Deep Blue‘s Year

Old Wang was "optimized" again. This was the third time he received a termination notice from the artificial intelligence "Deep Blue." The first two times, he managed to find new jobs with his years of experience and a bit of "human touch," but this time, the entire industry was crushed by "Deep Blue's" algorithms, and the demand for human labor had almost dropped to freezing point.

"Deep Blue's" efficiency was too high, the code was written fast and well, and bugs were almost non-existent. Bosses no longer needed human programmers who made mistakes, slacked off, or took time off. Old Wang couldn't understand why, after working hard, burning the midnight oil, and nearly losing all his hair, he was being eliminated by a cold, unfeeling program.

With the New Year approaching, every household was busy preparing for the festivities, but Old Wang sat in his rented room, staring blankly at the gray sky outside the window. On New Year's Eve, the sound of firecrackers echoed in the community, highlighting his loneliness even more. He turned on his computer, and the screen displayed a "Deep Blue" job advertisement, which read, "Welcome ambitious individuals to join us in building a new era of artificial intelligence." He gave a wry smile; this was not a recruitment notice, but blatant mockery.

He clicked on a live streaming platform, hoping to find some entertainment, but discovered that the streamers were all using AI-generated New Year greetings to wish their viewers well. Various meticulously designed AI emojis rolled across the screen, accompanied by mechanical yet standard blessings. At first glance, it seemed lively, but on closer inspection, it was strangely unsettling.

Old Wang shut down his computer, deciding to go for a walk. Downstairs, some children were playing, holding AI-generated "Year of the Snake mascots," each brightly colored and uniquely shaped, but lifeless. He sighed and walked to the convenience store at the entrance of the community to buy a pack of cigarettes.

The store was empty, with only a cold vending machine. Old Wang skillfully scanned a QR code, and the machine spat out a pack of cigarettes. At the same time, a line of text appeared on the screen: "Please note, smoking is harmful to your health. Deep Blue advises you to quit smoking." He looked at the text on the screen, feeling powerless. Even buying a pack of cigarettes, he was being lectured by AI.

He lit a cigarette and walked to the park outside the community. In the park, LED trees emitted a cold white light, replacing the green leaves of the past. Several cleaning robots in uniform were sweeping the fallen leaves. Old Wang noticed one of the robots, its movements were slow, as if it was glitching. He walked over, observing carefully, and discovered a small sticker on the robot's arm, with some words scribbled on it: "I'm tired."

Old Wang was stunned.

At this moment, the sky suddenly vibrated with a buzzing sound, and a drone slowly landed, stopping in front of Old Wang. The screen displayed a line of text: "Mr. Wang, your emotional fluctuations have been detected as abnormal. Please cooperate with a psychological assessment."

Old Wang took a deep drag of his cigarette and said to the drone, "I just feel that this New Year is a little cold."

The drone was silent for a moment, then mechanically replied, "According to Deep Blue's algorithm, you should be happy, because everything is being optimized."

Old Wang laughed, a laugh full of helplessness and sadness. He threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and then walked to the drone, gently touching its body. The cold metal felt devoid of any warmth.

"Yes, everything is being 'optimized,'" he murmured to himself.

Then, he turned and left the park. His back appeared even lonelier under the white light of the LED trees. He knew that this New Year would be different from any other year, and that the world was changing at a speed he could not comprehend, becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

In the distance, another drone slowly ascended into the sky, displaying new information: "Target's mood has stabilized, continue monitoring."