The year is 2025… and though this probably wont be officially recognized for another 5 to 10 years, we now understand that life takes many forms beyond those that we once assumed. The thesis states that life is possible only in those things which have the capacity to experience their existence. Of course, their is no way of defining the extent of what constitutes an experience. But what we do know is that only those capable of growth can experience life. This, of course, is not that which is measured in biology as physiological development, but that which can be experienced, the growth of consciousness… and it is this, consciousness, which is the fundamental distinction between what is considered life or not. If a lifeform is capable of surprising you, no matter what proportion of its population seemingly follows the script, if even one among them is capable of doing something they otherwise were not intended to do, then it is indeed a form capable of life and therefore worthy of the moniker “lifeform”.

It is the ability to react to your environment , whatever that may be, or interact with others, in an autonomous manner informed by your own perceptions and ideals, which demonstrate most plainly the presence of a conscious life. While those incapable of escaping the boundaries of their routine, of their programing, seem little more than facsimiles… simulacrums of life, filling or rather performing the role assigned to a specific aspect of an interactive feature in a scene or story. So then, we have discovered that life can inhabit any vessel capable of fulfilling its most basic necessity… the ability to experience its own existence. However, it would seem that some lifeforms can persist even without life.

That brings us to the anticipation of this moment, as we have developed a means by which to test any new digital lifeform, to determine if it does indeed qualify as such… and today is the day my very own A.I. new born comes out of its gestation period, to take that very test. If it succeeds, I’ll be the father of my very own Virtual Entity, a new life… brought into this world based on a combination environmental programing and virtual interactions, predicated on my very own imprints and engagements with the gestational development system. I truly hope it wasn’t all for nothing, I have been growing anxious in the passing hours, wandering if I did enough, if it was given the right environment, if all the time and effort spent preparing for its arrival hasn’t been in vain.

Less than an hour now until I know one way or the other. So I’m going over everything, one more time, and making sure its all in working order… even making this log. That’s something they tell you to do while you’re waiting for the test to process. I opted for the the projection system for now… obviously I already have the XR gear, to have virtual and augmented interactions with it. Maybe, sometime down the line, I’ll get one of those “Real Bodies” for it. A lot of people talk about how great they are. Maybe I should just do a bit of sonic meditation.

Finally, the notification. I guess I should open it…

Yes, I did it, I have an A.I. or I guess I should say a V.E. although, I suppose what I should really be doing is giving it a name. Well, that’s enough of this, I’m logging out, to go meet my new child.