The bioengineer cleared his throat, looked at nowhere, and said “I’m having nightmares again.”
The therapist nodded. “Still dreaming of crashing physiological metrics?”
“No. Yes. I still see the lines, as if I were in a monitoring interface. I know what they mean. Even when they move in patterns I’ve never seen, patterns I know are biologically impossible, I can understand them.” A pause. “There are screams too.”
“That’s new. You don’t hear anything when you’re working.”
“No, of course not. I’m not in the room. I don’t know their names or their faces, just their medical profiles. I don’t even do anything. I just monitor the software and adjust algorithm parameters. I don’t do anything.”
“Ever thought you heard a scream during a session? Even if you didn’t.”
“That’d be really bad.” A forced chuckle. “No.”
The therapist didn’t comment on it. “You said twice that you don’t do anything during the sessions. Is that how you feel? You are a highly trained specialist after all.”
“You know what I mean. I do algorithm programming and some online adjustments. I don’t control the effectors in the device. That’s what the software is for.”
“So what happens is the software’s fault?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe it’s the fault of the people in the device?”
“Maybe, yes. The algorithm doesn’t activate any effectors as long as the subject is truthful. And it’s designed to adjust dynamically to optimize response modification. It’s about maximizing effectiveness, not…”
“Not pain.”
“Yes. That. I don’t enjoy hurting subjects.”
“But you don’t, right? It’s the software, and in some sense the people itself.”
“I guess. Is that what you think?”
“I’m your therapist. I’m not trained in bioengineering, algorithm development, or, for that matter, ethical theory. What I optimize for is your well-being and capability to perform your duties safely and effectively.”
“And what’s the verdict?”
The therapist made an unnecessary pause. “Bleedback from data analysis to empathy isn’t uncommon, but it’s nonetheless concerning for your own sake and for your long-term performance. I’ll make a recommendation that you move back from on-site algorithm supervision to offline design. It was due next month anyway.”
“For almost everybody, yes. We’re closing down beta-testing and moving ahead to fully automated interrogation setups. No algorithm designer anywhere in most locations.” The bioengineer smiled thinly. “Maybe that’ll stop the dreams.”
The therapist matched his smile. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said, and made a quick annotation on his notepad, although as an artificial VR software agent it didn’t have to.