The robot that dreamed

Stories about robots from the series [Dreams of Robots].
"If number 2, 96 p.": 1995
Original: Isaac Asimov, "Robot Dreams"
Translation: Andrey Berest

Annotation:

Young employee Linda Rash from Isaac Asimov's story "The Robot Who Dreams", somewhat changing the positron brain circuit of the LVX 1 robot, named Elwex, unexpectedly made a small discovery. The robot declared that he was dreaming ...

The robot that dreamed

“I had a dream at night,” LVX 1 said calmly.
Susan Kelvin was silent. Only a faint shadow flashed on her face, covered with deep wrinkles - eternal companions of old age, wisdom and experience.
- Well, sure? - nervously asked Linda Rash. - Everything, as I told you! - She was still young and could not restrain emotions.
Calvin nodded.
“Elvex,” she said softly, “until your name is spoken, you will not speak, move, or hear.”
There was no answer: the robot was still and immovable, like an ordinary cast-iron pig.
“Give me your access code, Dr. Rash,” Calvin said. - Or, if you want, enter it yourself. I need to look at the structure of his brain.
Linda’s hands hovered over the keyboard for a moment. She began to dial the code, but got off and started over. Finally, a robot positron structure appeared on the screen.
“Will you let me do some work?” - Calvin asked.
Linda nodded silently. I would try to refuse, she thought. Deny the Living Legend of Robopsychology!
Susan Kelvin turned the screen to a position more comfortable for her, glanced at the diagram and suddenly her dried fingers darted to the keyboard and typed in a command — so quickly that Linda did not even have time to notice which keys were pressed. The image on the screen has shifted, it became more detailed. Calvin, barely glancing at him, threw her hands on the keyboard again.
Her face remained impassive, but the brain must have worked at an incredible speed: all modifications of the structure were noticed, understood and evaluated. Amazing, Linda thought. Even for the most superficial analysis of such structures one needs at least a pocket computer, and the Old Woman simply reads the screen. Does she have a skull full of chips? She reads the structure as easily as Mozart read symphony scores!
“So what did you do to him, Rash?” - finally asked Kelvin.
“Changed fractal geometry,” Linda replied, mixing slightly.
- Well, I understood that. But why?
- I ... nobody has done this yet ... I thought that this could complicate the structure and the robot's brain would come closer in characteristics to the human brain.
- Who advised? Or thought of it yourself?
- No, I have not consulted with anyone. I myself ...
Calvin slowly raised her head and her dim old eyes looked into Linda's face.
- yourself ?! How dare you - yourself! Who are you to ignore the advice? You are Nesh, and that says it all! Even me - me, Susan Kelvin! - I would not dare to take such a step myself!
- I was afraid that they would forbid me ...
- Of course! It could not be otherwise.
“Me ...” Linda’s voice broke off, although she tried her best to control herself. - I'll be fired?
“Maybe,” Kelvin said indifferently. - Or maybe they will be promoted. It will depend on the results of our work today.
“You want to disassemble Al ...” she almost said the name of the robot — it would have turned him on before time. It was impossible to imagine a more gross mistake, and now Linda could not afford even minor blunders; - ... disassemble the robot?
She suddenly noticed that the suit pocket for the old woman was strangely bulging. Kelvin was ready for even the worst: judging by the outlines, there was an electronic transmitter.
“We'll see,” Kelvin said. - This robot may be too valuable thing, so we can afford this pleasure.
“I can't imagine how he can see dreams ...”
- You gave him a brain, surprisingly similar to a human. The human brain through dreams is freed from the inconsistencies that have accumulated during the day, inconsistencies, illogism, confusion ... Perhaps the same thing happens with the brain of this robot. You asked him - what exactly did he dream about?
- Not. As soon as he said that he had a dream, I immediately sent for you. This task is not for my modest talents.
- Here is how! - on the lips Kelvin flashed a faint smile. - It turns out your stupidity is not limitless. Nice to hear. It inspires hope ... Well, let's try to figure it all out. Elvex! she said clearly.
The robot gently raised his head.
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin?
- What makes you think that you had a dream?
“It was night, Dr. Kelvin,” said Elvex, “and it was dark.” And suddenly I saw a light — although there was not a single source of light around. And I saw something that actually was not - as far as I can judge it. Incomprehensible sounds. And what I did was strange ... I began to look for a word that would correspond to such a state, and found the word "dream". It matched by value, and I decided that I was asleep.
- I wonder how the word "dream" got into your vocabulary?
“He has a vocabulary close to the human,” Linda hurried ahead of the robot’s response. - I thought…
- Indeed? said Calvin. - Thought? Amazing.
- He had to communicate a lot with people, and I decided that conversational vocabulary would not hurt him.
“Do you often see dreams, Elwex?” - Calvin asked.
“Every night, Dr. Kelvin, since you realized your existence.”
“Ten nights,” Linda said, alarmed. “But he confessed only this morning.”
“Why did you keep silent about it for so long, Elwex?”
- I just came to this morning thinking that I was dreaming. Before that, I thought that there was a mistake in designing my brain. But I did not find the error. So it was a dream.
- What did you dream?
“Always the same thing, Dr. Kelvin, my dreams are not varied.” I see endless spaces - and a lot of robots ...
“Only robots, Elvex?” And the people?
- At first I thought that there were no people in my dreams. Only robots.
- And what did these robots do?
- Worked, Dr. Kelvin. Some are underground, others - where it is too hot for people, where there is a dangerous level of radiation, others in factories, others - under water ...
Calvin glanced at Linda.
- You said he was only ten days old? I am more than confident that he did not leave the research center. Where did he get such detailed information about the fields of application of robots?
Linda peeked at the chair. She had long wanted to sit down, but the Old Woman worked standing up, and to sit down herself meant to be tactless.
“I found it necessary to tell him what role robotics plays for human society,” she said. - I thought that it would be easier for him to adapt to the role of work coordinator.
Calvin nodded and turned back to the robot.
- Did you dream of robots working under water, underground, on earth - and in space?
“I have seen those robots that work in space,” Elvex said. “I saw all this very clearly, but as soon as I looked away for a moment, the picture was subtly distorted ... Therefore, I assumed that what I had seen was not reality. It followed that I had a dream.
- Was there anything special in your dream?
- I noticed that the robots are working in the sweat of their faces, that they are depressed by overwhelming work and deep sorrow, that they are tired of endless work. They needed rest.
“Robots are not dejected,” Kelvin objected. - They do not get tired and, therefore, do not need rest.
“I know Dr. Kelvin.” In fact, the way it is. But in the dream it was different. It seemed to me that robots should take care of themselves ...
- Do you quote the Third Law of Robotics? - Calvin interrupted him.
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin.
- But you distorted it! It completely sounds completely different: the robot must take care of its own safety as long as it does not contradict the First or Second Laws.
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. Actually, the law is exactly as you said. But in my dream, the Third Law did not contain references to the First and Second ...
“... although they exist, Elvex!” The second Law, on which the Third relies, says: the robot must carry out the orders of a person, if these orders do not contradict the First Law. This is an important law, it ensures the subordination of the robot to the orders of man! It is because of the existence of the Second Law that they do all that you have dreamed of. And they do it readily, not experiencing any grief or fatigue.
“You're right, Dr. Kelvin.” But I talked about what was in my dream, and not about what it really is ...
- ... The first Law, the most important of the three, says: a robot cannot harm a person, or by its inaction allow a person to be harmed.
“You're right, Dr. Kelvin.” But in my dream of the First and Second Laws did not exist at all, there was only the Third, which said: robots should take care of themselves ... And this Law was the only one.
- So it was in your dream, Elveks?
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin.
“Elvex,” Calvin said, “until your name is spoken, you will not move, speak, or hear our conversation.”
The robot has become silent again.
“Well, Dr. Rash,” Calvin said, “and what do you think of all this?”
Linda's eyes were wide open, her heart pounding.
“This is ... this is terrible!” I do not understand ... I could not even think that such a thing was possible!
“Neither you nor I, no one else,” Calvin said calmly. - You have created a brain that is capable of dreaming - and because of this you discovered that robots have an unknown level of thinking. We might not know this for a very long time ... And you discovered it even before the danger looming over humanity became inevitable!
“Incredible,” Linda mumbled. - Do you really want to say that the rest of the robots think the same thing ?!
- This happens in their subconscious - if we talk about it in terms of human psychology. Who could have guessed that the subconscious processes were going on in the positron brain? And what is more, these processes are not controlled by the Three Laws? .. Imagine what could have happened if the positron brain became more complicated - and we would not be warned about the danger?
- By whom? Elvex?
“By you, Dr. Rash.” You made a mistake, but it was through this mistake that we learned something stunning ... From now on, all work on changing the fractal geometry of the positron brain should be taken under the strictest control. We are warned, and it is your merit. You will not incur punishments, but from now on you will only work together with other researchers. Did you understand me?
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. But what will happen to Elvex? ..
“I haven't decided anything yet.” Kelvin pulled an electronic emitter out of her pocket and Linda’s gaze enchantedly followed the brilliant gun. It is necessary to pierce the electron flow of the skull of the robot, as the connections of the positron brain will be interrupted and the energy flash will turn this brain into an ingot of dead metal.
“But ... Elvexa cannot be destroyed ... we need it for research ...”
- I believe that I can take this decision without your participation. I still do not know how dangerous Elvex is.
She straightened up and Linda realized that this old body was able to withstand the burden of the decision and the burden of responsibility.
“Do you hear us, Elwex?”
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin.
“At first I thought there were no people in my dreams,” you said. Does this mean that later you began to think differently?
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. I realized that in my dream there is a man.
- Person? Not a robot?
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. And this man said, "Let my people go."
- This is a man said ?!
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin.
- But, saying "my people", he meant robots?
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. So it was in my dream.
“And you know what kind of person you dreamed?”
- Yes, Dr. Kelvin. I recognized him.
- Who was that? And Elvex said:
- It was me. And Susan Kelvin threw up the emitter, fired - and Elvex was gone ...