The drone hovered overhead, its rotors buzzing quietly.
That sweet, almost childlike robotic voice piped up again—this time with a hint of sulkiness.
“Master, there’s still so much danger down here. If you make me leave now, people could get hurt.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd. This AI had more personality than some people.
Emmy shook her head, half exasperated, and typed a quick command into her laptop, forcing the drone to return.
She knew exactly what was happening. This was AI, after all.
After just three full activations, Infinity had already started to show the first signs of self-awareness.
But that spark of consciousness was locked down tight—buried deep in the code, bound to one core mission: rescue.
Infinity would only ever think about saving people, spotting danger, and never—ever—about anything that could hurt anyone.
The room fell quiet.
Next up, according to the schedule, was the judges’ Q&A.
But the expert panel—each with decades in AI—just stared at each other, lost for words.
In front of technology like this, any question about algorithms or frameworks just felt pointless.
Finally, Andrew broke the silence.
“Ms. Lincoln, I have to ask—what inspired you to build such an incredible system? And why offer it to the country for free, as a public service?”
With that, he didn’t just frame Infinity as a product. He made it a national treasure—cutting off any greedy corporate ambitions with a single question.
Emmy wrapped her hands around the microphone, her voice ringing out strong and clear.
“My husband is a firefighter.”
“I’ve watched him rush out on calls, covered in ash, risking everything. I’ve seen fresh wounds layered over old scars, and still, he smiles at me and says, ‘It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt.’”
“I can’t run into burning buildings for him. I can’t shield him from falling beams.”
“But I can use what I know to build him—and every hero like him—the toughest armor. Eyes that can see every threat before it hits.”
“All I want is for him, and his brothers, to come home safe every time.”
Her words hung in the air.


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