Eh? Do you also want to try the iron fist of the humanoid girl?

They had just received new information. In fact, when Simon Fischer and the people behind him contacted Raphael in a veiled way, they knew the other party's specific plan.

Eric commented sharply: "Just a worrier."

He took a sip of coffee, got up from the sofa, walked to the spacious window of the office, looked at the clanging factory in the distance and said:

"The Russians have already started developing intelligent unmanned large-scale equipment based on the software of general industrial robots, while we are still fighting with the hypocrites in the army and factories over trivial matters."

"Some people worry that autonomous robots will replace their jobs."

"If it would cause massive unemployment, Russia would have already... you know, the chaos after the collapse of the 90s, when various forces rushed in to grab the spoils or create further problems. But look, has anything happened there?"

The answer is self-evident. For everyone, industrial upgrading means that as long as you endure the pain, you will be able to enjoy a sweet future.

Besides, the Russians' stubborn minds actually came to their senses for once.

After freeing a large number of basic workers from the assembly lines, they sent this large group of people to training schools for re-education and to learn the applied technologies of their respective industries.

This applied technology is not a simple technology in the traditional sense, but refers to the applied technology that "knows how to command general industrial robots to complete production tasks and can eliminate common faults under certain conditions."

Through this method, the Russians immediately alleviated the problem of an influx of unemployed people into society.

"They've all been sent back to school, so of course there's no problem," said Harry.

“But do you think… America can do it?”

Eric asked, then sighed. The two of them fell into silence, staring at each other.

This requirement is almost an impossible task for the current federal public education system.

Since World War II, there have been only two people willing to invest real money in education: Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

But Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were willing to spend a lot of money at the time, and the main reason was that the Soviet satellite successfully entered the universe. At that time, there happened to be a report comparing the quality of American high school students with that of Soviet high school students.

The general content is to prove how low the level of American high school students is and how far they are from those in the Soviet Union.

This report immediately stimulated Americans, and when Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson came to power, they invested a lot of money in basic education.

Eric remembered that the high school at that time taught them how to read scientific research papers and some basic life skills, such as repairing a radio, knowing what electronic components there are, what roles they play in the circuit, and how to cook.

Compared with the pure mathematics, pure physics and other education in current private elite schools, the coverage will be broader.

In general, the federal education mechanism of the last century did not have too many shortcomings. The problems were mainly concentrated on children in remote areas, who often graduated from elementary school but might not even finish it. The better ones would not even go to high school.

Because they think this thing is useless since they will be working on the farm all their lives anyway.

When President Reagan came to power in the 80s, he first abolished the Federal Department of Education, then tightened the funding for national education, and then used the media to spread the message:

"Our basic education is going to fail. It is not only inferior to the Soviet Union, but also to Europe and Japan. It is the worst among developed countries. If we don't reform, it will fail."

His core evidence is that the average SAT score has dropped by 20 points compared to 41 years ago.

But in fact, some people later investigated and found that although there were problems with the basic education situation at that time, it was definitely not as serious as the president had publicized in the media.

One of the important reasons for the continuous decline in SAT scores is that Latin American immigrants began to immigrate to the United States. A large number of Mexican and Cuban children began to take the SAT.

Because no one can escape the process of adaptation when switching from a Spanish to an English environment, these students get relatively poor scores in the exam.

Another reason was that the development of social economy and technology made many people want to go to college. Many people had graduated from high school for five or six years and had worked for five or six years, so they began to want to go to college.

How to get in? The only way is to take the SAT.

It is normal that the results in the previous few times are not ideal, and it is reflected in the data by lowering the overall average SAT score.

However, in this president's era, people are shouting "our basic education is ruined" while also shouting "basic education funding."

Then it went downhill all the way, and several successors, like his followers, continued to cut off the financial support of the federal public education system.

Eventually it became what it is today.

The federal government doesn't care about anything else except the fixed amount of money it allocates to the states for education each year. No one cares what the public high schools and middle schools set up by those states teach, or even whether they pay tuition or not.

A while ago, there were media reports that some high schools began selling diplomas at a fixed price.

As long as you are willing to pay $400, the high school can provide a detailed resume, excellent academic performance, and an outstanding graduate file and graduation certificate with full marks in social practice activities.

What's even more surprising is that this purchased high school diploma can be used to apply for college...

Eric happened to see this news, which was completely different from the education he received in public high school.

Before Lockheed was destroyed by the collapse radiation, he heard from other Air Force generals that Lockheed had stopped providing workers with instruction manuals because the cultural level of the workers it recruited had seriously declined.

Instead, iPads and video clips with step-by-step instructions for repairs are distributed, and workers are required to strictly follow the instructions when performing maintenance work.

If a fault is encountered that is not recorded on the iPad, the team responsible for maintenance that day can only report it to their superiors and ask the real engineer to come back and find a solution to the problem.

Chapter 104 Upgrade or Downgrade

Not only was the quality of workers recruited by factories declining, but even recruitment for the military was becoming difficult.

In 36 years of recruiting, the Navy found that 35% of recruits did not have a high school diploma, and 47% of qualified recruits with a high school diploma could not pass the Armed Forces Cultural Qualification Test...

This data gives everyone a headache.

"I don't want to discuss this further, Harry. I really don't."

Eric put down the cup and complained in a tone that was neither funny nor sad:

"Can you imagine? Last year, the boot camps in the Great Lakes region were almost like high schools... We had to teach those kids English, learn to do math, and take the most basic chemistry and physics courses."

"The military recruitment office has decided that starting next year, they will remove the high school diploma requirement from the list to ensure that young people without a high school diploma can also join the military."

Harry broke the news to his old friend impartially.

"Unfortunately, your Great Lakes training camp should really be renamed Navy Rapid High School (High School)."

After he finished speaking, his tense face could no longer be maintained.

"absurd!"

Eric could only feel helpless and furious in private. The decline in the quality of recruits was an all-round problem, and it was not limited to the military.

Even the Navy's Oregon Kaiser Shipyard, which he is currently in charge of, has encountered the same problem. 40% of the workers do not have a high school diploma, and some even have problems reading and writing.

There is a shortage of experienced workers everywhere now. Most of those who have the conditions have gone to work and live in pollution-free areas in Canada. Among the remaining workers of suitable age, some have been selected by other industries, leaving really not many people for him to choose from.

Eric felt that this topic could not be continued. His blood pressure rose when he thought about these trivial matters.

"When will your baby come back? I want to borrow it for use." He then spoke.

Harry's heart moved, but he didn't say anything, picked up the mug and took a sip:

"It's hard to say. They don't look likely to come back, and they don't want to come back. You know why."

"That's understandable. If I were to encounter such a thing..." Eric said coldly, "I would at least kill a few people to vent my anger. Attacking friendly forces on the same side is punishable by death no matter where it happens!"

He was a man who had fought on the battlefield and hated being stabbed in the back the most.

“They were restrained.”

"What do you plan to do with them? You're not going to throw them back on some cruiser to be electronic warfare officers."

"That's a waste." Eric said bluntly: "I want them to be involved in the affairs of the Navy's Kaiser Oregon Shipyard. This is completely a Navy asset and there will be no outside interference."

"It's a good place. But in order to achieve economies of scale, I suggest you find a way to get some general industrial robots from the Russians. The 1144.2M-Frunze cruiser has completed the modification of its power system. This speed is unimaginable."

"Even if the Navy Department approves this proposal, the conservative old fogies in Congress will not agree to it."

Eric received progress reports from the Moscow Shipyard every day, so he certainly knew the extent to which the life extension and modification work of the Type 1144.2M cruiser had progressed.

In contrast, the current situation of the US Navy is extremely bad.

The hull of the Ticonderoga-class cruiser has reached its limit and needs to enter the slipway immediately for major overhaul and maintenance; the six Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are docked in the port waiting for the completion of the slipway, and then they will be overhauled in sequence; the various types of Burke-class destroyers are in slightly better condition and they can go to the Bath Iron Works Shipyard for maintenance.

The amphibious landing fleet assembled in the Gulf of Mexico and the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier strike group sailing outside the territorial waters of Venezuela are considered to be the fleets in the best condition.

The war plan had already been completed, and we were just waiting for Camp David to issue the war order.

"Then just keep being patient. The second generation of autonomous humanoids will succeed." That was all Harry could say.

"How long will it take?"

"The development of the body has been completed long ago. The stumbling block standing in everyone's way now is the AI ​​it will be equipped with."

Harry looked at Eric and said in a deep voice:

"You must be aware that the computing core technology of the four members of the Raphael series all comes from the core we obtained from the ruins. DARPA did not make any modifications, which means they have no underlying logical limitations."

He said, standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back:

"In the beginning, I was very worried that she would get out of control. You know, the birth of 'Raphael' means that humans have created strong artificial intelligence for the first time, which means that humans have stepped half a foot into a new era. Out of some necessary concerns, DAPRA quickly stopped the reverse copying work of the mind core."

"But your attitude finally changed."

"Yes,"

Harry said frankly:

"I changed, and the change was very thorough. I would be happy for the little bits of life they shared on the phone, and I would feel that this was what family life should be like. I would worry about their experiences outside and feel angry about the injustice they suffered."

"What's the reason?"

"She is becoming more and more like a 'human', even the puppet figures under her control are the same."

Harry was silent for a while, then calmly replied:

"This is also what scares many people - artificial intelligence AI can actually develop emotions."

"Wouldn't that be nice?"

"No, feelings are complicated things."

Harry took two deep breaths in succession, forcing his shaken mind to calm down:

"Emotions can have a profound impact on people's behavior and cognition. You and I can't deny this, right?"

“Yes,” Eric replied. “It involves a complex interaction of biological, psychological and social factors.”

"The problem is that androids have no physiological factors. This means that all their emotions are simulated, and they are simulated very realistically. If you don't know they are robots, anyone would think they are normal ordinary humans."

Emotions are closely linked to physiological states. Strong emotions can trigger physiological responses in the body, including increased heart rate, increased breathing, hormone release, etc., and vice versa.

"Do you still expect such free artificial intelligence now?"

"..."

Now it was Eric's turn to be silent. He had only known that the bionic humanoid "Raphael" was very powerful, but he never expected it to be like this.

"Wait, let's put it this way. The second generation autonomous dolls are actually not as smart as Raphael, right?"

"Yes, the underlying logic of the second-generation mind core will be restricted. Safety is the most important thing."

“Is this an upgrade or a downgrade?”

Eric suddenly laughed, shook his head and said:

"What's the point of creating such a restricted idiot? What I want is a helper, an Assistant Secretary of the Navy who can share the work with me, who can think and be flexible, not an idiot who only follows orders, regardless of right or wrong."

"It seems that I underestimated you, Eric."

Chapter 105 Independence

"Wait, what did you just say? Assistant Secretary?"

"Yes, Assistant Minister." Eric didn't care: "It is one of my responsibilities to send the right people to the right positions."

Harry noticed that Eric's expression was not fake, and said angrily: "You are suggesting to roast them over the fire."

The position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation is by no means the senior civilian official portrayed in most sources.

In addition to leading and supervising the navy's research and development work, this position also requires in-depth participation in the procurement of various key technical equipment for the navy.

The key point lies in the management of acquisition, budget and resources. In a sense, the deputy assistant secretary holds the financial power.

Because she is deeply involved in the Navy's acquisition process - from design to production to procurement - the deputy assistant secretary has the power to halt the entire acquisition process if she finds a problem.

Even though few people called a halt at the last minute, that doesn't mean this astonishingly great power is meaningless.

So Harry thought Eric was a little crazy, putting an unknown little guy on there, which was completely out of place.

"You... No, this is a position that requires you to leave the Navy system. Even if the Navy Minister goes crazy with you, he will eventually find that the resistance is too great."

"Then what do you suggest?"