Whistle in the Dark

Chapter 1

January 1st,

I can't believe it's come to this - I'm living out of my car now like some fugitive on the run. What an ironic way to start off a new year. So much has led to me to this point, I suppose I should explain from the beginning for anyone who may eventually read this journal.

I've always been fascinated by AI and its potential impact on humanity. Back in college, I devoured every research paper I could find on machine learning algorithms and neural networks. There was just something beautiful about the idea of computers not only processing data, but learning from it and evolving their abilities on their own.

I knew then I wanted to dedicate my career to furthering that progress. So after graduating top of my class from MIT, I landed a coveted job at one of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley - let's call them TechCon for now. They were at the forefront of AI development, and I was thrilled for the opportunity.

The work was exhilarating in those early years. I contributed to major advances in computer vision, natural language processing and predictive analytics. Every breakthrough felt like one more rung up Jacob's Ladder towards artificial general intelligence. My peers and I truly believed we were doing something profoundly world-changing, that AI would uplift humanity to new heights.

Of course, being a public company, TechCon had to spin our research into real products. That's when I started to get a sinking feeling in my gut. Some of the consumer applications seemed harmless enough - photo tagging, virtual assistants, online shopping recommendations.

But I also saw mention of "government partnerships" and buzzwords like "security", "defense" and "critical infrastructure" coming up more frequently in meetings. When I inquired further, I was usually brushed off or told the details were confidential. That should have been my first red flag.

Then came the day I was pulled into a presentation about using our newest computer vision models to power surveillance drones. The capabilities blew me away - they could track multiple human targets automatically and even identify specific individuals based on gait analysis or other biometrics.

But my awe quickly turned to horror as I realized the military applications. TechCon was helping create an all-seeing machine with almost no oversight or restrictions on how it could be used. I started having nightmares about innocent civilians, even children, being targeted in foreign conflicts based on data they unknowingly contributed.

When I voiced my concerns to management, they shut me down completely. "National security is too important. We're on the right side of history." That's when the true nature of this industry became clear - profits and control would always come before ethics or human lives impacted. I was just a cog in their machine.

I knew then I had to take action, or else be complicit. But first I needed evidence, and I had the highest clearances at TechCon. So I started secretly siphoning off reports, emails, research papers - anything that could prove how the company was deliberately misleading employees and the public about where our work was really going.

After a few years of covert data-gathering, I finally had enough to blow the lid off the whole operation. But before I could go public, the strange glitches started - files going missing, devices breaking down at suspiciously convenient times.

It became abundantly clear then that I was up against powerful forces who wouldn't go down without a fight. So here I am, forced to go completely dark and evade TechCon's attempts to silence me for good. I have to get this evidence to the right people somehow, no matter the cost.

Future generations may look back on this time as the moment AI was truly born, but also when its development was hijacked for control instead of empowerment. I can't let my life's work be used to enable mass surveillance states and autonomous killing machines. This ends now, one way or another. Stay tuned for my next entries...