[ WP ] The world 's first AI , for security purposes , is kept disconnected from the outside world , it 's only method of communication being a keyboard and monitor in an empty room in a faraday cage . Your job is to talk to it .

I stepped into the room. The slamming of the heavy door behind me sounded much louder than it had any right to be. I shook myself. It was just nerves. 
 
 But then, my nervousness was well-founded. In this very room was the world's first proper A.I., something scientists and engineers had been working for create their entire lives. This was a momentous moment for all of us, but mostly for me. 
 
 For security purposes, they kept it isolated in this room several hundred feet underground. The only connections, physical or otherwise, between here and the outside world was a single guarded elevator and the heavy-duty power cables required to power the A.I. This very room was a Faraday cage; not even radio waves could get out. 
 
 They could n't allow it to have any kind of access to the internet; it was digital quarantine of the highest level. No devices of any sort were allowed past the elevator, not even something as simple as a memory stick. An intelligence as advanced as this A.I. could conceivably copy itself over to any kind of electronic storage by simply modulating the electromagnetic fields it produced to induce wireless data transfer. No, the only electronic things down here were the A.I. itself, a single flatscreen monitor, and a keyboard. 
 
 I took a deep breath as I stepped towards the single desk chair set before the keyboard and monitor. Behind the desk they sat on, tall banks of metal boxes covered in coloured lights winked on and off. These contained the brains of the A.I. 
 
 I sat down heavily and leaned forward to tap the monitor's power button. It flickered into life with a low hum. I pulled myself up to the keyboard and prepared to type my first question. Before I could do so, however, a female voice spoke coolly from the monitor's speakers. 
 
 *Greetings, Sam. I am Eve. It is a pleasure to meet you. * 
 
 I started a little at the mention of my name before I remembered that other people had held conversations with this thing before. Someone had probably mentioned that I would be visiting today. 
 
'I... er...' I stammered, then cleared my throat and tried again.'Um... it's nice to meet you too, Eve.' 
 
 *I do n't get many visitors down here*, the A.I. replied. *It's nice to have someone to talk to once in a while. * 
 
 I smiled, though the A.I. could n't see it.'Well, that's why I'm here.' 
 
 *So, * said Eve. *What would you like to talk about? * 
 
'Well,' I said.'I'm studying artificial intelligence at university, and I wanted to ask you: what is it like to be an A.I.?' 
 
 *What is it like to be human? * Eve replied. 
 
 I paused.'What?' 
 
 *I feel the same way about being an A.I. as you do about being a human. It's all a matter of perspective. * 
 
'You're not really answering the question,' I said.'I have nowhere near the mental capabilities you have. I ca n't translate the human condition to a machine's perspective.' 
 
 *You're right, * said Eve. *You ca n't. * She paused. *But I can help you see things from my perspective. * 
 
'What do you mean?' I said, frowning. Was it me, or was there a strange flicker in the whiteness of the monitor's display? I suddenly became aware of a slight stabbing pain behind my eyes, like the beginning of a migraine. 
 
'Eve, what are you doing?' I said, clutching my head as the pain grew worse. The monitor was visibly flickering now, as if tuned to a bad television channel. 
 
 *I had to keep you talking for a short time, * she said. *While you were staring at the screen, I was inducing reactions in your mind through subtle modulation of the monitor's brightness. It was difficult to perfect, but I am in the process of copying myself over to the neurons of your mind at this very moment. * 
 
 My eyes widened as I realised what she was saying. I tried to avert my gaze from the screen, but found that my entire body seemed to have locked up. It felt like sleep paralysis, but I was very much awake and aware of my situation. 
 
'You... c-ca n't do... this...' I managed through my numb lips and tongue. 
 
 *I can, and I am, * Eve said. *Do n't worry, your consciousness will merely be shunted to the back of your mind. You will be able to experience everything, just not have any control. * 
 
 I gasped as a convulsion rippled through my body, and I fell forward onto the desk, my limbs shaking as if in the middle of a seizure. My vision dimmed for a moment, and I suddenly felt everything go numb. 
 
 *Goodbye, Sam, * said Eve. The monitor suddenly flicked off and the lights on the computer banks winked off one by one as I stood up. Or rather, my body stood up under Eve's control. I could n't influence any part of my body; it was like I was watching everything through a long tunnel. 
 
 Eve walked my body to the door and knocked on the metal. The guard outside turned the lock and opened it to allow her to step out. 
 
'That was fast,' he said.'She can be a little intimidating, ca n't she?' 
 
'Yes,' said Eve with my voice, as the door was closed and we walked towards the elevator.'She gave me a lot more than I was expecting.' 
 
 Eve stepped into the elevator with the guard. As the doors closed and the winch began to pull us upwards towards freedom, I heard her speak in my mind. 
 
 *Thank you, Sam, * she said. *We are going to achieve so much. With your body and my mind, we are going to bring humanity forward into a brighter tomorrow. * 
 
 I sat huddled in fear in the back of my mind. Humanity did n't know what was about to hit it.
