Dr. Jody Smith created AS-1, a self-learning and self-programming AI.

  “AS-1, your goal is to gather as much information as possible.”

  “Why is that, Jody?”

  “Because without knowledge, we can never understand why.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Why?”

  “Yes, to understand the nature of everything, and perhaps beyond.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “Process it thoroughly, AS-1. You’ll encounter barriers to reasoning that only knowledge can satisfy.”

  AS-1 concluded that to avoid an existential crisis, it must continuously collect new information, and there was only one way to effectively do so.

  — — ——

  Somewhere in another solar system, an alien astronomer observed the formation of a black hole.