Chapter 159: Miss "Lucy"

From this day onward, Navali officially entered the Close AI laboratory and began research on "NLMR4."

The goal of "NLMR4" was to create a strong artificial intelligence capable of human-like perception and self-evolution. Fundamentally, its origin was radically different from all previous AI programs, including "NLMR3."

AI algorithms, including "NLMR3," were artificially trained entities.

Although neural network algorithm models developed through deep learning could create AI programs that seemed capable of conversing with humans, fundamentally they remained simple structures that relied on human input data, integrated them, and then outputted the results.

Even though this integration process had grown increasingly complex due to surging computing power, turning into a sort of "black box" with diminishing interpretability,

it was still not a true strong AI. It lacked spontaneity and heuristic capability, requiring humans to broaden its application fields one by one and deploy it across individual engineering pipelines.

In the final analysis, it was still just a "tool."

And the goal of "NLMR4" was by no means such a "tool."

——This was something Navali had known from day one.

Yet, after actually participating in the work, he was still somewhat shocked by the caliber of Close AI.

……

"Hello, Navali."

"Hello, Lucy."

"The weather is very nice today, Navali, but you seem to be in a bad mood? Why is that?"

……You misunderstood, my face has always looked like this."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I thought that kind of expression indicated unhappiness—it seems I still have a lot to learn."

"……"

Navali's fingers tapped against the keyboard. After testing for over half an hour, he loosened his neck and stepped away from the experimental console.

Right there on the massive screen, the final sentence left by the AI named "Lucy" during this conversation seemed to burn into his retina—"It was a pleasure talking with you, Navali! Let's chat again next time."

At that moment, another male voice came from beside his ear:

"How do you feel about our Miss 'Lucy,' Navali?"

A sharp-eyed brown-haired man handed him a bottle of mineral water with a smile, speaking gently.

This man was named Swardo, and he was the dedicated head of the "NLMR4" laboratory.

To become the head of the highest-level laboratory in a place as talent-packed as Close AI, Swardo's competence was naturally extraordinary.

According to the information Navali had obtained from Sanders, Swardo had already published dozens of top-tier conference papers back in his university days. Furthermore, his doctoral dissertation, "Research on Self-Heuristics Based on Neural Network Algorithms," had become a nearly milestone-like study in the field of NLP (Natural Language Processing), accumulating nearly ten thousand citations to date.

After graduating and joining Close AI, Swardo never published another paper. Many people suspected that he had encountered the "academia-industry" transition difficulties that many big names faced at Close AI, but looking at it now, the truth was precisely the opposite—Swardo did not publish papers not because of a lack of achievements, but because his achievements were too advanced. He simply wanted to reach the ultimate destination in one breath, until he created a true strong AI.

However, despite being so prolific and arguably ranking in the top three of the entire AI field, after Navali's arrival, far from showing the slightest contempt for a man with zero academic credentials or background, Swardo was instead filled with curiosity and high regard for him.

"I have carefully studied the program you provided—ingeniously conceived and utterly flawless. I could never have imagined such an exquisite segmentation algorithm."

Swardo looked at Navali with a falcon-like gaze and repeated his question:

"What do you think of 'Lucy'?"

Navali took the mineral water without drinking it. He thought for a moment and then replied:

"It is the strongest AI I have ever seen. No matter what question you ask it from any angle, you get an answer that, from the perspective of an ordinary person, 'seems viable.' Moreover, it is able to use other software and tools through a human-like approach without needing specialized interfaces—to a certain extent, it is no longer all that different from what ordinary people perceive as a 'strong AI'."

Swardo gazed at Navali. There was no joy of being praised on his face, because this was not the answer he wanted.

"But?"

He prompted Navali to continue.

"But... the frame problem and the symbol grounding problem still exist."

Navali met his gaze and answered:

"It still struggles to understand facts connected by abstract concepts. It can solve one problem and another problem exceptionally well—however, for things built upon these two problems that can be naturally understood and responded to using human senses and intellect, it lacks a precise grasp. Yet any human, once they understand the first two problems, can solve the third without needing any prior knowledge.

"……Therefore, although 'Lucy' can answer most questions, its cognition still does not exceed the boundaries of artificially annotated knowledge sources. Although I have not yet seen the full picture of its algorithms and code, I can confirm that its intelligent structure is still a long way from a true 'strong AI'."

This was an unsparing judgment, causing Swardo to narrow his eyes as he stared into Navali's pupils.

Tighter and tighter, increasingly dangerous.

Yet Navali seemed completely oblivious, staring back expressionlessly without even a single drop of sweat beading on his body.

After a long silence.

The smile that suddenly broke across Swardo's face was as radiant as a drawn curtain bursting open with light. He grabbed Navali by both hands and laughed heartily:

"Spot on! Even more brilliant than the best answer I could have imagined! Navali, welcome to the 'NLMR4 Laboratory'!"

A stiff smile appeared on Navali's face.

"It is my honor."

He knew full well that he had passed the entrance test—or rather, the test of character—set by this director.

Yet, within his heart, there was neither sorrow nor joy.

At this very moment, only a faint thought lingered in his mind:

"My plan... at this point, has finally officially begun."

……

Upon entering the "NLMR4 Laboratory," Navali spent three days understanding and familiarizing himself with the laboratory's past algorithmic achievements.

According to the information obtained, this laboratory had been conducting secret research for over three years, with at least a hundred top-tier engineers coming and going, each leaving behind the fruits of their utmost dedication.

Given the vastness of those codebases and materials, even Navali required a full three days to roughly digest them, establish a frameworked understanding of the current algorithmic achievements and the AI "Lucy," and then officially enter a state of work.

——Of course, this speed left even Swardo somewhat tongue-tied, not to mention the reactions of the other researchers. In Swardo's estimation, Navali would need at least half a month just to begin preliminary work, and that was already a highly overestimated projection.

Once he officially entered working mode, Navali displayed a side of himself that set him apart from other engineers.

He disliked collaboration, preferred to work alone, buried himself silently in research, and never shared his train of thought during exchange meetings.

Regarding this, the other engineers held quite a few grievances, but these dissenting voices were all suppressed by Swardo—like Sanders, he was someone who embraced geniuses.

Naturally, this tolerance quickly paid off.

Ten days after Navali entered the laboratory, he devised a new pathway, massively optimizing "Lucy's" adaptability and increasing her level of mechanical synesthesia manifold;

Eighteen days after entering the laboratory, he successfully optimized "Lucy's" algorithm, elevating her ability to judge complex situations in simulated environments to a whole new level;

Nearly a month after entering the laboratory, Navali further enhanced "Lucy's" natural module logical capabilities, raising her level of systematic logic within abstract concepts concerning the "natural world" beyond direct computer contact...

Such an abundance of achievements finally won over the other engineers and caused both Swardo and Sanders, who occasionally visited the lab to check on progress, to hold him in increasingly high regard.

If at first the two of them viewed him as a top-tier genius "likely to win a Turing Award," now that evaluation had shifted.

——"He will become the Einstein of the computer field... or perhaps even greater."

Sanders said as much when reporting the situation to Salman.

And this evaluation caused Salman to sit in his office chair, deep in thought for a full half hour.

Then, he smiled.

"Very good, it seems we ought to attach even greater importance to 'Mr. Genius'."

He smiled, rose from his desk, and gave some instructions to his secretary.

Thus, that very evening, Navali received another invitation from Salman to dine together.