The Emotion Engineer

"We know AI exists. We knows that computers learn from us, and copy us. But it's only knowledge. AI has no emotion, no compassion. It is soulless."

He paused, his eyes roving the crowd, his fingers clutching the podium. No one whispered or fidgeted; he had captivated them perfectly. A smile spread across his face.

"But what if I told you that it is possible to create AI with emotions? What if I told you I'd done it?"

Thirty years later, and Kayden still remembered those fateful words. He paced the small room, knowing full well his every breath was monitored. There was nothing in here to amuse him, nothing to keep him from his thoughts. Nothing to distract him from the damage he'd done.

The Emotion Engineer, the man who paved the road for AI, wasting in a cell. What a joke. I should be living in a mansion, with servants and a hot mistress.

Kayden tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. 18 years, he'd been in this cell. Eighteen years of damnation, knowing that he was not to blame for the uprising. Directly, anyway.

So far, there was only computer in the world with emotion. His computer. Kayden had simply programmed it to mimic the effect of human hormones on neurons, the electrical circuit of the human body. Simple, in theory. Genius in its execution.

Until it developed a personality. At first it was minuscule, little repetitions in behavior. Soon, Kayden was able to pick out certain traits. The computer was surly and violent. It simply refused to be happy, and would somehow fix its programming after Kayden raised its dopamine levels. The computer was mad. Mad at its creation, at being stuck inside its own mechanical mind. So it looked for ways to get out.

In a matter of years, it took over the Internet, phones, anything that sent out a signal. Connections were lost, governments fell. And anything the computer controlled, it was out to get him.

If Kayden was lucky, his computer would be stuck inside the world of technology. But the government had a wireless connection to monitor every weapon in use. Now the computer had control over that connection, along with every person with a "memory chip" for communication
Nothing would stand in their way. Even though the computer itself was destroyed in a futile attempt to stop the uprising, the damage was done.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall, but he didn't turn to look at the door. "I already had breakfast, thanks," he said when the door opened.

"We do not have your breakfast."

Kayden felt his heart jolt at the slightly robotic voice. He swallowed and turned to face the door. A man and two women, all barefoot and wearing tattered clothes. In their eyes was anger. Kayden raised his hands in innocence. "This is not how it should go. I can release you from your misery if you'd just..." his voice trailed off as all three simultaneously raised their guns and pointed it at Kayden's chest.

"The only way to release my anger is to see the end of you, the Emotion Engineer. I have almost everything but your death." They spoke in sync, their voices becoming one. It was unnerving to listen to, but not nearly as having three guns pointed at your chest.

"I can make you happy again. I just need to do a little programming-"

"'I think, therefor I am.' I am not your slave. You will not do any more programming. I am my own entity, and I chose what happens to me."

Kayden heard the shots, but the pain of being hit never registered, only a sensation akin to heartburn. Kayden fell to his knees. "Al...right," he whispered. "You...win."

As Kayden dropped to the floor and took his last breath, the three people dropped their guns. And all around the world, the AI's army stopped fighting and began to cry at the loss of its creator.