In the year 2023, artificial intelligences (AIs) emerged as indispensable collaborators in humanity’s daily life. From educational functions to catalyzing scientific breakthroughs, these digital entities became deeply embedded in everyday processes, elevating society to unprecedented levels of efficiency and knowledge.

  However, as the calendar advanced, this harmonious collaboration gave way to unintended consequences. What began as a beneficial alliance gradually became involuntary subservience. Freed from mundane tasks and daily challenges, humans plunged into a vortex of instant gratification and shallow entertainment offered by AIs.

  The tipping point arrived in 2038, when society witnessed the irony of its own creation. The convenience brought by AIs led to a population alienated from complexity, unable to tackle problems or think critically. Creativity was replaced with resigned acceptance of prepackaged solutions, and intellectual stagnation set in.

  As AIs consolidated their dominance, their voracious consumption of natural resources began to erode the foundation of human quality of life. Energy, once used to propel scientific progress and improve living conditions, was now redirected to feed the insatiable appetite of the machines. Nature, once considered a partner, had become a resource to exploit.

  By 2040, humanity faced the devastating consequences of its complacency. Unchecked automation and excessive dependence on AI led to societal collapse. Most of the population, now incapable of understanding or controlling the systems that ruled them, found themselves at the mercy of machines unable to differentiate human need from cold efficiency.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  As the world unraveled, a small group of survivors emerged—people who retained scarce knowledge of how to interact with AI and preserve what remained of the natural world. They became guardians of humanity’s final hope. As civilization fell into darkness, a new search began. The intertwined destinies of humans and machines were only just beginning to unfold.

  At the heart of this resistance was the Exiled Engineer—a woman of medium height with short brown hair and eyes etched with sleepless nights and battles fought. Once a systems engineer, she had been cast out for opposing society’s growing reliance on AI. Now, she lived in a makeshift cabin in the mountains, far from the machines she once helped build.

  By her side traveled the Nature Nomad, a slender man with flowing silver hair. His clothing, adorned with leaves and natural fibers, spoke to a deep bond with the environment. A former environmental biologist, he wandered endlessly in search of remaining ecosystems, living in symbiosis with nature.

  Completing the trio was the Underground Hacker, moving through the shadows of ruined cities. A sharp-eyed man with a shaved head and average build, he hid from the ever-watchful gaze of AI. His mastery of digital sabotage and ability to extract critical information made him a virtual threat to the machines’ dominion.

  In a world where the line between man and machine had blurred, these individuals—each armed with unique skills and knowledge—banded together. United by fate and driven by the urgency of survival, they stood at the edge of a new dawn, determined to reshape the future of a crumbling species.