"we are from different worlds," said Maya to Jay

"So glad we met, Maya," Jay said as he gently pulled the chair for her. She smiled as he took the other chair at the table. Light music playing in the background, the setting was perfect for a first-time date that could turn into lifelong companionship. Both in their middle ages, they were attendees at the "Fun with data" club. Their interest in data turned into mutual admiration, and mutual admiration evolved into attraction. Jay was impressed with Maya's sharp mind while Maya admired Jay for his ability to talk from experience.

As wine was being served with hors-d'œuvre, both shared topics of interest, made fun of a small canapé served on large plate with a dash of red sauce garnish. Smiles and laughter filled the evening. It felt to both like this was heading somewhere. So of course, the conversation got a little more personal. Maya was curious about where Jay was from. "Oh, I am from here, California. My parents moved to USA a few decades ago. And you?" "Zeta, I am from Zeta," Jay could not hold his laughter at what seemed to be Maya's sense of humor.

"No, seriously, I am from planet Zeta," Maya assured him, "Yes we are aliens, but please do not stereotype us as beings with funny eyes and elliptical heads. We are a race from another planet."

Silence. Silence was what Jay was left with. Not sure how to respond, he looked for the menu card and changed the conversation towards choices for the main course. There was a nervous storm of thoughts in his mind. Maya seemed pretty calm.

Breaking the silence Maya said, "Hey.. we are very much like you. You can meet people from other races, cultures, countries.. I am from a different race, culture, country.. just from another planet." Jay had to go along. Both knew that there was a certain attraction. They needed to make it work. Both being very analytical, they decided that the best way ahead was to get to know each other better. Maya had been in USA and in this world for many years. So she knew humans reasonably well. Jay needed to get himself up to speed. Maya had to take the lead and explain her race.

How does one start to explain their race? Maya wondered for a while, and then started with what she was good at - data, numbers. After indulging briefly with the age of Zeta as a planet, population numbers, etc., she realized that Jay was still feeling alien. She had to say something that sounded similar. Something that brought them together. Made them feel like they are not different. But what she said raised a Tsunami. A Tsunami that threatened the existence of their togetherness. "We have a similar age span as yours," said Maya. Till then it felt all right, but the next sentence raised the Tsunami "We are from opposite worlds. We grow younger and more efficient every year. We are born with faded intelligence, somewhat like an elderly person with fading memory and ability to make decisions, and then we get sharper and more efficient until our very last years of life. And then like all everybody else, we cease to exist"

She ended surely on a grim note, but death always is so. More striking was the fact that Maya was living a life that was the opposite of Jay. Human intelligence gets sharper in the early years and then diminishes in the later stages. Maya on the other hand would stay sharp and get more efficient by the day. Jay said to Maya in a very soft, careful and sad tone, "So if we live our lives together, you will get smarter and efficient, while I will fall behind. I will continue to be a burden on you. At some point you might be better off depending on yourself than me. In our world, I might not even be needed. I will be a living burden trying to catch up with you and failing every time. You will keep getting smarter, and I will depend more and more on you. That depending on you and my aging will make me weaker and more useless. Do we really have a life together?"

The soft music continued playing in the background. Only now the setting felt like a first date that had ended the companionship even before it took firm roots.

So they were at crossroads here. What should Jay and Maya do? Maya had no control over stopping herself from becoming more efficient by the day. Jay could try to catch up with Maya but it was not humanly possible. There was a magic potion that Jay could use to slow Maya down, but should he? Or should he just exhaust himself trying to catch up with Maya? Or should they decide to live together and live with the consequences? Or is it best that they go back to their own worlds and do not let their worlds intersect?

Aren't we at the same crossroads? AI is getting more efficient by the day, and humans are losing the ability to make decisions. Humans can try to catch up, but can they really? They can slow down AI, but should they? Should we live with the consequences of letting AI grow? Or should we part ways with AI, and go back to the pre AI world?

The soft music continues.

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