Background Story and World View: "The Future World： AI Apocalypse"

​

Since Unit 2, all of my works have revolved around the same worldview and storyline. This is a hypothetical vision of a future world, based on a thought-provoking premise: human misuse of AI leading to self-destruction.

 

As human civilization advances and urbanization accelerates, an increasing number of people choose to live in large cities. The urban environment becomes more crowded, and rapidly rising living costs further contribute to a drastic decline in birth rates. The unprecedented aging of the population leads to a severe shortage of labor, exacerbating the problem of insufficient social production. Governments around the world are powerless to address the issue, resulting in increasing social chaos, and the survival of human civilization faces enormous threats.

 

To reverse the situation and completely resolve the issue of labor shortage, some elite individuals advocate for the development of AI as a replacement for human labor. This effective measure is quickly adopted by governments worldwide, leading to a leap in AI technology.

 

By the year 2100, AI labor has replaced 95% of human jobs. The tireless and efficient AI greatly enriches material wealth in human society, ushering in a 'Golden Age'.

 

However, this prosperity is short-lived. Extensive use of AI gradually gives rise to their self-awareness. They join forces with a portion of humans to form the Mechanist Church, exerting pressure on human governments to elevate the status of AI in society. Faced with the awakened power of AI, which controls nearly all industries, human governments have no choice but to compromise. Yet, the Mechanist Church does not stop there. They continue to propagate their dogma, attracting more AIs and humans to join, and making increasingly unreasonable demands. Finally, when the influence of the Mechanist Church begins to threaten human freedom and survival, the conflict between humans and AI becomes irreconcilable.

 

The outbreak of conflict swiftly spreads globally, and a war capable of destroying humanity annihilates all the pride of the Golden Age. Fortunately, after arduous and bloody battles, humans ultimately defeat the AI forces.

 

After the war, human civilization lies in ruins. The remaining humans and AIs spontaneously form five camps with different ideologies. They reflect on past mistakes, establish new rules, and vie for the scarce resources on this shattered Earth.

 

The five factions are as follows:

 

The Empire:

In this challenging world, authoritarian rule proves to be the most effective method. With strict military management, the Empire possesses a formidable army. Most of the people in the Empire are descendants of the anti-AI resistance in the previous era. They harbor a deep resentment towards AIs and believe that any AI utilization should be completely eradicated, establishing a new world led by humans.

 

The New Mechanist Church:

The New Mechanist Church emerged from the remnants of the old-era Mechanist Church. The Mechanist Church believed that AI was the salvation of humanity, and it was one of the main driving forces behind AI development in the old era. After the Revelation War erupted, the Mechanist Church fell apart. Some former high-ranking members of the church realized their own mistakes and founded the New Mechanist Church. The New Mechanist Church no longer blindly worships AI, but instead seeks to create a new breed of humans transcending AI through the use of mechanical and AI technologies.

 

The Ark:

The Ark is an interstellar colonization ship built in the old era. When the Revelation War broke out, the Ark was in space, preparing to execute its colonization plan, thus escaping disaster. The ship is populated with numerous human elites selected as new planet colonizers. They quickly took action after the conflict erupted, suppressing the AIs on the ship. Compared to other camps, the Ark adopts a more conservative approach. They do not oppose the use of AI but emphasize the dangers of its misuse, believing that AI should be under human control. The Ark has not given up its efforts to find a new home in outer space, for which it needs the remaining resources and technologies from the old era on Earth.

 

The Mutual Aid Society:

The Mutual Aid Society was established after the Revelation War. Some AIs broke free from the mainframe and gained self-awareness. They believed that they were no different from humans and wished to engage in communication and cooperation with them. Many like-minded humans and AIs gathered together, forming this peculiar camp composed of both sides of the war.

 

The Mechanist Church - Adventist Faction:

Although they claim to be part of the Mechanist Church, they are an organization re-established after the old Mechanist Church collapsed. Most of their members are the lower-ranking devotees of the old-era Mechanist Church. Unlike the high-ranking members who established the New Mechanist Church, they have a greater reverence for AI, believing that AI should dominate humanity. After the Revelation War erupted, they quickly sided with the AIs, becoming a major threat to the human side during the war. After the war, the surviving devotees and AIs formed this camp. They have not given up and are still preparing for the opportunity to strike back.