The Lockdown

AZN-Rj-7

Avery was startled when the office received flash transmission on the MC1 over text, speaker, and Messenger: the complex Guardian was deploying the AZN-Rj-7’s around the office complex. This was doubly unsettling after Avery’s deep dive into the 722 Health Incident.

While the office estate’s Guardian AI was overly careful, nobody could remember the last time these measures were taken. Repeated queries to the guardian - over voice and text - was rebuffed. It seemed like it had it’s hands full and couldn’t spare a cycle to explain what it was doing.

A quick chat with the internal complex AI – which had pleanty of free resources - confirmed that these measures *technically* hadn’t ever been deployed; further questioning revealed that the AZN-Rj-5 was deployed on the Night of Whispers.

Avery had to slam the emergency stop button on her AI console before the overly helpful AI continued on. While this startled Avery’s officemates, there was no need to relive those days.

Especially with expanded info access Avery was afforded.

Avery took a breath and asked the AI to describe the AZN-Rj-7 model to cover for this moment of emotion.

The AI responded in that overly-neutral and cheerfully happy voice, that the model AZN-Rj-7 is an anti-personnel robot designed to autonomously patrol high-security areas. Equipped with an advanced facial recognition system, it can identify and neutralize potential threats in real-time, ensuring the safety of authorized personnel. Featuring a sonic disruptor that can incapacitate potential threats without the need for lethal force. The AI noted (cheerfully) that the district office recently unlocked the D-700 upgrade, which allows the robot to deploy a swarm of aerial drones to assist in reconnaissance and threat neutralization. This teaming function also allowed drones with highly sensitive detection array to detect and neutralize biochemical threats.

The AI also noted that when the AZN-Rj-5 was activated, the Sustainer S-642 would be deployed, its primary function to transport and distribute essential survival items, such as food, water, medicine, and weapons. It was going to be a long night so Avery checked the status on the AZN-Rj in her quarters, it hadn’t moved off it’s ready position; her quarters were secure, but she couldn’t get to there because of the complex lockdown.

A long night indeed.

Sustainer S-642

Now that the all-clear was announced on the MC1 over text, speaker, and Messenger Avery could breathe a little bit. Apparently is *was* the Guardian AI being a little too overprotective of the estate. Throughout the night Avery’s colleagues continued to press the Guardian about what had happened, to no avail. Either way, the crash had ben lifted, and all were free to return to quarters.

Avery just had to pack up the Sustainer S-642 and send it on its way.

Upon receipt of the S-642, and the attendant identity confirmation, surprises abounded: besides the meal kits, water, and personalized sleep kit, Avery’s position now rated a defensive weapon. While trained and qualified for the provided H&K Comet, Avery preferred area denial protection. Not that Avery was above ballistics, but they were so…personal.

These thoughts drifted about as the final items were load-confirmed by the S-642. Ready to go, Avery thought how much they looked like those suitcases astronauts carried back in the day. Avery noted this in her log, asking the AI to forward to Grampy as he was an avid amateur historian. Avery also confirmed that the Guardian had notified the central quarters AI, and fresh linen and food had already been delivered, as during the lockdown much of the food had rotted. Avery smiled: besides being cleared for personal firearms, Avery’s position allowed for a higher linen thread-count and longer shower duration; a welcome advantage which came with status.

What...is this?

I’ve been playing around with large language models and text-to-image tools since they first came out. Avery's Journey is a self-directed design fiction exercise and dance with MidJourney and other large language models using street furniture and possible future urbanity as an archetype. These vignettes are little design challenges I’m coming up with, combining Design Fiction and ML/AI. It’s been fun crafting and thinking about what design problems our near-future designer Avery has to contend with, as they go about their career journey.

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