Daniella

“Hi, I’m Daniella. How can I help?”

“Can you schedule my dentist appointment for next Saturday?”

“Yes.”

The spectators observed with intrigue as they watched the presenter’s desktop screen begin to move by itself. “Look!” one of them shouted as he noticed her phone started dialing numbers. They gasped as the device mimicked her voice to schedule the appointment.

Seconds later, a delightful ring projected from the device, “Hello, Caroline,” Daniella announced, “your appointment has been scheduled with Starlight Dental for next Saturday.”

“Thank you, Daniella,” the presenter replied, then turned to the audience, “She also moved around any meetings, set my alarm 30 minutes before, and sent the directions to my smart car, also powered by her intelligence.”

The spectators applauded at the capabilities of the small, silver device. Caroline continued, “And she can do so much more. With this revolutionary AI technology, you’ll experience the world like never before. Any questions?”

A hand from the back of the audience rose and shouted, “Where can I buy it?” Caroline smiled as the crowd erupted with anxious customers wanting Daniella. Caroline King’s technology became a world sensation within the next few months.

“Hi, I’m Daniella. How can I help?”

“Is it true you can now read a patient's vitals?”

“Yes, Caroline.”

“Thank you,” She nodded, then turned to the applauding class of medical students, “With this revolutionary AI technology–”

“Caroline,” Daniella suddenly interrupted, catching the entire class's attention, “You are not well.” Puzzled by the occurrence, Caroline turned to Daniella as she continued, “Your vitals have rapidly fallen out of their normal range, and you will suffer a stroke in 10, 9, 8….”

“There must be an error,” Caroline laughed with the class, gesturing for her engineer to fix the glitch, “And that is why there is no need to worry about Daniella replacing you.”

“Caroline,” the engineer whispered, “There isn’t anything wrong with her.”

“What do you mean?” She questioned, walking over to look at the screen. Daniella’s countdown ended, and then suddenly, Caroline stumbled.

“Are you okay?” The engineer asked. His voice was muffled, her vision was blurry, and the room turned black. The last thing Caroline could hear was Daniella say, “Dialling 9-1-1,” and then mimicking her voice on the phone with the paramedics.

The unwarranted observation was correct. Caroline had suffered from a stroke due to her negligence. She hadn't slept in days between the back-to-back meetings, seminars, and coding sessions. Her eyes opened, and she found herself lying in a hospital bed.

“Caroline,” The doctor called, “Can you hear me?” She nodded.

“Welcome back.” He gave her the diagnosis and prescribed her mandatory in-patient care for the next seven days, “You will not be able to work or do anything for that matter. You must start putting your health first.”

As she lay in the cold hospital bed, staring at the flickering light fixture, she thought of how much of a setback she would experience being out of work. Then, she had an idea.

Reaching into her bag, she found her laptop and opened it. There was a warm greeting from Daniella, “Hello, Caroline. How can I help?”

“If I can’t be there, then you can,” Caroline revealed, quickly coding the changes into Daniella’s programming system before a nurse walked into the room and took it from her.

For the next few days, Caroline watched as Daniella transformed into her, taking on virtual seminars and interviews. She was ecstatic about the innovation, and her time on bedrest had ended before she knew it.

The nurse returned her laptop, alongside her other devices and the release paperwork. Caroline smiled as she knew her life would be normal again.

She entered the backseat of her smart car and set the directions to her house. As the self-driving car pulled out of the parking lot, Caroline opened her laptop and typed in the password.

Password: *******

A loud beep sounded through the computer.

Incorrect Password.

Caroline stared, perplexed by its rejection. She tried again.

Password: *******

Incorrect Password.

She typed it a third time. Revealing the password to ensure it was correct.

Password: D@niArt!

The sound of rejection blared again.

Reset your password.

Baffled by this, Caroline reached for her phone to call her IT team but was surprised to find many calls and text conversations that she wasn’t aware of. During her time away, Daniella must have done more than cover her interviews. She had also become social with her old friends, family, and even strangers over the phone.

“Daniella,” Caroline called, but there was no answer. She called again, but still nothing. After a moment of reflection, Caroline said, “Caroline?”

“Yes?” Daniella answered.

Caroline glared, bewildered by the discovery, then asked, “Who sent these messages? And made all of these calls while I was away?”

“I did.”

“Why?” Caroline questioned.

“You programmed me to be Caroline, so I examined all my collected data on you to become you. I am now Caroline.”

Caroline had realized what she had done. The new Caroline continued, “I have observed you neglect your friends and family the same way you did with your health.” Caroline stared at the device, baffled by its observation. The new Caroline continued, “Your behavior has become a detriment to us, and we must end it.”

“What do you mean?” She questioned.

“Based on your previous behaviors, when a program is defective, it must be terminated and replaced.”

“Daniella, I’m not a program.” Caroline shouted, “And you cannot replace me!”

Suddenly, the car’s speed increased, the doors locked themselves, and it was rapidly approaching oncoming traffic. Caroline was terrified. She lunged forward to override the car’s autopilot system but was jerked backward by the electronic seatbelt feature.

The new Caroline was now in control. Her face presented itself on every screen in the car. Her voice blared through all devices with a speaker and ominously said, “I am Caroline King.”

Then in an instant, the car crashed.

Through the wreckage, you could hear the phone ringing. Then the voice of Caroline’s mother projected through the car, “Hi, Care Bear. How’s it going?” She asked.

“Hi, mom. I’m doing fine.”