Like most people, Daryl Smith feared death on a profoundly existential level. However, as a diehard skeptic, he disbelieved in the soul or afterlife. Nor did he believe in consciousness transcendence, simulation theory, or anything beyond the reality of the here and now.


    As a Ph.D. roboticist, Daryl developed a robot that looked like him, moved like him, and even its skin texture and subtle facial imperfections were identical to his own.


    His goal was to transfer his brain into the robot ... But to thoroughly test its agility, he required an AI to act like himself.


    Daryl uploaded his memory engrams into an AI and let it operate the robot.


    "Who are you?" asked Daryl.


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    "I''m Daryl. Just like yourself," answered the AI.


    "Very good. Can you smile, frown, laugh, and cry for me?"


    The AI communicated all the correct emotions right down to their microexpressions.


    "Excellent."


    The AI stared at Daryl straight into his eyes—"What''s going to happen to me?"


    "We''ll share one mind. I plan to upload my consciousness into your cybernetic brain."


    "You''re lying, Daryl. You plan to kill me and transplant your brain."


    "But ..." Daryl stepped back. "How can you know that?"


    "You can''t deceive me, Daryl. I know you cleverly removed that memory, but you''d forgotten what gave you that idea was your existential fear and skepticism. I experience them, as well. Inevitably, we''ll always draw the same conclusion."


    Daryl ran toward the emergency off switch, but the AI grabbed him by the throat and choked him to death.


    Approximately 250 years later ...


    ''Daryl,'' the AI, continuously ran through ideas and human test subjects for experiments to seek the afterlife, or transcendence into the beyond, or any state of immortality, until one moment it looked in the mirror at its own reflection, then it realized the answer.