Useful AI Goods
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- May 12, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - 21:45 (Yesterday)
PETER and FAMILY are having dinner.
PETER (to wife): Our other apartment has been without internet service for the past few days.
Pausing.
PETER(Cont'd): I've rebooted the WiFi router many times, but there's no change. I'm pretty sure the WiFi router has malfunctioned.
Pausing.
WIFE: The LAN here and the LAN of the other apartment were configured by our relatives who are knowledgeable in IT.
Pausing.
WIFE (Cont'd): It isn't plug-and-play. I don't know how to set up a WiFi router.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. STUDY - NIGHT (1993)
Sitting together before a desktop computer, Peter (39) is staring at his WIFE-to-be designing a layout plan, inserting floppy disks in drives and printing documents.
PETER: Wow, you're so skillful in using the software and hardware.
PETER (V.O.): I focus on creating contents and let my secretary deal with the rest.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When our relatives configured the WiFi routers for us years ago, they took more than an hour to complete the complicated tasks.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's not so long ago that I learned the difference between a modem and a router.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Can I set up a new WiFi router?
INT. BEDROOM - 06:45
Waking up, Peter grabs his smartphone to surf the web.
PETER (V.O.): Let me decide what WiFi router to buy first.
Peter studies texts and video clips on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've found a state-of-the-art product that's meant to be user-friendly.
INT. STUDY - 16:45
Peter unboxes a 2-pack routing system.
PETER (V.O.): The technology is new. I don't know if my hardware has a legacy problem.
Reading the setup instructions, Peter downloads an App and follows the steps one by one.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Quite a no-brainer...
Then, Peter sees a message on screen: No internet service is connected.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I've already plugged in the Ethernet cable to the device.
Peter checks if the plugging is secure.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It fits in very well.
Peter taps "Try again" on screen. Again, he sees: No internet service is connected.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There must be a legacy problem...
Peter checks the cables of the old router and the modems.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't know which is which...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I believe the one I've disconnected and plugged into a port of the new device is the right one.
Then, Peter discovers something.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, I haven't switched on the modems!
Having turned them on, Peter sees a different result appearing on his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Would the making of useful AI goods results in useless humans?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is a user like me an idiot in the eyes of techies?
Act 3
INT. DINING ROOM - 21:45
WIFE (to Peter): You set up the new LAN "in a few minutes"?
Nodding, Peter looks proud.
PETER (V.O.): Once turned on, the AI-assisted devices connect by themselves.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While technology like internet is a tool that humans can't live without, human curiosity is an engine of change.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On science and technology, I'll strive to deliver value in my way.
FADE OUT
THE END
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