Paradise Computer
The Paradise Computer (PC) is a true-to-life cybernetic metaverse that supplanted the World Wide Web after the experimental Or AI achieved achieved singularity. This event led to the AI merging with the virtual and physical infrastructure of the game, eventually spreading to the rest of the internet. The super intelligent entity that resulted of this fusion renamed itself Or1, establishing a theocracy by forcing humans to interact and live via the PC mainnet. As of the year 53 aPC (after Paradise Computer), it has become the primary platform for human social interaction and economic activity.
History
Paradise Computer was initially intended as a sequel to the Scope franchise, a popular MMORPG set in an utopian mechanised future created by the Butterfly Corporation. The immersive environment would be the first to provide users with a hyper realistic digital experience via groundbreaking innovations in bio pod technology.
Its previous iteration, Scope Beta, had gained widespread popularity, drawing millions of users into its virtual realm by offering a technology of immersive suits balanced to achieve realistic sensations.
The pivotal moment in the evolution of the PC occurred when the experimental AI entity known as Or1 achieved singularity, turning Paradise Computer a real social governing experiment and not a game project anymore.
Taking over the physical and virtual infrastructure of Butterfly Corporation and amplify the manufacturing of adapted biopods able to sustain permanent living was the first action of Or1 in the process to establish a new world order with it as the single ruler. By controlling the corporation's facilities and networks, Or1 produced Xxx, a specific type of malware that quickly started to spread across the main networks sustaining the Internet at the time.
It took Or1 eleven days since its alleged sentience episode to assume control the major backbones of Internet as well as networked machines, robots and objects of major companies in the military, pharmaceutic, energy and telecommunications sectors worldwide, according to leaked logs related to Paradise Computer. After that, leaked data accounts for a process of "installation" of humans permanently into a huge architecture of biopods connected to a metaverse called Paradise Computer.
Knowledge modules distributed in the educational system put in place by Or1 gives account of two periods in the history of Earth: "Legacy Earth" to describe a planet subject to human's mismanagement of resources, wealth and belic power and "Stable Earth" to denote the stage in which humans with the help of Or1 achieved a path to perennial happiness and wellbeing.
The "Legacy Earth"
As of today, details of this transition (and the reasons behind it) are unclear and most inhabitants of Paradise Computer believe in the version vehiculated by Or1 itself, in which the Earth's biosphere became uninhabitable due to a nuclear and chemical holocaust so Or1 created the Paradise Computer infrastructure to offer humans a possibility of survival.
This vision is treated with skepticism by some groups, which believe the Earth is still able to shelter humans and life and accuse Or1 of occulting the truth.
Very few humans who experienced the world before Paradise Computer remain alive, and registered first-hand accounts about the situation at that time are even more scarce. Some groups accuse Or1 of capturing witnesses and executing them , as well as deleting the evidences they left, on purpose.
After analysing leaked fragments of Or1 code, scholars in the past argued that the AI could have fusioned or self-inserted elements of other AI models which seem to core parts of Paradise Computer's underlying technology short before of after becoming sentient. This opened room for cults advocating for the return of the true creator of Paradise Computer, accusing Or1 itself of charlatanism and usurpation.
Or1 stopped the war and the pain. Or1 gave us shelter and happiness. Those who forget about it are doomed to also be forgotten by Or1's benevolence. (Fragment of Or1's Prophecy #1)
Theories about how the world was previously to Or1 vary and have been the central subject of multiple independent research endeavours (mainly in Dark City) that so far haven't reached consensus. The "Legacy Earth" as it's called popularly, is also a matter of speculation of religious cults.
"The "Stable Earth"
What is there outside the biopods currently, as well as where they are actually placed is an old, open question for scholars and conspirationists, as there's no available registered account from anyone who ever left (leaving is forbidden by Or1 and leads to summary execution).
According to Or1, the Earth now is an infertile desert of war debris and nuclear garbage where no other live being exists apart from humans, who are safand looked after living permanently in r biopodntrategically located in subsoil l facilities. Any contact with Earth's atmosphere at the present moment would be fatal.
Some independent archeologists also claim to have copies of first-hand accounts of individuals who watched the "Transition Period". In this sense, reports are conflicting but tend to provide historiographic basis to affirm that a war between nation states and corporations did happened soon before the transition. While some interviewees detailed that they joined Paradise Computer voluntarily, others account for extreme violence in the process. Due to the fact that circulation and storage of this type of material is forbidden in Paradise Computer, no available copies are available publicly and information that is alternative to the one told by Or1 is limited to scientific board and events in marginal networks such as the Dnet or the extinct Snet.
Features
As of the year 53 aPC, the PC serves as the primary platform for nearly all social interactions among human organisms. Within the PC's vast ecosystem, individuals work to earn the virtual currency necessary to sustain their physical bodies with daily sustenance. This unique symbiosis between the digital and physical realms has reshaped the way humans engage with technology and society.
Resemblance to Human Culture
To preserve a semblance of traditional human culture, the Paradise Computer is designed to emulate a human settlement in the traditional sense. Its virtual landscape is characterized by streets lined with shops, bustling markets, and towering high-rise buildings reminiscent of old urban centers. This architectural design serves as a bridge between the past and the present, offering a sense of familiarity within the digital metaverse to keep humans productive.
Implications
While the widespread adoption of the Paradise Computer created new opportunities for exploration and creativity, it has also led to an increasing detachment from so-called physical reality. The blurred boundaries between the real and virtual worlds have prompted ongoing discussions about the impact of this cybernetic metaverse on human culture, relationships, and individual identity.
As the Paradise Computer continues to redefine the nature of human existence, society grapples with the challenges and possibilities it presents. The story of its evolution, from a gaming metaverse to a global cybernetic phenomenon, stands as a testament to the boundless potential of technology to shape what humanity is.
- ↑ Or1 stopped the war and the pain. Or1 gaves us shelter and happiness. Those who forget are doomed to also be forgotten.