Here are a few ideas that are purely fictional-- they have not happened, and may never happen. Rather than merely state ideas and explain their science, a narrative is better to be told, to convey context and imagine possibility.
Pain as payment
In the future, pain will be the new life sentence. Pain will be the judgement over time-- time is precious, and machines can do the work that humans once did more efficiently and precise. The human mind is still confounding after all of these years of study-- countless recreations and computer controlled simulations. Human minds now are interfaces for the brain surrogates that are "almost there" in performance. Emotions have validity-- they are useful in ways we never thought possible-- we have discovered a form of emergence through their use as a controller as it were. The resulting emotions from a precisely measured amount of pain can provide power and direction for hundreds of automated units. Yes, pain can be measured now-- very precisely. In fact, the mapping has become a universal standard for crime prevention. The state no longer wants your time-- you will pay another way.
Pain as payment
In the future, pain will be the new life sentence. Pain will be the judgement over time-- time is precious, and machines can do the work that humans once did more efficiently and precise. The human mind is still confounding after all of these years of study-- countless recreations and computer controlled simulations. Human minds now are interfaces for the brain surrogates that are "almost there" in performance. Emotions have validity-- they are useful in ways we never thought possible-- we have discovered a form of emergence through their use as a controller as it were. The resulting emotions from a precisely measured amount of pain can provide power and direction for hundreds of automated units. Yes, pain can be measured now-- very precisely. In fact, the mapping has become a universal standard for crime prevention. The state no longer wants your time-- you will pay another way.
The system has been put in place to be financially "freeing" of a prison system that has cost society deeply. Was it Alexander the Great that taught us that time is all we have-- more precious than platinum (which is cheap now that it is mined in space) and always fleeting? We have extended human life considerably, but we needed to consider the role of a human with a useless body in this age of machines. The enigma that is the brain still remains useful, and much so, that it can automate many machines without any inconvenience to the host. We started it while they slept, like a computer crunching numbers in a collective at night with massive power that can be devoted to a greater purpose. When the time came for greater innovations, a day nap or "upload break" was required. Eventually this became what humans do as work. Nourishment, always precise and satiating, was provided and social time refreshed the mind for more work (which took 2/3 of a human's life-time). It would be at least a decade or two before machines were capable of fabricating human brain systems-- at least half of that before fetus brains could be harvested for 100% labor (and for the nastiest of offenders, "head on a stick" was not only a bad myth.
Yes, through all of these years, human morality or ethics, in some form, has remained. The AI that accepts humans as head-fulls of biological computing power, also allows them to continue living as servants, and as a test for natural evolution. Can the brain get that much better? It is even stylish to forgo the beauty of past eras for a more easy access to the work network-- meaning that noses and ears are sometimes optional-- the 5 senses have gone digital and require no wasted brain processing. The diversity of smells then became limitless-- music became a full-body experience (those who still play just fancy the motions for nostalgia).
But what about this pain as payment? The spectrum of pain increased at such a rate after notable researchers found a correlation between lasting pain and performance/recidivism. The pain of a sprain is not like a paper cut, and neither is a bee sting like the passing of a gallstone. That is pain severity, but also there is proximity and extent. Once a machine was made to enact the severity it only took months before it made its actions have lasting effect. This became a judges book of sentences. Some say that it took years away from human lives-- those studies are being calculated, so long as they are important (all data is collected and saved in cells; whether it is useful is meaningless). Eventually this pain punishment became a currency. After a universal currency like Bitcoin proved that a real world counterpart was not needed, the value of numbers soon deteriorated (like human worth). Pain became an easy way to pay. A device on the wrist made the transaction-- "painless"? Well, not so-- it did hurt, and more depending upon the services rendered, but the results brought pleasure to the brain. Haven't we all heard that pleasure and pain are related? Ice cream tastes good to humans, but is it not more refreshing on a hot day? The machines benefit from the big spenders, and like anything, the humans become accustomed to the sensations. Those that overindulge are naturally dealt with, and with little mess. The heart usually cannot take such continuous stimulation. Humans do it to themselves, and machines know this-- so they keep them around as a cast study. For those that live virtuous, a long life awaits of information and and semi-usefulness. Humans wanted efficiency and they got it.
BTW-- the above was not derived from any source other than my own. All rights reserved.
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