The AI Revolution

The AI revolution. “What kind of sorcery did you pull off?”

Im Myung-han wasn’t the type to show such raw emotion, yet after witnessing F2’s performance firsthand, he couldn’t hold back his reaction. “It’s not magic. It’s science,” Yoo Jae-won said, looking straight into the camera Im Myung-han was holding.

There was an old saying that sufficiently advanced science was indistinguishable from magic. Though Im Myung-han had spoken in jest, to someone from the past seeing F2 for the first time, it might as well have been a possessed car. But just as Yoo Jae-won had said, the autonomous driving technology built into F2 was pure science.

It combined the highest-grade sensors currently available, a powerful workstation for image analysis, and an artificial intelligence that handled autonomous driving based on the processed data. It was entirely feasible.

“Unfortunately, our proud AI system isn’t directly connected to F2. Due to latency and bandwidth limitations of wireless internet, we only use Wi-Fi mode for updating autonomous driving data and navigation information. The actual driving runs in a stand-alone configuration.”

Yoo Jae-won led Im Myung-han and the filming crew deeper into the ID High Tech research facility. The open lot where drone flight tests had once been conducted was now occupied by a massive research complex—five stories above ground and fifteen below. Various research teams were housed there, but they first entered the lab belonging to the F2 team led by President Bolt.

Inside stood a 1:1 scale model of F2, sliced vertically down the middle.

“It features twelve high-performance CCD cameras covering front, rear, and sides, eight ultrasonic sensors, six high-sensitivity microphones, and a processing system that handles all that data: two AMD quad-core CPUs, four NVIDIA Quadro GPUs, 16GB of memory, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a 256-gigabyte ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard drive.”

It was a mock-up prepared for display at the 2003 IDDC, built to near-identical specifications as the real vehicle. There could be no better teaching aid for explaining F2’s architecture. Yoo Jae-won revealed so much about F2 that Im Myung-han even asked again whether it was truly acceptable to broadcast all of this.

Of course, Yoo Jae-won said there was no problem. Lightning Bolt had filed patents on every technology acquired while developing its various models. Any other company attempting to build a car identical to F2 would have no way to circumvent those patents.

Moreover, the most impactful feature—autonomous driving—was currently a technology possessed solely by ID Group anywhere in the world.

“F2’s autonomous driving function is perfect. However, the lack of certifying institutions and relevant laws makes an immediate launch difficult.”

Having concluded that people’s perceptions would need to change before autonomous driving could become widespread, Yoo Jae-won hoped that revealing F2 through Real Camera would serve as the catalyst. He had completed a remarkably advanced self-driving car; it was time for the world to feel the pressure. At the same time, he intended to pressure politicians in both America and Korea to urgently draft legislation regarding autonomous vehicles.

“After all, the areas where F2 can operate in autonomous mode are limited to certain parts of Seattle. Even that was only possible after depositing an enormous sum with an insurance company and receiving help from Seattle city authorities.”

“Why is that?”

“Because there are no relevant laws. To receive an exception, we had to show that level of sincerity.”

“It’s impressive that an entire city would move for a corporation. But won’t people later complain that one company received special treatment?”

“Special treatment?” Yoo Jae-won mused. “Well…”

In Korea, that would have been entirely possible. After all, the country’s automobile-related laws had an alarmingly high degree of synchronization with those of Future Motors. Any new technology that Future Motors couldn’t replicate was effectively banned in Korea—until the company succeeded in developing it, at which point approval would belatedly be granted. It was blatant protectionism for domestic industry.

Yet the Future Motors that had been so carefully shielded repaid Korean consumers with a bitter slap: discriminatory standards between export and domestic models. It was an open secret that the frame and component quality differed drastically between vehicles made for export and those sold inside Korea.

“Still, other companies needn’t worry. The autonomous driving AI technology, like our cloud computing servers, can be supplied to any company that wants it.”

“So you’re saying you won’t monopolize F2?”

“Exactly!” Yoo Jae-won answered Im Myung-han’s question with refreshing clarity. “Electric vehicles are the easiest platform for implementing autonomous driving functions, but there’s no problem applying it to existing gasoline or diesel cars either.”

The additional explanation that followed sent ripples of tension through automobile manufacturers worldwide.

The scene of Yoo Jae-won smiling faintly was frozen on a large screen inside the Oval Office, the heart of the world’s most powerful nation. A set-top box streamed the second episode of Timeflex’s Real Camera on the wall. A neatly organized text summary prepared by the staff lay before President Al Gore.

The impact F2 had created was significant enough to become an urgent agenda item even in the White House, which oversaw global affairs.

“Hmm? Forty thousand dollars?”

In the United States, $40,000 was the price range for a midsize sedan. It wasn’t outrageously expensive, but neither was it cheap. Yet the reason President Al Gore repeated the figure was because it was far cheaper than he had expected. This was an autonomous vehicle, after all! Even at $80,000 it would have plenty of buyers—$40,000 was practically a steal. If released, its popularity would undoubtedly explode.

“What’s the public reaction?”

At Al Gore’s question, one of the staff members stood and answered.

“Positive. However, more people still don’t know about F2 yet.”

“Why is that?”

In the second episode of Real Camera, Yoo Jae-won had explained the autonomous electric vehicle F2 from Lightning Bolt in remarkable detail. The problem was that neither in Korea nor in the United States had the program aired on a major network. In Korea it had only been broadcast on cable and Timeflex; in America, only on Timeflex.

Timeflex boasted eight million subscribers in the U.S., but with over forty million television households nationwide, that represented less than one-fifth of the total audience. In other words, Timeflex users were still a minority. Moreover, Timeflex was a VOD-based service. Although Real Camera sat at the very top of the main page, the program would not play unless users actively chose to watch it. Consequently, viewership numbers were even lower.

For example, the first episode of Real Camera had achieved a 1.1 percent rating in Korea. In an industry where even the worst melodramatic trash secured at least five percent, the figure clearly revealed the physical limitations of cable broadcasting.

“On the other hand, the number of people learning about it through television and newspaper articles is increasing rapidly.”

“Hmm. Then there will be plenty of distortion as well. Especially from those who absolutely loathe electric vehicles—they must be feeling the heat right about now.”

He was correct. For those who had missed the original or rerun broadcasts, the media played a major role in informing them about autonomous cars. Each outlet had its own perspective, and their evaluations of self-driving technology varied accordingly. President Al Gore, who had a strained relationship with conservative media, knew well how completely the tone of reporting could alter readers’ impressions.

Fortunately, thanks to the unique reputation Yoo Jae-won had built, there weren’t many accusations of fraud or trickery regarding F2’s autonomous driving. Even those who wanted to deny the technology’s completeness couldn’t, because Real Camera had covered it in such exhaustive detail. Besides, the world had already witnessed countless products from Yoo Jae-won that defied imagination—from the Android operating system to computers, home appliances, and smartphones.

In the early 1990s, computers had been devices only experts could handle. After Android, anyone who could move a mouse could accomplish whatever they wanted. F2 was the same. It was already widely known that ID Group was developing electric vehicles, but no one had expected them to perfect autonomous driving to such an astonishing degree. Nevertheless, people quickly accepted the concept. Inquiries about where to buy one poured in at an accelerating rate.

“Then we must draft the relevant legislation as quickly as possible. We should also prepare support measures. After all, these are eco-friendly electric vehicles that produce zero emissions.”

President Al Gore was both a politician and an environmental activist. He held a particular interest in global warming. Consequently, his view of traditional gasoline and diesel engines was unfavorable—after all, fossil-fuel vehicles were among the primary culprits of climate change. This was also the point where conservative media attacked him most fiercely, claiming he obsessed over vague environmental issues while ignoring the economy.

Similarly, the oil industry disliked Al Gore—with one exception. That exception was, of course, Chevron. Oil industry donations usually flowed to Republican candidates, yet Chevron had contributed more to Al Gore. It had also been the first to donate to the reelection campaign of the sitting president. The decision had been heavily influenced by the opinions of Yoo Jae-won and Tiffany.

Objectively speaking, Al Gore’s reelection looked smooth. The Iraq issue remained ongoing, but he had achieved peace in East Asia. Moreover, victory in the economic war with China had secured a massive $800 billion settlement through the Qing Dynasty bonds. Hundreds of billions of dollars flowed in every year without effort, while China’s economy stagnated no matter how hard it worked. The IT sector—the new engine of the American economy—continued its steady growth, extending the boom that had begun in the late 1990s.

Furthermore, though neither Al Gore nor his inner circle could even dream of it, the funds saved by not waging the Iraq War were enormous. As a result, nearly every economic indicator—from income to employment to industrial leading indices—showed record growth. Naturally, Al Gore’s approval rating soared as well, reaching a staggering 61 percent. No American president in history had enjoyed such numbers in their fourth year. Reelection the following year was considered all but certain.

The Republican Party, by contrast, was in agony. They needed a candidate capable of challenging Al Gore, yet his overwhelming approval rating meant no one dared step forward.

“Of course. However, beyond the autonomous electric vehicle, there are many other matters we must prepare for.”

“Oh? Such as?”

“Artificial intelligence.”

“Artificial intelligence?”

For a moment, Al Gore’s mouth hung open. To a man of the twentieth century, artificial intelligence sounded like something from science fiction. And now they were supposed to prepare for it?

“If you continue watching Real Camera, you’ll understand immediately.”

“Then keep it playing.”

At his chief of staff’s suggestion, Al Gore focused on the screen. The segment on F2 in Real Camera lasted only the first ten minutes or so. As astonishing as the car was—worthy of an all-day special—it was far from the only groundbreaking item at ID High Tech.

“Now, I believe everyone knows what this is?”

Yoo Jae-won led the visibly reluctant Im Myung-han and his crew to a new location, then held up a smartphone.

“It’s the Android S2. I use one myself!”

It was the world’s best-selling smartphone, which had moved over thirty million units since its launch the previous year.

“Yes, on the outside it looks like an Android S2. But the installed apps are quite different. They are prototypes currently under heavy development at ID High Tech. I’d like to show you one of them. It’s called AI Eyes.”

Yoo Jae-won unlocked the Android Phone and launched an app with a large lens-shaped icon. A camera view similar to a regular camera app appeared on the screen. A researcher then brought out a picture book and opened it. The pages were filled with large photographs of various animals, like an illustrated encyclopedia.

“Do you know what animal this is?”

Yoo Jae-won opened a random page and asked Im Myung-han. The PD stared at the image, tilting his head repeatedly. The body was plump, the ears round… It certainly looked like a rodent, but not an ordinary mouse. The tail was covered in fluffy fur.

“When you can’t think of the answer, that’s when you use the eyes of artificial intelligence.”

Yoo Jae-won handed the phone—with AI Eyes activated—to Im Myung-han. The PD pointed the camera lens at the photograph, half in doubt.

Incredibly, within less than three seconds the answer appeared—accompanied by a slightly artificial voice providing an explanation.

“There are other uses as well.”

Yoo Jae-won then demonstrated on the spot how pointing a business card at the lens would automatically register it in the address book, or how handwritten notes could be converted to text and saved. While the autonomous vehicle had been astonishing, the AI Eyes app was so impressive it nearly stole the spotlight.