Page 63 of Dark Princess Emerging

"So, you're saying it's impossible?"

"Not impossible," William corrected. "Just impractical with current technology. The computational power required to run a blockchain system on that scale would be enormous. And that's before we even get into the philosophical questions about what constitutes truth in situations where facts are open to interpretation."

Brandon's enthusiasm for the idea was fading fast. "What if we started with something smaller and focused on specific types of verifiable facts? Things that are less susceptible to misinterpretation?"

William's expression turned thoughtful. "That might be more manageable. We could start with easily verifiable data points likestatistics, historical dates, and scientific facts and build up from there. The blockchain could work for that scale, especially if we limit the initial scope. But frankly, that's not economically viable for the purpose you intend it for."

"There must be a way to supply verified information to help young humans develop critical thinking skills," Brandon said. "If we give them tools to recognize manipulation and misinformation, we will safeguard the world from tyranny. There is tremendous value in that."

William rubbed his chin for several long moments. "No matter how noble a goal is, if it doesn't have real-world commercial use, it will not secure funding. But what you want to achieve does not require an ultimate arbiter of truth. It would have been nice to have that, but it's just not feasible currently." William shifted and crossed his legs at the ankles. "We could develop a system that is trained to flag manipulation tactics, provide context for claims, and show how information can be verified independently."

"You just said that an ultimate arbiter of truth is not possible."

"It's not." William grimaced. "But even what I suggested needs significant computing power. The AI wouldn't need to determine truth, just identify patterns of manipulation and provide tools for users to investigate claims themselves. The final analysis would remain the responsibility of the truth seeker."

How many would bother?

Too few to make it worth the effort.

It was much easier to defer to the various so-called experts or rather influencers. Social media had revived the old snake oil salesmanship with a twist and much larger audiences.

It was a goldmine for those who knew how to use it.

Still, Brandon wasn't ready to give up yet.

"What if we combined Parker's basic concept with social elements?" he suggested. "Create a platform where users can collaborate to investigate claims, with AI assistance but not AI judgment?"

"That has potential." William drummed his fingers on the desk. "We could use blockchain to secure the investigation process itself—verifying sources, tracking changes, preventing tampering. The AI would act more like a research assistant than a judge. Still, it will require a lot of computing power that cannot be justified by even the most successful social platform." He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry that I don't have better news for you."

"That's the nature of truth, right? Often, it is not what we want to hear, but we'd better listen instead of doing something stupid."

"True." William nodded.

Brandon pushed away from the bench he'd been leaning against. "Now for the other reason I brought Morelle over. She needs a phone and laptop like the one you provided for Ell-rom. The one with an artificial intelligence English teacher."

"Of course." William's expression brightened. "I've made some improvements to the AI teacher program since then. The language acquisition algorithms are even better now." He walked over to another desk and started opening drawers. "I've had both devices ready to be delivered for days, but I forgot about them. You did well by coming over and reminding me."

As Morelle and Kaia rejoined them, Morelle immediately launched into an enthusiastic description of everything she'd seen. "The Perfect Match machines are terrifying, with that big helmet thing that comes over the head, but Kaia said that the experience is amazing and that I should try it. She said that they have a new adventure that's called The World Tour. In three hours, I can visit most of Earth's greatest attractions, but it will feel as if I'm spending weeks on a guided tour."

Brandon hadn't been aware of that new adventure, but the truth was that he didn't like the idea of letting a machine take over his mind and put fake memories in there. "Sounds great, but I'll pass. On another note, William's going to set you up with your own phone and laptop," he told her. "Complete with an AI teacher to help you master English."

Morelle's initial disappointment at his lack of enthusiasm for trying the Perfect Match experience was replaced with excitement. "Like Ell-rom's?"

"Even better," William said. "The new version is more advanced and adapts better to your learning style and pace. Let me show you."

38

MORELLE

Brandon's lack of enthusiasm for Perfect Match was puzzling. It was the kind of technology that the gods on Anumati might possess, but no Kra-ell had ever enjoyed.

Maybe things had changed since she'd left the home planet, and the Kra-ell had more access to the wonders of the gods, but back then they had lived quite primitively, even compared to how the humans on Earth lived now.

Was it thanks to Annani's drip-feeding of the gods' tech to the human world?

Would they have advanced as much on their own without the immortals' help?

The answers to these questions were important to her because if humans could achieve so much on their own, why hadn't the Kra-ell?