A Natural Progression
by Melisa Wrex
World Watch
May 23, 2031
Reported by Bot 85.2-901B
US SENATE APPROVES AI TO REPLACE JUDICIAL BRANCH
In a stunning show of solidarity, the United States Senate approved NexGeo’s most advanced artificial intelligence system to replace a critical government branch. This move is meant to remove personal and political agendas from decisions of the upper courts; give citizens speedy, no-cost trials without the need of a jury; and eliminate the lengthy appeals process.
The tech giant has spent over a decade training the algorithm by uploading centuries of national, state, and local laws; case outcomes; legal precedents; evidence analysis; and ethical dilemmas. The model, fondly known as “Father,” delivers unbiased decisions based on the preponderance of evidence presented and has been deemed 99.9% accurate by legal experts.
NexGeo’s Chief Intelligence Officer, Carmen Bertrand, projects America’s current court backlog will be erased in just five days. “The future of justice is limitless with Father on the bench.”
End of Article
World Watch
February 2, 2032
Reported by Bot 1.44-533U
RADICAL MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH SOLVES PRISON SHORTAGE
Lument BioTech, the research pioneers credited with giving ALS patients the ability to communicate via brain-reading translation, has created another solution, this time to send signals to the brain rather than receive them.
“Lument can send a brief, painless signal to the brains of convicted individuals triggering a hibernation state programmed to last for the duration of their sentence. This allows inmates to be detained safely in their own homes without the need for food, water, or external supervision. Family care is the best care,” attests a Lument press representative.
Home hibernation has been deemed “the prison of the future,” alleviating the need to build new prison facilities as the convicted criminal population climbs.
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World Watch
June 12, 2033
Reported by Bot 234.51-80R
LAW ENFORCEMENT RENDERED OBSOLETE BY CRIME DETECTION TECH
Minor modifications to Lument BioTech’s brain-reading tool have enabled the software to detect crimes in progress by monitoring thought activity of all US residents. Long-running studies have consistently tied cerebral signals of distress and abnormally high dopamine levels with victims and perpetrators of crime.
When a crime is detected, Lument’s previously deployed hibernation technology will temporarily freeze the suspect while evidence is collected for analysis by Father. Judgments can be rendered within hours, eliminating the need for arrest, interrogation, or confession.
“Lument BioTech’s mission is comfort and safety through technology. The public will be excited to learn that we’re already piloting our next advancement—pre-crime apprehension—stopping crime before it starts and making our world more secure than ever before,” assures Board Chair, Rob Day.
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About the Author
Melisa Wrex writes from the Adirondack Park of upstate New York where she lives with her husband and a variety of woodland creatures. She dabbles in poetry, fiction, and picture book manuscripts, but her most prolific genre is corporate e-mail. She’s on X and Bluesky – @mowrex.
