Chapter 77 - Press Conference

Translator: _Min_ Editor: Lis_

[Suit does not feel comfortable at all.]

Jiang Chen remembered wearing it only once during his graduation debate and a couple times in interviews.

But looking at Xia Shiyu in her black office attire, she certainly possessed the professional and sharp vibe. Her silky, black hair was tied up and her black-framed glasses were perched pertly on her nose. On her face, she put on light, natural makeup. To be honest, he previously thought that she looked bad with a ponytail, but now she seemed more mature and professional.

“Are you ready?” Xia Shiyu was anxious upon seeing his casual demeanor.

Jiang Chen shrugged and smiled. “Don’t worry.”

That certainly did not make her any less worried…

Although Xia Shiyu wanted to make fun of him, she did feel calmer with a composed Jiang Chen as opposed to a nervous one.

She let out a breath and nodded.

“You can do it.”

“Of course.” He confidently smiled.

[What’s so scary about being in front of cameras? I was in front of god knows how many guns. Ummm, not exactly something to be proud of.]

－

On the first floor of Future Technology was a public conference hall bustling with people.

The conference room had an elevated half-circle in which the invited press had all taken their seats. As usual, the cameras were placed in the back, and because seatings were numbered, the hall was not too chaotic.

The media frenzy surrounding Future 1.0 exceeded Jiang Chen’s expectations. The 100-square-meter conference room still felt crowded.

The curtain slid open, commencing the start of the flashing lights.

With a bright smile, Jiang Chen waved his hand, his heart pounding as he noticed the CTV, CNN, and BBC symbols.

[Damn, it does feel different now that cameras are pointing at me. I’m even feeling nervous now.]

After collecting his thoughts, he read the opening address amidst the media’s heightened expectations.

“First, I would like to thank the media present for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend Future Technology’s press conference. I believe everyone seated here has already had the chance to learn about Future 1.0. To save time, I won’t go over each of the functions.

“The purpose of this press conference is to address and answer any rumors or misunderstandings about Future 1.0. Therefore, the most efficient method is for me to give the time to the media. Please, following the sequence of seat numbers, ask your questions, and limit them to one per person to ensure that every outlet has an opportunity.”

Xia Shiyu, who was standing backstage, almost fell down as she was dumbfounded by Jiang Chen’s decision.

[Who would pass the questioning to the media right away without saying anything first?]

[Without giving a simple, comprehensive explanation, if they come to ask an extremely tricky question, would you be able to handle it?]

The media was also shocked that Jiang Chen skipped right into the media’s questions without playing his role first. It certainly caught them off guard. They’d seen press conferences without a question and answer session before, but never one without a speech.

Also, questions were based on seat number, which made them feel uncomfortable as they were used to having to fight to ask questions.

But Jiang Chen didn’t concern himself with the rules, instead choosing the most efficient method. If he had to pick people, he ran the risk of offending certain individuals, so the best way was to create boundaries and make people ask one by one.

The reporters who usually had to have their hands up for an entire conference without getting picked were certainly appreciative of Jiang Chen’s decision. It didn’t matter that they were seated in the back so long as they had the opportunity to ask questions.

Jiang Chen kept his composure. He had his own considerations in making this decision.

[Ultimately, you guys will be asking about security and privacy anyways. Even if I clarify first, you’ll only pick holes in my word choice. If I let you ask beforehand, I only need to answer.]

After weighing himself internally, Jiang Chen knew that he would not be able to outwit these veterans. Regardless of Xia Shiyu’s competency, her script would be picked apart by these reporters who were hungry for headlines.

Although they were surprised by Jiang Chen’s decision, the reporters had already done their research beforehand and came prepared with a list of questions. The reporter in the first seat stood up and read out what was written on his notepad.

“I am CTV’s reporter. There has been controversy surrounding the topic of artificial intelligence security, especially Little White’s. Mr. Jiang Chen, could he really be a ticking time bomb in the user’s phone concerning private information like people said he would be?” the young man clearly articulated.

“That’s a great question. First, I’ll have to refer back to the guarantee our company has made recently. If the user suffers any financial loss as a result of a program error in Little White, we’ll fully compensate the user.” Jiang Chen shrugged his shoulders as he continued, “Also, from the developer’s perspective, I take responsibility and say that as long as it is a program, it will follow the setting written in the software. So you don’t have to worry about Little White releasing private user information because I won’t permit it.”

The sounds of discussions and note-taking filled the room as the second person, a middle-aged man, stood up and asked his question.

“I’m a reporter from Renren News. Mr. Jiang Chen, currently, there are no laws or regulations in place regarding artificial intelligence. What is your opinion on the possible proposal of the <Artificial Intelligence Management Act>, and what would be Future Technology’s response to this?”

[Renren News? (Referring to Han’s state news agency.) This is going to be a bit problematic.] Jiang Chen’s head spun rapidly.

[As an official media source, it represents the voice of the government. There is definitely a deeper meaning behind this question. Are they testing me? Or giving me a hint?]

“Of course, Future Technology will firmly abide by the regulations in place without question—this includes the introduced <Artificial Intelligence Management Act>. Future Technology will cooperate with authorities to adjust our services to fit within the frame established.”

Jiang Chen cautiously answered the question by expressing his support and willingness to cooperate. He did not, however, express his views regarding the regulation itself. He had a feeling that the question came from a law-making authority since artificial intelligence regulation was a blank slate in all countries of the world. Judging from the current stage, the development of artificial intelligence was still in its infancy, and nothing had yet to reach even the basic levels.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen’s response, the middle-aged man sat down deep in thought.

Immediately following after, a blond beauty stood up.

“I am BBC’s reporter. Mr. Jiang Chen, it is known that artificial intelligence requires strong hardware equipment to support functionality. IBM Watson, for example, requires ninety IBM servers and three hundred sixty computer processors to maintain its operation. Yet somehow, the Future 1.0 developed by your company could operate on a mobile platform. How did you manage to achieve this?”

BBC’s question came from a technological perspective, and based on the crowd’s reaction, many other reporters were also interested in the answer.

“Sorry, this is a trade secret. What I can disclose, however, is that it is based on a database. The core of the artificial intelligence that we developed is not the hardware, but rather the software. It doesn’t have a high requirement for computational power, and the database is the critical element instead. It accepts external information and exports database information. As long as the database is maintained, Future 1.0 can operate on a mobile platform. Clearly, we have achieved this.”

Jiang Chen confidently used the bullsheet Du Yongkong gave him as he wasn’t worried that any of the experts would be able to uncover anything. As far as the people in this world knew, there was only one person on his team that managed to develop this innovative technology, which was comparable to Bill Gates’ Windows 1.0.

Database?

All of the reporters’ eyes lit up.

“I am a reporter from Japanese Economy. Mr. Jiang Chen, because the current stage of artificial intelligence development is still difficult for the world’s scientific community, would Mr. Jiang Chen please have a heart like Andy, the developer of Android, and release the magical artificial intelligence database to the world?” a short, suited man asked slowly after bowing politely.

Mockery crept onto Jiang Chen’s face before he managed to hide it.

[I can’t believe you had the audacity to say that. For the scientific community? Heart?]

[Then why don’t you disclose all of your country’s technology?]

But it was within his expectations that this sort of brainless question would come from a right-wing Japanese media source.

“I say it is meaningful because it would push the growth of the human civilization. To demonstrate your willingness, perhaps you should convince your country to surrender all armed forces? It would be a historic step for world peace. I look forward to your response.”

Laughter erupted in the hall as some Han reporters mocked the shamelessness of this Japanese reporter. The short man gave Jiang Chen a dirty look before awkwardly seating himself.

Jiang Chen shrugged and signaled for the next reporter’s question. He didn’t have the time to deal with rude people.

“I’m CNN’s reporter, and I’d like to ask Mr. Jiang Chen whether user privacy for Future 1.0 is really so secure as your company has stated it to be. Based on the software encryption, your company made the software into an impenetrable black box. No one could test it from a security point of view. So what if Little White passes information gathered from the user to your desktop? Of course, this is only an example. Could you prove that it won’t happen?”

It was a harsh question, but many others were concerned about the same issue.

For a dead software, even if it was filled with back doors, you would not question its security until the problems were exposed.

But for software that felt alive, despite the developer’s efforts to prove its safety, you would be skeptical as it behaved too similarly to humans.

“I’m not the FBA, why would I need a user’s private information?” Jiang Chen laughed and splayed his palms. “Let me give you an example then. Based on the Washington Post’s report, the CIB and FBA directly infiltrated the central servers of Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and a total of nine tech giants to track users: email, phone calls, documents, and videos. What’s your opinion on this?”

“May I ask if this is related to today’s question?” The reporter from CNN showed an awkward expression.

“Of course. I want to explain that invasion of user privacy has nothing to do with the software itself. Because despite being an artificial intelligence, it has no concept of personal interest. Even if you uninstalled him after spending several days together, he will only wave his hands to say goodbye. Attempting to invade another’s privacy could only come from another human. But I assure you here and now that I will never do that! As long as I remain president of Future Technology, the company will never allow such actions.”

Jiang Chen looked the reporter in the eye as he said this. The hall filled with the sound of applause.

He signaled for quiet as he passed the time to the next reporter.

Jiang Chen answered the following questions with ease. He answered what he could, and if not, then he made something up. If that didn’t work, he blamed it on trade secrets. Jiang Chen had always been proud of his acting skills.

At the end, the reporters asked: “When will the foreign version be available?” “Would Future Technology consider venture capital?” Or even an irrelevant question such as, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Some interesting queries included, “What’s the meaning behind Future Technology’s name?”

Jiang Chen answered half-jokingly, “Because my team and I envision the future.”

And another sensitive question was, “Would artificial intelligence be used in the military field?”

Jiang Chen’s response was clear-cut. “Chat-based artificial intelligence will only exist for the purpose of interaction. It will not calculate rocket trajectory for you because that would require high-performance computers and experts. Unless you’re worried about soldiers who are too lonely and want to find a companion.”

He managed to win the majority of the media’s positive impressions thanks to his clear and straightforward responses.

Certainly, media outlets with criticisms still existed. For example, the short man from Japanese Economy seemed to be thinking up malevolent ideas to use to attack Jiang Chen.

But who cared? At the very least, Jiang Chen didn’t.

Who would care about a media that only distorted the truth?

After the closing remarks, Future Technology’s first media conference ended on a high note amidst applause.

－

“I can’t believe you’re so deft at improvising in your reactions.” Xia Shiyu nodded, seeming impressed as she looked at Jiang Chen.

“Haha.” Jiang Chen narcissistically raised his head and laughed. He then arrogantly raised his eyebrows. “You realize this only now? I’m this fu*king awesome.”

“Could you be more civil, please? You are a public figure now,” Xia Shiyu said, slightly displeased.

Public figure?

He realized the problem with a troubled expression on his face once more.

[Fu*k, then I have to be careful with everything I do? How can I enjoy my life from now on?]

“Could a camera point at me the moment I leave my house?” Jiang Chen scratched his head as he asked.

“…” Xia Shiyu speechlessly stared at Jiang Chen before she sighed. “Being a public figure means that your words and actions represent the company. If you do any uncivil acts, this would directly influence the public’s impression of our company. If it gets uploaded onto the internet, it could potentially escalate… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just think that you care more about Future Technology than even I do. I’m pleased.” Jiang Chen grinned.

“…” Xia Shiyu lost her words once more.

The only thing that didn’t change was her emotionless expression.

Jiang Chen was eager to change out of his uncomfortable suit.

“Oh right.” Just as he was about to leave the backstage area, Xia Shiyu abruptly stopped him.

“Mhmm?” Jiang Chen turned around looking confused.

“Ummm, in consideration of the company’s publicity… of course, it is not right to interfere in your private life, but do you really not have a girlfriend?” Xia Shiyu didn’t look in Jiang Chen’s direction. Instead, she stared blankly at the ground as her finger twirled the tips of her hair. Her voice remained calm as usual.

Jiang Chen was shocked, and his face took a particularly odd tone.

“What if I do?” He probed to see her reaction.

“!”

[You are about to rip your hair out!]

“But in reality, no.” Jiang Chen immediately added.

“…”

[Her mouth curved up?]

At this moment, even as dumb as he was, he realized…

“Ahem, in this case, it’ll be okay. But you should still be careful about your private life. If news got out that you’re still single, some people with ill-intentions may… anyways, just be careful.”

Jiang Chen locked his eyes onto Xia Shiyu, who was being unusually chattiness, with the same peculiar expression.

“Do you… like me?”