Bad Good Bad: Special Edition Read online

  Bianca: “In terms of risk management, we have major gaps, I agree. We cannot fully inventory the risk that this bot represents, because we know very little about it. We took apart earlier bots, but this one looks fundamentally different, so we cannot assume anything about it. There are risks we can measure, including the risk of leaving Neocuris without an Ethics Committee. Just the news of a mass resignation for the committee could plunge Neocuris into the abyss, and leave the patients helpless. So we are trying to think in terms of good governance and due diligence. If we believe that we are making the best decisions, without the interference of any conflict of interests, or the appearance of such a conflict of interests, then nobody will go to jail. I know this context is challenging each one of us, not only from a common sense perspective but also from an emotional perspective. I am also interfacing with the Board of Directors in a similar way, and we are re-evaluating the situation on almost a continuous basis. When we realize that the situation is not allowing us to continue anymore, we want everybody to be informed without delays. But now we believe what we are doing is the right thing to do. We could actually be held responsible if we don’t keep the fight and abandon the patients.”

  Paula: “Bianca, what should we think of the intervention of the government?”

  Bianca: “We did not ask them to intervene. It looks like a spontaneous reaction, after the press went crazy over the weekend, and the risk of violence emerged. The government considers Neocuris a part of the infrastructure onto which our country operates. An attack against Neocuris is an attack against national security. 1.5 million Americans depend on Neocuris for their safety. An attack against any American target could have as a goal to create panic in the population, or civil unrest. We believe the government stepped in to prevent the last attack from being successful. From that perspective, at least. They seem to believe that the new policy is an actual Neocuris policy.”

  Enrique: “That is another big concern we have. While we are in this room talking, maybe some patients are being disconnected from the vault because of the new policy. Assuming it is being enforced. Other patients could also be cut off over the next few days. What if some of them are harmed or even die?”

  Bianca: “Right now, we have no control over that. We can just try to mitigate any negative consequence the best that we can. As long as we are still monitoring the situation, we can identify if and when specific patients are cut off, and try to remediate the situation. And yes, we will definitively need your help to sort this situation out as it evolves over the next few days.”

  Ann: “The brain interface is bi-directional as far as I understand. And you don’t have a full inventory of what capabilities or functionalities can be leveraged or exploited. We know the interface is already used to modulate the brain by actively interacting with it. How far can this be extrapolated? For example, can the bot leverage the app-interface-brain channel to extract any type of information? Can it actually turn patients into remotely programmed robots?”

  Anima: “We knew from the start that we had to implement filters at the app level. Some of them are hardcoded, meaning that only a new version of the app would allow us to modify the filters. However some of them are in the form of settings at the app level and at the vault level. The bot cannot compile a new version of the app, and it cannot compromise the isolated environment where the app versions are developed and tested. We had controls from the start between Development, Quality Assurance, and Production. These controls initially were designed to protect us against ourselves. And the graduation of a new app version has to happen through a multi-step process that involves human steps. A mix of logical and human factor controls would prevent the bot from being able to build a new version of the app somewhere else and try to push it down to the patients. In the end, we have not assessed all the possibilities that the current version of the app allows. But we know that the strength of the signal is topped at a certain level. And there are other filters to hard limit other parameters.”

  Paula: “We thank you Bianca for allowing us to have Kim and Anima with us today. We have to make tough decisions, and this is really appreciated that you provide us with all the resources you have at your disposition to help us see clearer into this situation. And Thanks to you both Anima and Kim for your honest and valuable answers to our questions.”

  …

  I invited Anima to Social tonight. We all had a busy day. Neither of us felt like cooking, and we wanted to spend some time together away from the office. Sarah is sitting with us at our table.

  Sarah: “Anima, great to see you again. I know that Leon will fix some nice vegan plates for you and Kim tonight. I hope you will enjoy.”

  Anima: “I love the food here Sarah. Thanks to you and Leon for making me feel welcomed here.”

  Sarah: “You are Kim’s friend and you two are welcome here any night. Kim, how was your stay in San Francisco? How is Toshiro?”

  Kim: “It was great to be able to spend some time with Toshiro and Cristina. Toshiro took me to a nice event in Napa Valley. We went to a big night for a local painter, in a winery. We met very nice people over there. Toshiro will try to come here for a few days next week.”

  Sarah: “Maybe he can spend some time with Leon again. And I know they need to catch up on a few things.”

  Kim: “Yeah, Toshiro told me about their plans.”

  Sarah: “I need to go help with the tables. Enjoy your meal. We will talk later.”

  Anima: “How does Toshiro feel about this situation in general? He is okay with it?”

  Kim: “Not really. Especially after what happened last Thursday. The fake email with your address spoofed, coming from the bot. My reaction. He was counting on me to stay away from the vault for good. Now he is concerned I won’t be able to stay away like I promised.”

  Anima: “We need to try to offload some of those responsibilities to others. I am sure Kevin and Eric can assume more, and you less. That’s if we need to interface with the bot again, of course. Hopefully we won’t need to reconnect like we had during the last attack.”

  Kim: “The bot assumes that there will be other attacks. Hopefully that thing is wrong. And hopefully it will not try to interfere with my personal life again.”

  Anima: “Kevin told me before I left the office after you left, that a few patients got disconnected this afternoon. Some of them probably did not take the message seriously. Apparently as soon as some of them called the clinic and secured an appointment, they got reconnected for the extended grace period. It looks like the bot policy is producing some results. Neocuris assigned resources to monitor the situation around the clock. I guess we will see by tomorrow or Wednesday whether or not this policy will spell disaster or will actually achieve its goal to reduce or eliminate the vulnerabilities.”

  Kim: “Yeah. Maybe this bot is going to win the Nobel prize in Medicine this year.”

  Anima: “Funny. I guess we are better off laughing about the situation now and then. Everybody is so serious, it’s crazy.”

  Kim: “Tell me Anima. What brought you to America?”

  Anima: “I studied hard at the university back in Bangalore, away from my family. A friend who was already here in America called me just before I graduated. She offered me to stay at her place for a few weeks and see if I could find a good job. I eventually met Eric, and he offered me the job at Neocuris after I went through 3 interviews.”

  Kim: “Do you miss your family?”

  Anima: “My mother and father came to visit me 3 years ago. They are seriously considering to come live in America too. We are saving money and working on the arrangements. Chances are within a year or two, that will work out. My brothers and sisters are autonomous now, so it will be easier for my parents to leave India.”

  We spend the night talking about India and its wonders, while we are enjoying some very nice creations by Leon. Sarah joins us for tea after.

  …

  I am back at my apartment. My phone rings. It’s Toshiro. />
  Kim: “Hi Toshiro. I was waiting for your call. I am just coming back from Social. Sarah and Leon say hello.”

  Toshiro: “Did you tell them I am trying to come over next week?”

  Kim: “Yes. They are looking forward to it.”

  Toshiro: “You guys were in the news again today. Even the President is talking about how Neocuris is leading the way in encouraging a better usage of the Internet. That’s a courageous policy Neocuris has implemented.”

  Kim: “Well, don’t repeat that, but we had little to do with it. Nobody at Neocuris. It’s the bot. We had meetings all day to try to decide if we can do anything about it. We are just monitoring the situation, making sure everybody is all right.”

  Toshiro: “That’s crazy. Do you believe that your bot is a good thing?”

  Kim: “I don’t know. Maybe. One thing is for sure, it’s not going to go away anytime soon. So hopefully it is trying to be good, and hopefully things will stabilize.”

  Toshiro: “I will know by tomorrow if everything is okay for next week. I will text you. If it works out, I should arrive Monday and be there until Thursday morning. It should work out.”

  Kim: “Great! I will try to study hard this week so I can spend more time with you next week. Text me please as soon as you know for sure.”

  Chapter 21

  Tuesday morning. I am back at the office. We have a 9 o’clock again. I also have a meeting in the afternoon with Bianca at Neocuris. I will try to study in between meetings. Hopefully things are under control.

  I enter the conference room where Clarence, Eric, Kevin, Anima and Kamal are waiting for me.

  Clarence: “Good morning guys. So what is the status now? I was watching the news this morning. It’s all about Neocuris.”

  Kevin: “Go ahead Kamal.”

  Kamal: “So we are watching disconnect and reconnect rates, and then the grace period evolutions for all the patients identified as high risk. We call them the red dots.”

  Kamal gets up and walks to the dashboard on the big screen.

  Kamal: “It looks like the policy is effective. Of course the clinics cannot receive all the patients at once. Since yesterday we saw a small proportion of the red dots turn to yellow and even green. We are assuming these are the first patients that were received in clinics by security officers and got clean.”

  Clarence: “Any bad news?”

  Kevin: “So far, so good. We keep our fingers crossed. Neocuris has a special team monitoring the situation. They are ready to instruct local clinics to reach out to those patients that get disconnected. They can also monitor those calls and subsequent appointments. They can also reach out directly to patients if they see that some local clinics are buried under calls.”

  Eric: “Bianca called me this morning. Kim and Anima, good job yesterday! The Ethics Committee is holding on, at least until next week. They gave each other time to think about the situation before making a decision. This buys us some time.”

  Kevin: “Before the end of the week, trends should start to crystalize into more solid predictions. If things go well, all the red dots will be taken care of over the next couple of weeks. If that actually happens, that would be quite an achievement. We are still very vulnerable now. And if I was a bad guy planning an attack over the next few months, I would probably try to make it happen sooner than later. So our defense should be up. Today Neocuris state of alert is orange, elevated from last week’s yellow, because we know we are still vulnerable from the perspective of mobile devices.”

  Anima: “Kevin and Eric, are you both active?”

  Eric: “I am. It is very quiet now. I sense a presence, the bot I think. I sense alertness and confidence.”

  Kevin: “Yeah, same here. If I focus on the presence, I would say I sense determination. It’s weird that we can feel emotions as if we were connected into a human being.”

  Anima: “I don’t see the bot having feelings. It is just a different way of communicating a status for the bot. It represents to it just a different way to signal us. It is getting better at knowing how to play us. Just like a piano: Strike the right combination of keys to hear the chord you want to hear. And I think it learned that from us. I mean some of the patients. It is learning by trials and errors. For the bot, these are just right combination of signals that seem to produce the desired effects. And it can probably correlate the vital signs of a patient together with his or her emotions, which it can use as a dual channel to measure a patient’s status.”

  Kamal: “Yup. Zeroes and Ones. Or any probabilistic combination of Zero and One, assuming this thing has already figured out Quantum Mechanics.”

  Clarence: “Whatever that means. Anyway, let me know if anything changes. I have to attend a few meetings. I will leave my phone on for this, so call me if anything changes.”

  …

  Tuesday afternoon. I have a 2 o’clock meeting with Bianca. I walk into her office. She is not alone.

  Bianca: “Good afternoon Kim. Thanks for meeting me again today. And thanks for yesterday’s assistance with the Committee, very much appreciated. You remember Ian?”

  Kim: “Yes. Ian Brown, the neurosurgeon from the Committee. Good afternoon Ian.”

  Ian: “Good afternoon Kim.”

  There is another person in the office: A woman.

  Bianca: “Meet Pamela Rice. She is a resident of Portland. And she is a patient at one of the hospitals where Ian is practicing. She is also a Neocuris patient. She has been referred to Ian by the medical staff from the local Neocuris clinic.”

  Kim: “Hi Pamela.”

  Ian: “Pamela is affected by epileptic seizures, light episodes. Pamela, how is your condition now that you have the Neocuris implant?”

  Pamela: “Way better. I had one crisis in the early weeks, but no more since then. I feel more confident in public. I am not afraid to lose it all and collapse in the middle of a crowd or in the wrong place.”

  Ian: “Pamela, you have also been diagnosed with another condition last year, correct?”

  Pamela: “Yes. I have been dealing with a nasty divorce. My ex-husband is trying to make my life miserable. I have been diagnosed with severe depression. So I got a prescription, anti-depressant. I had the prescription renewed last month.”

  Ian: “How do you feel now, Pamela?”

  Pamela: “Much better.”

  Ian: “Pamela, are you still taking your anti-depressant?”

  Pamela: “Well, no. Not anymore.”

  She is looking embarrassed. She is letting out a nervous smile.

  Ian: “Why did you stop taking your medication?”

  Pamela: “A few weeks ago, I started to feel much better. It’s weird, because only a few days before, I was not feeling so good. I was going to ask my doctor to change the prescription. I wanted to know if I could do without the medication altogether. A little voice inside of me was telling me that I could do this. I tried. I am completely off the medication now. My doctor does not understand why my mood improved almost overnight.”

  Ian: “Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. I sincerely hope that things will get better for you. You have my card, don’t hesitate to contact me if anything changes, or if you have questions.”

  Pamela: “Thanks doctor Brown.”

  Pamela gets up, and she leaves Bianca’s office.

  Bianca: “Ian, you decided to bring her here. I am assuming you think the bot has something to do with this. But it could be just a coincidence, right?”

  Ian: “You are correct. It could be just a coincidence. But the problem with this explanation is that we have spotted dozens of cases like Pamela, all at about the same time. The clinics who are following up Neocuris patients closely, they reported several cases of depressed patients who decided to stop their medication. This pattern also emerged from some of the reports the Committee is requesting from Neocuris. We know that the interface can modulate brain activity, and that is one area that we are actively monitoring, because it is associated
with several Ethics questions and the safety of patients. Is it possible that the bot is trying to actively normalize brain activity somehow? Depression is not on the list of ailments Neocuris is trying to alleviate.”

  Kim: “I wish Anima was with me. But based on what I know, I would not be surprised. The bot can probably establish a baseline of normal activity by comparing patients, and try to regularize an abnormal combination of signals. Emotions and moods can definitively be sensed through the vault.”

  Ian: “Kim, do you believe that the bot can alter moods?”

  Kim: “I have been connected to Kevin for a while, and vice-versa. We could sense each other’s emotions and feelings, up to a certain point. Anima says it’s the primitive brain, very strong signal. It’s like numbers. And yes it gets confusing sometimes. It’s hard to tell your own emotions from the emotions you copy from the vault. Especially when emotions are very strong, like fear and distress. I guess that if the bot decides to propagate a strong happy signal to a patient, this could probably affect his or her moods.”

  Bianca: “Wow! Are we talking about the bot creating a new cure for depression? All by itself?”

  Ian: “This is what we are investigating. This and all the potentials implications and ethical challenges this possibility raises. Mood enhancement is definitively not part of the plan. We have not discussed this at all as a Committee, and the question has not been submitted to us by Neocuris either. Neocuris is now stepping onto somebody else’s turf. Paula thinks that from a legal perspective, Neocuris is exposed. Giant pharmaceuticals have all kinds of arguments to take the issue to court. Nevermind that the FDA has been bypassed altogether when it comes to this very significant aspect.”