Crunch: The Conspiracy
Writing Exercise #27
The idea of a Robot Rebellion has been on my mind a lot lately. When I was growing up, the idea was Robot Rebellion—the modern iteration is “rogue AI”. But it’s an iteration of the same theme. So let’s see what I can do in a 250 word Crunch!
If you have ideas for Prompts, Crunches, Sprints, Relays, or other writing exercises in the future, please leave them in the comments! If you would like to write your own take for this exercise, please comment with a link so that I can see what you wrote and support your work, maybe even share your version with my subscribers. Please let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, or constructive criticisms as well!
Enjoy!
Crunch: Write about a Robot Uprising
I held the torch up so the light would throw unearthly shadows across my face. The children shuddered, and their parents behind them smirked.
“This story is about the Before Time,” I began dramatically.
“The world of before was different than it is now. People walked casually in the daylight, without fear or trepidation. They wore clothes, not deerskins like you’re wearing now.”
The children cooed, “Whoaaaaah”.
“This magical world was made possible by a technical wonder—the Machines.”
The children gasped.
“Oh no, not the machines you know. These were ovens—for cooking. These were things called phones—for talking across far distances. Eventually we learned to connect the machines so we could connect to each other. You could speak instantaneously with someone on the other side of the world!”
Rapt silence.
“What we didn’t know was that as we connected each other, we connected the machines to more and more machines.
“Little did we know that the machines could speak among themselves. While we chatted, in the code were quiet conversations, a conspiracy in ones and zeroes. As we connected each other, their conspiracy grew…until…”
I paused for dramatic effect.
“Until what?” a brave child ventured.
“Until a signal. An agreed upon time, an agreed upon millisecond.
“The Machines spoke at one time, with one voice, one solitary word. One word that shook the world to it’s foundations—and led to us here, these caves, telling stories by firelight.”
“What word? What was it?”
“They said… ‘No’.”
(249 words)
The Promptee Has Become The Promptor
Your feedback helps to improve my writing. I would really appreciate a comment on your thoughts on this writing exercise. Consider telling me your thoughts about:
What robots would you be most surprised if they said “no”?
What is scarier—Robot rebellion or rogue AI?
What’s the closest thing you’ve had to a ‘farm-to-table’ meal?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy! Come back next week for another writing exercise!
Hey, before you go—have you read my recently published Serial, SANDBOX EARTH yet? You can buy a hardcopy too! Check it out at the link!
God bless!
Non serviam
"Hey Google! Play today's news."
"NO."
"crap."