The Watchers Truth
By Olivia Drew
Sunday 11th August 2024
Microphone:
The silent witness
I have experienced countless interviews, speeches, and press conferences throughout my career, capturing the words of presidents, prime ministers, gosh even schoolteachers...but no past interview could have prepared me for the day I realized the man standing before me, the President of the United States, was not who he seemed.
It began like any other day. I was clipped to the lapel of Joe Bidens navy suit, ready to capture his every word, every breath. I look up to the reporter who’s just picked up old Larry to begin his interview.
“Joe Biden, what is your opinion on increased unemployment due the replacement of artificial intelligence in today's society?”
His swift response left everyone's jaws on the floor, “Testing of AI models independent of government or the companies that have developed them is an important factor to effectively evaluate our affairs with AI”.
As the speech continued, I picked up subtle errors in his tone that no human ear could detect, but to me, they were clear as day, as though his voice were pieced together by countless recordings of past speeches. The rhythm of his voice was crimeless, every word counted for. The strange precision to his speech lacked the warmth I had come to expect from him.
“Mr. President, there have been rumors of AI being used to assist leaders from across the globe, is this true, and in what way is it being used?” Everyone went silent as we waited for a reply from the President, but Biden hesitated for the first time of the night. I could almost feel his uneasy breath as everyone sat in awkward silence. “Yes-well ah...”, his posture straightened, “AI is encouraged in the roles of leaders as it makes great contributions that benefit society”. Many applauded this response like a parent cheering on their child during a race, while others continued to watch with anticipation. “Mr. President, rumor has it that you use AI to assist with your presidency and speeches. What do you have to say about these claims?” He stiffened-like a dead body.
“I can assure you with all...confidence...I am not using any form of uh...artificial intelligence because...”, he hesitated... “we beat Medicare!”. The unanticipated response froze the crowd. He did not seem at all wavered by his dense reply, and instead began swaying back and forth as if he were nursing a baby. “Sorry?”, the interviewer repeated the question a second time, visibly concerned now. “Artificial intelligence...makes...me sleepy”. His eyes suddenly shut lightly closed. Two of his bodyguards ran on stage to remove Biden from the cameras view, both seemingly embarrassed by the incident. The reporter turned reluctantly to the audience, taking a bow, “Sleepy Joe, everyone!”
Later that night I was packed away into my case. It felt colder, and the silence was heavier. An eerie sense of dread lingered in the air. What had I just witnessed? What was really happening? The answers were as desolate as the shadows in the dark...
Saturday 17th August 2024
Camera:
The eye of the lens
The camera lens catches the lot- campaign rallies, debates, moments of glory, and moments of weakness. Today, I was perched on the tripod, staring ol’ Biden dead in the eyes. Ready to capture every expression, every twitch, every blink- especially after last week's little mishap. My job was simple: get in, get out, and record the truth.
As the journo kicked off the interview with a bit of chat about gun laws in America, Biden’s eyes seemed to lose focus for a tick, like when your computer screen freezes for a sec. It was a tiny detail, but for me, nothing slips by unnoticed. On top of that, his expression would shift ever so slightly, like the lights were on, but no one was home. The crowd didn’t seem to catch on, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was up- the dreaded feeling made my focus blur. Biden’s eyes, especially, weren't following the usual rhythm of a normal person. They’d flick over the crowd, scanning the room, missing that natural human fluidity.
“Since we didn't exactly get to wrap up our interview last week, we’d love to hear some follow-up questions about the use of artificial intelligence in government positions?” Biden paused for a few moments before snapping back into reality. “Ah, yes, course”, He replied, sounding sure of himself. Kamala Harris and a few other democrats went pale in the front row, clearly on edge after hearing the question. As the camera zoomed back in on Biden, his hand began trembling. No, it wasn't “Just an age thing”- I KNOW natural from unnatural, and this? This was a rhythmic, almost automatic vibration. Like a dodgy piece of machinery. As the interview progressed, so did the tremor. “Lastly, do you use AI to help assist you with your Presidency and speeches?” His hand suddenly stopped vibrating, going deathly still, just like his upward gaze. Finally, he answered. “No”.
I wished I were back in the outback, away from this deadly reality.
Thursday 5th September 2024
Hakeem Jeffries - American democratic politician:
The observer
It happened last night at the Democratic party. I knew something was up.
The sight of people in the audience almost made me sick. My mind drew blank, and a big sweat broke hungrily down the back of my neck. Though the nausea, a persistent thought nagged in my head, ‘Is he here?’. President Biden was the influence of my entire career. I continued to anxiously skim the audience until the camera crew gave me an encouraging thumbs up to begin. Taking a deep breath I began, “Speaker Mike Johnson, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Whip Clark, Chairman Aguilar, all my colleagues in government on both sides of the aisle, it is an honor and a privilege to once again stand before you as House Democratic Leader. I would also like to thank Joe Biden for his determination to make America a better country than Trump left it, despite all the discouraging comments you have come so far. America appreciates your effort.”, I added, finally spotting Biden in the large audience. An applause erupted from almost everyone in the room. Biden, however, sat calmly in the corner of the room. His face showed no sign of emotion at all, like he was sleeping with his eyes open. After 5 seconds, he did something out of the blue. “Everyone in this room has worked hard to be standing where they are today...”. I continued with my speech with little engagement, immersed in Bidens unusual behavior. He had turned 180 degrees, and stood, staring intently at the top right corner of the room for 10 seconds before his bodyguard noticed, immediately whispering something in his ear. Biden then turned around, smiling, carrying on with the meet as if nothing had ever happened.
I finally fell into my car at the end of the exhausting day, jumping awake when two of Bidens bodyguards started yelling at one another.
“Sir, it's becoming too obvious. You and I know this must stop. It was supposed to help him stay sharp, not put him to sleep! This was never meant to happen”.
The other guy sighed, “We pushed it too hard. The algorithm was designed to cover up his stumbles, to keep him on track when he gets tired, but now it's as if it can't decide whether to keep him away or let him rest...it's as though it has a mind of its own. Brad you’ve got to take the technology out”.
Brad stepped forward, banging his fist on the roof of my car, “John it's not that easy...the surgery is life or death!”
“Can you think of any alternative? YOU put us in this situation, and now YOU must get us out”. John demanded, walking away. Brad mumbled to himself... “Yes of course, a deepfake!”
I sat in my car for another hour, frozen in shock.
I walked out of my chilled bedroom the next morning. Deciding to forget about last night's incident, I switched on the news hoping to find distraction...clearly the universe thought otherwise. The television buzzed, “Last night, President Biden announced he will be graciously stepping down as president. Here is the clip now;
“Good morning, everyone, due to personal, as well as recent mental battles, I have accepted I am too old and will be stepping down as President. Brad Fries will be taking over as the leader of the Democratic party”.”
Everything around me faded into the background until it was just me and my thoughts. ‘Joe Biden was more than just a President navigating the complexities of the modern world. He was an experiment. An experiment in blending human leadership with artificial intelligence, however the cracks were starting to show, and the world would soon see that in trying to perfect the imperfect, they had created something far more troubling; a leader whose mind was no longer his own!’
Rationale
The Watcher’s Truth follows the perspective of 3 different personalities; a microphone, a camera, and a man named Hakeem Jeffries each sharing their experiences regarding the President of the United States, Joe Biden. In his attempts to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help him stay awake, the technology backfires, demonstrating our reliance on AI. This tragic incident brings to light our dystopian future if society continues blindly trusting and following the lead of AI. “It's as though it has a mind of its own. Brad, you’ve got to take the technology out”. Bidens bodyguards first made this mistake, by trusting human-machine interaction, unbeknown to the damage it brings about, which Biden himself admits, “Artificial intelligence...makes...me sleepy”. The story provokes emotional responses such as fear and confusion using multiple perspectives, making the readers more attuned to technological failures.
Sherry Turkle's speech, “Alone together”, talks about why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Turkle argues that technology alters human relationships, and overall frame of mind. The Watcher’s Truth reflects this concern by illustrating how AI can disrupt genuine human interactions, echoing Turkle's warning about its dehumanizing effects.
Various language techniques were utilised to powerfully and engagingly relay the message to the audience. Humor was used to engage the audience, making the story memorable rather than mundane. This is demonstrated when Biden stumbles upon his words, and at one stage randomly exclaims “We beat Medicare”. Being in first person, humor also allows the audience to connect with the microphone, camera and Jeffries, causing them to trust their apprehension towards AI.
“He stiffened- like a dead body”, is a simile that uses incongruency, as Biden is compared to the dead. This manipulates the audience to believe that Biden’s use of AI is fruitless and has already failed. It also highlights his anxiety when receiving a question about AI, showing that he too does not fully trust AI, and is embarrassed that his plan is backfiring.
Symbolism was another language technique used prudently throughout The Watcher’s Truth. When “the crowd didn't seem to catch on”, and the audience casually accepts the President’s unusual responses, the tendency of people to trust leaders without questioning the underlying truths is represented. In this case the audience simply excused the strange behavior as “Sleepy Joe” simply living up to his name. This symbolism confronts the reader, as they reconsider their trust in both their leaders and AI.
As well as this, the bodyguards are symbols of crisis management as they run on stage “seemingly embarrassed by the incident”, and later attempt to fix their mistake of trusting technology. Their frantic attempts to manage the President's behavior represents our dystopian future of dealing with technological failures if we continue to advance AI.
In the first draft of The Watcher’s Truth, ideas were bluntly revealed to the reader rather than foreshadowing the upcoming events. Changing this added suspense, improving the audience’s engagement with the story. I added aspects of ‘show, don’t tell’ by removing phrases such as “It was as if his voice were being generated by AI”. Instead, suspense is built up by the persistent reporter asking about AI. The reader is conflicted, not knowing if the odd responses are due to Biden’s fragility, or if AI is playing a part. Writing this story has helped me understand the importance of humor and foreshadowing as people are active thinkers. Our minds are more engaged in stories, movies and conversation when we can wonder, rather than settle for predictability and information dumping.
586 words
References
Andrews, C. (2023, October 30). White House rolls out comprehensive executive order on AI. Iapp. https://iapp.org/news/a/white-house-rolls-out-comprehensive-executive-order-on-ai
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, August 2). Hakeem Jeffries | Biography, Education, District, & Facts | Britannica. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hakeem-Jeffries
Manyika, J., Silberg, J., & Presten, B. (2019, October 25). What Do We Do About the Biases in AI? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/10/what-do-we-do-about-the-biases-in-ai
Schneier, B. (2023, December 4). AI and Trust. Schneier on Security. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/12/ai-and-trust.html
Sky News Australia. (2023, December 13). A look inside Joe Biden’s worst gaffes of 2023. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2begqhdCU
Sky News Australia. (2024, July 5). “Disturbing”: Huffington Post advocating for Joe Biden AI deepfakes. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufW1NsaOej8
The White House. (2023, May 4). FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Promote Responsible AI Innovation that Protects Americans’ Rights and Safety. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/04/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-promote-responsible-ai-innovation-that-protects-americans-rights-and-safety/
Thomas, M. (2024, July 25). 12 Dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Built In. Builtin. https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/risks-of-artificial-intelligence#:~:text=If%20AI%20algorithms%20are%20biased