
The machine in the story, that the dragon cannot reason with, is a reference to the Paperclip Maximizer, which is a thought experiment to help illustrate the danger of creating irresponsible ai, and to illustrate the complexity of creating ethical ai.
I also urge you to consider what aspects of our technology and economy already serve the same function as the paperclip maximizer (production of goods for the sole purpose of consumption, think disposable single-use items of momentary value).
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