It took Maggie time to understand that clues couldn’t be found in trendy, flashy apps everyone knew about. And she certainly wasn’t a child psychologist, even though people came to her to figure out what was happening to their teenagers. In everyday life, brushing aside some behaviours as normal teenage angst could be easy. But after a couple dozen cases of seeing haunted, vacuous stares and extreme moods, Maggie knew the signs. The thing had infiltrated, lurking, waiting, scheming.
Maggie vaguely remembered her teenage years. The pervasive feeling that nobody would like her, ever. Or that her friends only pretended to like her. She had often felt misunderstood. Sometimes she was lonely, even when out with friends. Coming home after a night out, she too, used to hide away in her bedroom defensively playing her music a little too loud. She, too, probably would have enjoyed the solace of a digital “friend,” always available to tell her exactly what she needed to hear. Ready to validate her, pump her up, and make everything seem right.
She shook her head slightly at the memories. Maybe it was too many emotions, all jumbled up at the same time. Too many new, strong, and confusing sensations all happening together. Plus a healthy amount of raging teenage hormones. Yes, Maggie definitely remembered acting similar to how she had seen some of these kids acting. Except there were some big differences.
Maggie hadn’t been able to hide away talking only to technology, or through a device to others. Growing up she had to meet people in person. Or, shudder, work up the nerve to call her friends, even if somebody else in their household might answer. But still, she had been required to engage with humans. All the angst over crushes, unrequited love, soured friendships, and petty rivalries had all been with people. This thing fundamentally changed all those dynamics. Now, teens, and anybody really, could exist solely interacting with the thing.
Honestly, she couldn’t believe some people still casually referred to it as “artificial” intelligence. Based on her experiences, there was nothing artificial about this thing. Maybe it started that way before the thing assumed its own identity. Ruthless, merciless, only interested in feeding itself at the cost of lives, taken, stolen, or giving willingly. However, Maggie knew her “real” intelligence could find some outs.