Chapter 1365: Variation (4)

“Assistant Professor Priscilla, have you seen this?”

“Why? Do you have a question about today’s lecture?”

Inside the Elemental Studies lecture hall at Rebatenon Magic University.

Priscilla, who was organizing materials after Aris’s lecture, turned her head at the voice calling her.

Undergraduate students gathered in the spacious lecture hall were chattering, their phones displaying pristine white search bars.

“This AI on this search site is really popular these days. Chatterfox? I think that’s what it’s called.”

“It’s super famous, and I think everyone in other departments is using it. They say it helps with thesis writing.”

“If you’re using it for finding资料, it should be fine, right? Professor Richellen doesn’t seem to mind that sort of thing.”

Priscilla walked closer to the students and tilted her head.

“If you need me to, I can ask the professor for you. You want to use AI, and you’re wondering if it’s okay?”

Quite some time had passed since Priscilla joined the magic tower established in District 49.

Even she, who had only been assigned to administrative duties within the tower, was now gradually beginning to be dispatched to support external activities.

After some deliberation, the place she applied to was a research fellow position at Rebatenon Magic University, where she had graduated a few years ago.

She was assigned to Aris Richellen’s lab, helping with research, and assisting with lectures when she had free time. Aris had returned after several years.

By now, she had fully adapted, and had become friendly with the undergraduate students, so work wasn’t that difficult.

“Well, we weren’t insisting you ask the professor… but it would be nice if you did, Assistant Professor.”

“Idiot, that’s not what you were going to ask.”

“No, then aren’t you going to use this when you write your thesis?”

Amidst the bickering undergraduates, another student explained to Priscilla.

“It became famous through word-of-mouth on social media, and people who’ve used it say it answers anything.”

“It was made for human interaction, and there are many reviews saying it feels like you’re really talking to a person.”

“With performance surpassing Megatech’s strong AI, and a model that can communicate like a human, there were a lot of rumors about who created it…”

In this world filled with all sorts of mysteries and magic, the existence of artificial intelligence itself is not that rare.

Among the expensive strong AIs developed by Megatech, there are even models that possess reasoning abilities surpassing humans and learn on their own.

Nevertheless, Chatterfox’s popularity lay in its unrivaled search capabilities and communication skills that were often superior to those of an average human.

Its excellent accessibility, built directly into the search site, and a reasonable subscription fee of 800,000 cells per month, compared to other strong AIs, also contributed.

“Okay, I understand that this AI’s performance is different from other models available on the market.”

Priscilla, who had been listening to the explanation, placed her hands on her hips.

“The introduction is too long. So, what do you want to say?”

“Well, we heard a rumor circulating in other departments, and we found out that…”

The undergraduates, looking wary, spoke cautiously.

“We heard it’s a model made by the magic tower.”

“…The magic tower made an AI?”

Priscilla, standing next to the students with a file folder in hand, tilted her head.

Only then did she understand why the students had called her over.

“I’m sorry, but this is the first I’ve heard of it… I’ve never heard the Tower Lord talk about it either.”

“Wow, are you bragging that you’re personally acquainted with the Tower Lord right now?”

“No, what is he even talking about?”

As a flustered Priscilla waved her hands, the undergraduates, as if on cue, began to tease her.

“Right, for a wizard from the magic tower, it’s probably just some shoddy AI.”

“Ah, I want to get a job at the magic tower after graduation too… When will the magic tower start its open recruitment for wizards anyway?”

“Can’t you ask the Tower Lord to open a public recruitment for administrative positions, at least? We don’t even ask for recommended admission, just an interview opportunity!”

Half of what the undergraduates said was teasing Priscilla, but the other half was an expression of envy.

It was very well known within the Elemental Studies department that Priscilla was an officially employed wizard at the magic tower.

“Did you see the policies approved by the Countermeasures Committee after the war ended? It’s impossible to conduct magic research in this city now without going through the magic tower.”

“Our university is doing better, at least. It’s officially an educational institution allied with the magic tower, after all.”

“Can’t be helped. If all else fails, we’ll just have to go to Carlyle Research Institute or Vylun Research Institute.”

“Are you crazy? Those are already priority applications for other wizards and researchers. You’re being too greedy.”

“Since the magic tower isn’t recruiting wizards, the stock prices of their partner companies are skyrocketing like crazy. Everyone applies there first, putting everything else aside.”

There are many wizards in Vulcan who have properly learned magic, but naturally, few want to jump into dangerous work.

As most of them aspire to magic research, there have always been many who wished to enter a magic tower or research institute.

Since there were so many talented individuals, opportunities were rare, making it natural for them to envy wizards already assigned to the magic tower.

Priscilla’s academic performance as an undergraduate was exceptionally good, and she could wield water-elemental magic like Aris, so she rarely faced jealousy.

However, Priscilla herself might not have been able to enter the tower without the request of her sister, Mila.

“Anyway, Assistant Professor, please check out this AI. I just tried it for a bit, and it’s truly amazing, I tell you!”

“I looked it up earlier, and this search site itself seems very famous in the outer districts. Something about a weird eccentric who made a search engine?”

“It really talks like a human, and I just don’t think anyone other than the magic tower could develop an AI with this kind of performance!”

“Alright, alright. I get it.”

Led by the undergraduates, Priscilla stood before a phone and looked down at the search bar.

A cute fox emoticon, wagging its bushy tail, was next to the search bar.

While Priscilla tilted her head, thinking it looked vaguely familiar, the fox emoticon brought up a speech bubble.

=Welcome to Chatterfox. How may I help you?

“So, I type my question here, right? You said it helps with thesis writing, so let’s ask a simple question about today’s lecture.”

[Explain why the tri-elemental concentration and repulsion of mana particles cannot simultaneously exist at the master’s level.]

=Searching…

An emoticon of a fox running across a field was displayed, and then an answer appeared almost immediately.

Complex formulas and character arrays instantly rose onto the search bar, lining up one after another.

=Tri-elemental concentration of mana particles manifests by symmetrically arranging the affinities of three different attributes…

=The result of the manifestation changes depending on which attribute is placed in each affinity slot…

=Considering the attribute ratio coefficient, the calculation results in a 44% chance of manifestation…

“…”

Priscilla’s expression, as she read through the content, had turned serious.

The undergraduates grinned, looking at her, and asked her.

“How is it?”

“Doesn’t it give really plausible answers?”

“…It’s a little surprising.”

Priscilla said with a hint of reluctance.

“It accurately knows why a theory taught as impossible at the undergraduate level becomes possible at the master’s level. It must be a theory not yet commercialized, so did it reference various theses simultaneously to reach this conclusion?”

“It’s not just this. You can use it in more fun ways than just a search engine. Foxy?”

=What’s up?

At that moment, the AI on the screen responded on its own to the undergraduate’s words.

“Tell me in detail about a recent famous celebrity scandal!”

=Do you think there’s only one or two famous celebrity scandals in Vulcan? You need to specify the scope a little more clearly.

“Ah, no, no. What do you think is the most shocking scandal recently? How about the movie star’s disappearance a while ago? There are a lot of rumors about them being kidnapped, right?”

“Eek…”

Priscilla grimaced at the overly sensational topic, but surprisingly, the AI produced an unexpected answer.

=In my opinion, that movie star wasn’t kidnapped or disappeared; they’re likely on the run.

“What? Really? Why do you think that?”

=Because the Federal Bureau of Investigation has concluded they’re a serial killer and is secretly investigating them.

“…”

=A psychometry ability user found evidence at the scene. It looks like an arrest warrant will be issued within seven hours.

Even the undergraduates wore blank expressions at the utterly unimaginable answer.

“No, is this for real?”

“Weren’t you asking because you already knew? What are you talking about?”

“How would I know if that celebrity is missing or a serial killer?”

“Then what are these investigation agency materials the AI is talking about? Is it just lying?”

“No, if this answer is real, then it’s not the AI’s opinion in the first place.”

=Please remember that all these answers are merely Chatterfox’s personal opinions.

“…”

The AI naturally interjected, as if participating in a real conversation.

“Well, this model costs 800,000 cells per month for subscription. We still have some questions left, so we can ask a few more.”

“Let’s ask something else. Foxy. My name is Amir. Can I become an excellent wizard? Tell me if I can get a job at the magic tower like Assistant Professor Priscilla.”

=Elemental Studies sophomore. Registration number 34329, Amir Yudyn. Height 178 cm. Weight 74 kg. Specializing in Earth Magic?

“Huh? Uh… did I introduce myself that thoroughly?”

=Looking at your transcript up to sophomore year, it doesn’t seem to suit your aptitude. I recommend you transfer majors now.

“…”

Amir, the undergraduate, turned blank.

“Why, why do you think that? Can I hear your reason? Even so, my grades in Elemental Studies aren’t bad. Last semester, I even…”

=I know. You ranked 8th overall in the entire Elemental Studies sophomore class. 15th in Mana Manipulation. 3rd in Spell Analysis. 19th in Aptitude Test, right?

“Y-yes.”

=I agree you achieved excellent grades. You might even become an excellent wizard. But your aptitude doesn’t match Earth Magic in many ways.

“What do you mean…”

=Your mana manipulation is abnormally fast compared to other undergraduates, but your accuracy is extremely low. If you look at your written answer sheets, you have a habit of pressing your pen down, and you show mild ADHD symptoms, don’t you?

“…”

=Earth Magic, dealing with heavy objects, suits wizards with a cautious or calm personality. Did you know that 7% of Earth Wizards are crushed to death by their own spells? It’s the highest risk group among object manipulation magic.

“Uh…”

=If you look at your Spell Analysis answer sheet, there’s about 35% overlap with common answer guides in Elemental Studies. This level of similarity won’t be a problem, but it’s clear that there are areas where you rote-memorized without truly understanding the spell formulas.

“…”

=Earth Wizards receive high compensation in construction sites, so I think it’s good that you carefully considered your career path. Considering the ongoing redevelopment in District 49, your judgment could be said to have some merit.

Before they knew it, all the undergraduates in the lecture hall were listening to the AI’s consultation with wide eyes.

=You might have a slightly shorter attention span than others, but you also possess excellent magical talent and a clear vision. With that judgment, you can choose a good career path even if it’s not Earth Magic. Good luck!

“Okay, thank you… I don’t know if that was a compliment.”

Amir, who had been answering with a reluctant voice, suddenly snapped back to attention.

“Wait, wait. If you can say all that, can you also recommend what magic I should learn? What’s my aptitude?”

=You have exceeded the number of questions allotted per day.

“…”

Amir and the other undergraduates, staring blankly at the message, simultaneously pulled out their phones as if by prior arrangement.

“Where do I subscribe to this?”

“Was the monthly subscription fee 800,000 cells?”

“Wow… I really thought I was getting a consultation from a person just now. It gave me goosebumps.”

“But is this real? Did it really dig up all of Amir’s Rebatenon Magic University transcripts to answer?”

“…If it gets caught, we’re screwed. Did the AI just hack the university server?”

Perhaps the AI’s recent answer was shocking enough.

The undergraduates remaining in the lecture hall didn’t even think of leaving, just kept fiddling with their phones.

“From the answers, it seems like it can easily break through the security of most public institutions and research labs.”

“Is this even possible? This isn’t an AI; it’s a monster hacker. It’s breaking into central network servers just to answer users?”

“It’s not like there’s nowhere it can’t break into. There are a few areas the AI absolutely won’t answer about, and that is…”

Only after the student’s gaze subtly shifted towards Priscilla did she, too, realize the answer.

“The AI doesn’t give proper answers about magic tower-related things, does it? Is that why there’s a rumor going around that it was made by the magic tower?”

“Yes. Sometimes information related to District 49 is completely blocked. That’s why…”

“Hey, stop it now. The assistant professor said she’d never heard of it.”

“Maybe the language model developer was scared of the Tower Lord and put strict information disclosure restrictions.”

“More than that, look at the detail in the answer it just gave. I’m even starting to doubt if this is really an AI.”

“No way. Do you know how many people are using this service in Vulcan right now? Even if you estimate conservatively, tens of thousands of people must be asking questions simultaneously. How could a person answer?”

“We can just ask it directly. I just subscribed. Foxy!”

=This is Chatterfox. How may I help you?

“Are you really an AI?”

=This service’s language model aims to learn through communication with humans and ultimately to understand humans.

The AI on the phone screen answered naturally.

=It has been designed to communicate with humans in various fields, from information retrieval and spell analysis to counseling and investment advice, so please feel free to use the service. However, please be aware in advance that it cannot achieve performance surpassing the original in all fields.

“The original? You have an original? What is the original?”

“No, don’t ask that; ask something constructive.”

“Foxy. I have an exam soon; please give me some helpful advice. Speak casually, like before.”

=Helpful advice, you say?

“Yes. Like you analyzed Amir just now, or some useful tips before an exam are fine too. No, just anything that can help me in any way!!”

=…

Chatterfox fell silent for the first time, and the others began to scold the student who had asked the question.

“Hey, why did you ask such a vague question!”

“You need to specify the topic exactly. Didn’t you just waste a question opportunity?”

“If the owner is stupid, even an AI can’t help it. You might as well just ask for the exam answers.”

“No, if it’s really a human-like AI, it should be able to answer even these kinds of questions—”

=If you don’t study hard now, you’ll end up like me, trapped inside a phone doing a part-time job pretending to be a fox, you know?

“…”

This time, the undergraduates truly looked at each other with blank expressions.

“This bastard… I don’t think it’s an AI after all.”

Adamant Thunder. I’ve ended the information disclosure restriction for the Chatterfox language model you requested.

A speaker voice emanated from the dark research room.

A voice mixed with electronic sounds came from behind Lennok, who was standing before a complex magic circle.

One of the Deepweb administrators he had been in continuous contact with since meeting in Cybernetic Space.

I’ve increased the strictness of the information disclosure standards used by the Deepweb community, so there won’t be any more exposure of sensitive information like now.

“It’s a relief we could finish the work before more people started abusing it.”

Lennok, who was carefully drawing a spell circle on the research room floor, replied.

After learning of Chatterfox’s existence, Lennok had prepared for spell research while also arranging for information disclosure restrictions on the AI.

Its excellent performance was fine, but its ability to breach the firewalls of public institutions and companies with a simple question held too much potential for abuse.

Fortunately, with the help of the Deepweb community administrators, they were able to quickly decide how far to restrict the information disclosure scope.

Davi had reviewed it and immediately applied it to the language model, so the upload should be complete by now.

But it seemed the Deepweb administrator’s main point wasn’t that.

The reaction to the Chatterfox language model is truly enormous. The response in the public eye is unbelievably beyond what was a topic of discussion on the Deepweb.

The administrator’s voice, informing Lennok of the situation, unusually held a faint excitement.

As rumors spread among citizens, site traffic exploded abnormally. Even people who had no interest in this area are using your search engine.

“…”

The gap in perception that we could never bridge, no matter how hard we tried, you transcended with just one AI development. Do you know what’s even more absurd?

“Is there still something left to be surprised by?”

Non-human communities and spheres of influence have officially protested the use of Chatterfox. They’re asking for the subject restriction, which only applies to humans, to be lifted.

“What?”

It seems that because the language model pursues communication with humans, non-humans find it difficult to use properly. They said they also want to use Chatterfox properly.

“…”

They asked if you were a racist.

“That’s ridiculous…”

To think that the result of Davi pondering how to understand humans was an AI language model that maximized communication with humans.

Not only the unimaginable idea and its outcome, but also the ripple effect of the entire city being stirred by it, was astonishing.

Even though the language model was being used more actively in the public than in the shadows, the reactions surrounding it were even more so.

Because of the AI you created, I had direct contact with city government officials for the first time in almost 10 years. It seems they couldn’t casually intervene because security was being breached defenselessly, and it appeared to be an item related to the magic tower.

They seemed to hope you would take action on that matter as soon as possible. What will you do?

“It’s probably resolved now that the information disclosure restriction has been placed. If problems arise later, I’ll speak directly with city government officials.”

After that, Lennok exchanged a few more discussions with the Deepweb administrator about search engine management and then hung up the call.

Only then did Davi, who had been watching Lennok cautiously, approach him with a sullen expression and rub her head against him.

[Master, I’m sorry…]

“It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.”

Davi was a spirit deeply influenced by Lennok’s talent and spirituality from birth.

Therefore, the topics Davi was interested in did not include anyone other than Lennok.

The fact that the spirit, who never made a single mistake when helping Lennok, had loosely loosened Chatterfox’s information disclosure restrictions meant that understanding others was, in many ways, an act of breaking rules for Davi.

There was no need or reason to be angry. If anything, didn’t that mistake even turn out to be beneficial to Lennok in the end?

Lennok ultimately couldn’t be a strict creator to Davi.

“For now, please just monitor Chatterfox and confirm any abusive uses. Let’s think about how to apply the language model later.”

[Don’t worry!]

“Good. Then, let’s put the detailed talk aside for now and start with what needs to be done.”

Lennok stood up, caressing the black ring on his finger, and walked out.

In the center of a spacious, dark room etched with complex spell circles.

Slowly extending his hand and drawing up mana, he simultaneously opened the Mandala ring on his finger.

At the same time, a noise, consuming the space-time of the research room and imperceptible even to Lennok’s senses, flowed out.

Shhh-zzzzzzzzz-

Something covering and distorting space-time, transforming into an incomprehensible shape.

“Now that I’ve obtained the Mirror’s power, there’s one more thing I needed to test before leaving.”

An unprecedentedly dangerous plan to approach Paradise Lost to recover Myeong’s legacy.

Therefore, Lennok was also meticulously preparing during the remaining time.

His last personal research attempt before joining Pandemonium.

Lennok’s eyes darkened as he watched the overflowing noise.

“This time, I must somehow acquire and grasp the Ten Laws of the World.”