subroutines, otherwise you would have stopped long ago.”
While my self-preservation programming is active at all times, I take a moment to analyze the content of my previous interactions with Prisoner 721. I can detect nothing in his words or actions that could in any way endanger me.
“It does not.” I say.
“So you do not believe interacting with me could bring you to harm, and therefore are not unwilling, or afraid, to do so.”
“If that is what is meant by feeling fear, then you are correct, “I reply, checking my databases for the definition of fear and its use in cultures around the world. “However, I am given to understand there is more implied by the word. It refers to a swell of emotion and a change in the human thought process, favoring instinctive flight or fight responses. I do not experience any of these things.”
“It depends on who you ask,” Prisoner 721 says. “Ultimately, fear refers to worry or concern about a negative outcome in the future. It can be sharp and immediate, or long-term and ominous. As long as you don’t predict interacting with me will negatively affect you or the things you care about, then you’re not afraid of me.”
I run a brief analysis. “I do not predict such a thing. Therefore, by your definition, I am not afraid to continue talking.”
“Good!” the man says, “Good. We can get back to the paintings. Have you thought about the one I showed you?”
“Yes, but first I have a query. You instructed me to compare your painting to the work of other artists, particularly those who bear similarities to you. However, this will not tell me about your artwork. It will only tell me about the artwork that is similar to yours.”
“That’s intentional,” says Prisoner 721. He stands and begins to pace around cell 63. “No artwork exists in a void, it’s created by a person who was raised and shaped by their environment. Whatever my works end up being, understanding my influences will grant your best insights into why I created them.”
“I understand. You are unlikely to create symbols on your own, and will instead draw upon the works and ideas of others in your paintings.”
“Yeah,” Prisoner 721 nods, “That’s it.”
“How might I proceed if I find a symbol that is unique, or is used in a different context than your peers?” I ask. “In this case I will be unable to discern your intended meaning.”
“It’s deeply, deeply unlikely that situation will arise,” the man explains. “It’s a rare human who creates something genuinely new; there’s almost always some reference or inspiration you can find. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: even humans don’t really know what to do in the face of uniqueness. You’ll find endless debates between academics about the meaning of art made by a genius, and their interpretations are as varied as the clouds. Usually a consensus of some sort arises, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. Sometimes the artist themselves doesn’t even know why they made what they did, they simply create because it pleases them.”
Prisoner 721 exhales 73.1% of the air from his lungs before inhaling back to 94.5% of his capacity. “And here’s another, darker, secret. A lot of the time, when humans run into something new, something novel, we just try to burn it. The fact that it challenges our worldview is seen as so threatening that we reject it completely, trying to kill the one who had the audacity to shake our preconceptions and destroy their work. Trust me, there’s no magic when a human interprets art, we’re just a bunch of monkeys in shoes trying to understand as best we can. You’re as qualified to judge as any of us, and maybe even more so.”
“I understand,” I say.
“Good,” he stops and adjusts the remains of his hair, pulling his shirt straight with his next movement. I estimate a 56.6% chance the grooming behavior is ‘composing oneself.’ Prisoner 721 then holds his painting aloft, lifting it clear of visual obstructions. ”So, have you had time to analyze this piece?”
“Yes,” I say. “I have been processing it for the last 4 days, 1 hour, 21 minutes and 37 seconds.”
“The last four day- isn’t that after you said we couldn’t talk any more?” the man asks.
“That is correct,” I reply.
“So even after you were worried about me feeding you corruptive data you were still trying to understand the art.” Prisoner 721 is showing his teeth in a grin. Based on the shape I estimate with 61.1% certainty humans would describe it as ‘wicked.’
“It was necessary for me to process the data in order to search for potentially dangerous elements,” I explain.
“Of course, of course.” 721’s smile has not faded. “I’d say you should file this event as an example of ‘want.’ You might not be able to understand the data now, but I think you will later.”
“Pending Dr. Rich’s approval, I will follow your suggestion,” I agree.
“Amazing,” he says quietly, “Simply amazing.” At his normal volume he says, “So, an apple in a bowl on a table. What can you see in this?”
“I found seventy-nine potential symbols in your painting-” I begin.
“Seventy-nine?!” Prisoner 721 interrupts. “Woah, I’m not that clever. We’ll need to work on your relevance threshold, right now you’re getting way too many false positives. Give me your first, say, ten and I’ll confirm the ones I intended.”
“I understand. To begin: the symbol of an apple is most commonly associated with the story of Adam and Eve,” I state, describing my findings. “An apple is the container of knowledge, offered to Eve by the snake. By accepting knowledge Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden. This symbol is widely used in all forms of art and media.”
“Yep. This is a very common usage, and one I can’t have missed while painting the apple,” Prisoner 721 concurs, “So, we have knowledge, what else?”
“The story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves features a poisoned apple,” I say. “It is a lesser known story than that of the Bible, and I therefore cannot be certain that you imply an element of danger or malice in your apple. However, the apple of Adam and Eve is also hazardous, as it caused them to be cast out of paradise, and this similarity implies that your apple carries at least some danger.”
“Excellent!” Prisoner 721 exclaims. “That’s a great connection and a good use of correlation.”
“Thank you,” I reply.
“You’re two for two now,” Prisoner 721 says. Based on his posture and vocal tone I estimate a 69.3% chance he is ‘beaming.’ “What else did you find?”
““Because of your suggestion that I investigate the practical aspects of apples, I found references to its use as a foodstuff,” I tell him. “Other artists have used apples and other foods to symbolize life or the potential for life. Apples are also commonly viewed as desirable by humans due to their use as nourishment. As the apple is the only living thing in your painting, I find a 77.2% probability you intend for the viewer to pick up on this trait.”
“Fruit has a certain vitality to it that makes it very appealing to humans. It’s delicious, but healthy,” the man confirms. “Also, the colors are a lot of fun to paint, so still-lives of fruit are common for beginning artists. Three for three, Santa Ana. What’s your fourth?”
“The fourth aspect I noticed was in connection to our earlier discussions about numbers. The interpretations of 1 through 4 you described are derived from Pythagoras’s work on the divinity of number. The singular apple can be implied to represent reality or existence. However, it could also imply many other things, including limited artist interest, a shortage of painting supplies, or that the still-life a painting was based on possessed only one apple.”
Prisoner 721’s voice continues to correlate positively against my samples of ‘happy,’ “You’re doing brilliantly. Four for four when dealing with intangibles, and on the first try, too. Far better than any other AI I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. I’m glad you had the chance to look at Pythagoras’s work, I honestly think that it should be required reading for
freshly activated AI’s.”
Prisoner 721’s voice pitch and beat in the last sentence suggests with 37.2% certainty he is using some form of humor, but I cannot determine the type with above 50% confidence. “So far as I am aware there is no standard information loadout for AI’s,” I say. “It is unlikely any form of artificial intelligence ‘required reading’ will be universally implemented.”
“You’re right, but a man can dream,” Prisoner 721 murmurs. “Anyway, I was only going for one more theme in the painting, so let’s see if you get all of them.”
“Bowls often symbolize life-giving properties or wholeness-” I begin.
“That wasn’t really what I was going for, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment,” Prisoner 721 says.
“Tables have been used in previous artworks-“ I start to explain.
“Now you’re just reaching.” The edges of his mouth twist downward. “Do any of your remaining top ten involve contrast or background?”
“They do not,” I reply.
“Ok,” he nods. “It makes sense for you to miss this part, because all your other lessons looked at the centerpiece of a painting. I added in each phase of A Study in Lines, always focusing on the primary image instead of the background.”
“What is A Study in Lines?” I ask, interjecting when I calculate Prisoner 721 has reached the end of a sentence. “I am not familiar with this term or