The Prompt: Describe or narrate a scenario about an artwork found a century into a future in which order is deliberately coordinated or imposed. Your description should address issues related to drones and elicit feelings of decadence.
The Narrative: As a particular whirring grew louder amidst the general din from above, he leaned back with a self-satisfied smile.
How marvelous! How decadent! How right! It had been just minutes since he had spoken his desire, and its arrival via the drone network was imminent – the system worked as promised by the facilitators. There was no need to leave home or improperly use energy or pollute the world simply to obtain something he desired. His wish was the drone’s command – as long as it met the facilitators’ vision. After all, this was the 22nd century!
His smile lessened momentarily as he briefly noted that he wasn’t sure who or what the facilitators were, but it returned as the drone settled onto the balcony’s landing pad at his assigned residence.
If he had any interest in history he would know that this was the culmination of drone use. After a period of recreational introduction, drones have been used to change the world. They had rewritten warfare, turning the battlefield into a virtual nightmare with soldiers’ lives quickly snuffed out by distant operators. Then they leveled cities, spread destruction worldwide, and supported the political rise of those who created the most advanced drones. When people couldn’t keep up, drones were removed from their hands and given to AI. That finished the job, and thankfully the drones rebuilt the world they had destroyed, but under the direction of AI and the authority of the facilitators. Everybody was treated the same, cities were built around facilitator structures, and people were placed where they could be comfortable.
But he didn’t know his history, and it didn’t matter, for now, he had what he wanted in his hands, and it was beautiful. He lived in an artwork, a city designed with balance and beauty in mind, and a clear focal point in the form of the facilitators’ building. But his view wasn’t complete until now. This was it – he had wanted a sense of purpose, a vision of his place in this world. And here it was – he could now admire himself in this world. He carefully placed his bust on the edge of the balcony. Sitting back, he gazed upon his perfect self in this perfect world, a smile on his face.
Yet the smile quickly lessened again. There was a vague sense that things still weren’t quite right. There he was, art made perfect, yet something was missing. He didn’t want to see himself alone. His smile returned – never fear, he had simply to ask the facilitators to generate a companion and send its image to his balcony. He began to speak his wish even as the drone network delivered similar images to the balconies all around him.
Sources:
3D Character Generator. (2024) DeepAI. Retrieved July 25, 2024 from https://deepai.org/machine-learning-model/3d-character-generator
Animaker. (2024). Created July 25, 2024. https://app.animaker.com/
Home Alone 2 (2024). Giphy. Retrieved July 25, 2024 from https://giphy.com/gifs/homealone-christmas-home-alone-2-xT0xeK0MXtfbpG9h16
Core77. (2022). Speculative design award: Core77 design awards 2022.
