Logan sat looking at the terminal, the blinking input request gently lighting up the darkness around him. He had been staring at it for a few hours now, his mind twirling around the possible search parameters seeking the best solution. The pale sky of the evening had given way to the black of night. A bright-colored sign flared to life, sending neon yellow light shining into his room.
“Fucking damn it!” He blurted, the blinding light shaking him out of his concentration. “Blinds… Blinds!…. Close Blinds!!” he repeated, getting slightly agitated. There was a slow whirr as blinds began to stem the invading light. “Damn, VIs never listen when you need them,” he thought.
Virtual Intelligence had been around for centuries, an offshoot of research into true AIs. They were capable of simple tasks or complex processing and problem-solving given a specific data set to work with. They were specifically labeled and marketed as unable to learn or develop beyond the particular fields of data provided. The United Colonial Government closely monitored their manufacturing and development; no one wanted another AI uprising. VIs were everywhere and used in just about every avenue of life, including the crappy VI that refused to close the blinds when he asked. You get what you pay for, though, and he didn’t think this was the best model, probably not, considering where he was staying.