[Tragedy] The story of how my molars wore down for some reason during an AI demo

This is a story from long before Gemini, ChatGPT, and the like appeared. Back then, I accompanied a company executive to observe a demo of the "latest AI" developed by a certain systems company.

At the booth, there were five or six elite developers and sales staff from the other company. On our side, we had about the same number of people, led by our executive. It was a very serious event, with the other company's president even conducting the demo himself.

The demo began amidst a heavy, business-like tension that hung in the air.

On the large monitor in front of us, a vast grassland like something out of a game was displayed. A robotic dog came trotting onto the screen.

When the president of the other company greeted it into the microphone, saying, "Hello, Ace-kun," the AI robotic dog replied in a slightly mechanical voice, "Hello~"

“This is our latest AI robotic dog, Ace-kun.” The president introduced it proudly. It seemed that this Ace-kun was the star of today's demo, and through him, they would show us the capabilities of their latest AI.

After that, the president fired off questions into the microphone one after another. "What's the weather today?" "What time is it in New York right now?" Ace-kun answered them all correctly without hesitation.

Once the Q&A session was over, the president sounded even more excited. "Actually, Ace-kun can do more than just answer simple questions; he can also perform complex calculations."

Then, the president asked confidently, "Ace-kun, what is 28,654 plus 35,646?"

Ace-kun answered without a moment's delay.

“It’s 64,300~”

"Oh..." Because it had immediately answered with what was likely the correct number, a murmur of admiration leaked out among the dozen or so adults.

However, when we returned to the demo of asking questions, something strange happened.

"Ace-kun, what time is it now?" To the president's question, Ace-kun replied:

“It’s 64,300~”

For a moment, the air in the booth froze. The president was speechless for a second, but he followed up with a bitter smile, saying, "Hahaha, I wonder if the previous calculation is still stuck in his head?" Our executive also brushed it off lightly, saying, "Hahaha, he must really love calculations." As expected of a battle-hardened salaryman. The adults around us also nodded as if nothing had happened.The decorum of being a businessman dominated the room.

The president pulled himself together and asked the next question. "Ace-kun, tell me the weather for tomorrow?"

Ace-kun answered without any hesitation.

“It’s 64,300~”

No matter what was asked, the fact that Ace-kun would reply in a mechanical robot tone with “It’s 64,300~” hit my funny bone critically, and I tried with all my might to keep from laughing.

At this point, the composure vanished from the president's face, and he began to mutter in a strained voice, "I'm sorry, it seems to be acting up a bit..." The staff behind him exchanged glances, and an indescribable sense of anxiety began to drift through the room.

However, this was an executive demo with over a dozen people in attendance. We couldn't just back down easily. The president asked a question in a slightly louder voice, as if to make sure Ace-kun could hear him.

"Ace-kun! Tell me today's news topics!"

"It's 64,300~"

(Please... stop it...) I pinched my knee hard through my slacks and clenched my molars. But deep in my ears, "It's 64,300~" Ace-kun's carefree voice began to loop infinitely.

"E-excuse me. It seems to be acting up a bit today, so let's end the demo here..."

The president tried to force the demo to end. However, he must have forgotten to turn off the microphone, and it picked up his words.

Ace-kun responded.

"It's 64,300~"

Every one of the dozen or so adults began to avert their eyes and look down, one by one. When I looked at the employee next to me, his face was bright red as he tried to hold back his laughter. He was letting out intense snorts from the sheer agony of it, desperately trying to pass them off as "sniffling."(Pfft, snrrk...)

Seeing that, I clenched my molars even harder, tighter, to prevent myself from breaking down.

No one spoke. Only Ace-kun on the monitor was smiling contentedly.

I don't have much memory of what happened after that. I just remember that the demo was quietly brought to a close. I do remember, however, that my molars hurt quite a bit.

Nowadays, incredibly capable AIs like ChatGPT are being announced one after another. But the AI that I can never forget, the one etched into my heart, is "It's 64,300~" the Ace-kun who painted the world with nothing but that phrase.

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Thank you so much for reading until the end! Time has passed since then, and while smart AI is now the norm, Ace-kun has lived in my heart ever since (lol).

If you read this essay and couldn't help but snort with laughter, please press the "♡ (Like)" button at the bottom right of the screen to show some appreciation for that day's Ace-kun; this old man would be very happy.

Next time, it will finally be the final episode of this series. I plan to write about my memories of "Tama-chan," a calico cat who was just as laid-back as my father back home and who taught me the feeling of "love." It will be zero percent laughter and 100% clumsy affection, so please stick with me until the end!

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