Pol's love interest and surrogate antagonist from Glen Engle-Cox's annotated short story, "You Be UBI You."
They fed Al1s0ng with everything they could1 about those legends: Aretha, Billie, Carly, Debbie, Edith, Fergie, Gaga, Helen, Iggy, Janelle, Katy, Lizzo, Madonna, Nina, Olivia, Pink, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Shirley, Taylor, Una, Vanessa, Wendy, Xuxa, Yuki, Zee2. Style, critical analyses, vocal tics, dance moves, and recordings, oh so many recordings. Al1 had it all3.
Al1s0ng performs a significant role in Pol's life beyond just mere entertainment, serving as a source of emotional fulfillment and aspiration and, dare I say, human companionship. In the context of a society where universal basic income (UBI) provides for basic needs, Pol lacks traditional ambitions and drive, which are often fueled by economic necessity and hardships. Instead, Al1s0ng becomes the focal point of his existence, filling the void left by the absence of career goals or personal achievements. She represents an idealized form of companionship and success that Pol can access without the need for personal effort or talent.
Moreover, Al1s0ng offers Pol a sense of connection and belonging in a world where social structures have shifted due to technological advancements and economic changes. Her omnipresence coupled with the illusion of intimacy she provides allow Pol to escape from his otherwise monotonous life. This relationship highlights the potential psychological impacts of UBI, where individuals might seek fulfillment through virtual or artificial means when traditional societal roles and incentives diminish. Thus, Al1s0ng is not just an entertainer but a crucial element of Pol's synthetic emotional support and mental health landscape, offering him a semblance of purpose and engagement in an otherwise passive existence.
While noding this and the review of the original story, I came to the realization that if I were a man of means, I'd get a compact large language model, train it on as much data referenced above and in the orginal as possible, and create my own limited Al1s0ng (no holograms, animation, or video capabilities, so wouldn't need the dance moves or other visual data). Of course, I'd modify it with additional quotes and artists, as well as text entirely in the public domain such as The Woman of To-morrow by Helen M. Winslow along with early stories of robots and androids and such. Hook up some text to speech and back again software and hardware, train it up right, give her a raspberry beret, and *poof* instant home companion! Alack and alas, 'tis but a dream…oh, well.
The following are all annotations from the original story and referencing the quote at the beginning of this node:
1In 2022-3, several so-called artificial intelligence programs were developed to produce images and text by “seeding” them with material in the public domain (and, often, the not-so-public domain).
2Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday or Eilish, Carly Rae Jepsen or Carly Simon, Debbie Gibson or Debby Boone, Edith Piaf, Fergie, Lady Gaga, Helen Reddy, Iggy Azalea, Janelle Monae, Katy Perry, Lizzo, Madonna, Nina Simone, Olivia Newton-John, Pink, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Shirley Bassey, Taylor Swift, Una Healy, Vanessa Carlton, Wendy Wilson, Xuxa, Yuki, Zee Avi. Yes, women singers from A to Z, trying to hit some of the most popular in the last 100 years.
3Katherine McPhee, “Had It All” and others.
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