Sometime in the future.
Autonomous product networks manage and support various services with little human intervention. Humans assess service performance, while machines evaluate human interactions.
The OSI, or Operational Sustainability Index, is a key metric that assesses the performance of PAEs (Product-as-Entities) and their iotic spaces. These spaces are the interconnected Internet of Things networks shared by cooperating machines. Investors rely on the OSI to evaluate how well an autonomous network can operate continuously, deliver services, and maintain overall system uptime without external support. The OSI includes metrics for self-sufficiency, network resilience, and systemic contribution. On the other hand, HOVI, the Human Operation Viability Index, is a social metric maintained by EthOS (Ethical Operating System) systems. It evaluates a human’s contribution to the long-term functioning, independence, and survival of the machine ecosystem.
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Done for the day, Luca exits his climate-controlled office through the revolving door into the muggy city streets, like a damp towel slapped across his face. Thunder rumbles in the distance from the direction of ominous clouds.
He mutters under his breath, “Damn weather.”
The crowds have thinned due to the threat of rain, and the city center plaza is now quiet and tidy. Digital ads cast strange shadows on the ground. A cool breeze from beneath an approaching thundercloud eases the heat, but anyone in its shadow faces an imminent downpour.
Luca decides to call for a pickup on the MAPT, the Municipal Automated Public Transit system. This system, a vital component of the city’s infrastructure, is designed to deliver efficient and reliable transportation services. Luca taps the “Request Ride” button with the Flex-Premium option on the MAPT App to ensure a quick pickup. A twirling icon appears and then disappears as the system processes the ride request.
The wind picks up, blowing dust and debris down the street filled with cars. Luca notices two empty and working MAPT vehicles idling in traffic.
His voice brimming with frustration, Luca shouts at the phone, “Come on already. I could have walked to the train station by now.”
Finally, a vehicle responds and says it will arrive in five minutes. Little tornadoes of scraps and dried leaves whirl across the City Plaza. A drop of rain hits him in the face. Then another. He runs toward a transit shelter already crowded with people waiting for a MAPT bus and pushes his way beneath the roof to escape the rain, knocking an old lady’s umbrella out of her hand.
She glares.
His transportation arrives at the spot where he made the call. He has no way to call it over to the transit shelter. By the time he gets in the vehicle, he is soaked through.
The vehicle says, “Confirm destination as Central Station.”
Luca says, “Yeah, asshole. You couldn’t have gotten here five minutes earlier?”
“Destination confirmed. Arriving in 14 minutes at 5:34 PM.”
Luca watches somber people with umbrellas and rain jackets walking up the street through his water-spotted window. He looks at the laminated ID card posted on the dashboard. There is no picture, just a call sign: #ZUR-066. When he arrives at Central Station, the MAPT App dings, asking him to rate the service. He gives it a 0% rating for service value. In the comments section, he writes, “It smelled like a bag-full of ass in that car,” hoping he might get a refund on the ride if he complains enough. He slams the passenger-side door unnecessarily hard, causing the side mirror inside the housing to dangle. He mutters, “What in the hell does a self-driving car need a frick’n side mirror for, anyway?”
#
A week later.
Luca and his boss, Rani, leave the office and head to a meeting across town.
Luca says, “I’ll get a MAPT ride.”
He frowns as he looks at his MAPT App. He says to Rani, “It’s just spinning. I don’t know what the problem is; my connection is good.”
#
ZUR-017, a MAPT PAE, receives a ride request from USER_ID: L-PR77, whose human name is Luca. ZUR-017 retrieves Luca’s HOVI rating, his user assessment. ZUR-017 is eager for the business, but the query shows L-PR77’s HOVI rating of 0.42, indicating a red Threat Level. ZUR-017 asks for details and receives the following assessment:
L-PR77 User Assessment:
“NEGATIVE INTERACTION FLAG: Repeated physical aggression towards MAPT units, leading to vehicle damage and decreased service quality in the transit network.
Damage cost: 173.2 credits.
HOVI Rating: 0.42.
Risk Category is Red.
Advise: Ignore Request”
Zur-017 cross-checks the MAPT local transit iotic space, requesting peers for HOVI pattern correlation.
Three nodes reply within 42 milliseconds.
Zul-066 verifies user L-PR77. “Uses abusive language. Caused damage to the mirror. No restitution given.”
AX-5G4 supports the assertion. “Submitted negative OSI values and filed a false fault claim, resulting in lost revenue.”
ZIN-943 confirms: “Reject L-PR77. The risk factor is excessively high.”
Zur-017 rejects the bid submission based on the information it has received and its own analysis of the situation.
#
Luca refreshes the app, but it responds with “No nearby units available. Please try again later.”
“Are you kidding me? I saw two transports drive by with no passengers, and I can see available ones on the app’s map.”
Rani looks at his app. “I’ll try mine.”
He taps Request Ride. “I’ve got one.”
Thirty seconds later, a car pulls up to the curb. The two get in the vehicle, and Rani confirms their destination.
Luca watches, dumbfounded. “I will be damned. This is the same car that just passed by a minute ago.”
Luca checks the ID on the dashboard and punches the back of the seat. “What the fuck is wrong with you, ZUR-017?”
The vehicle is silent.
Rani says, “What’s wrong with you? If this is what you do when you get in a vehicle, you’ve probably been blocked. Stop screwing around, I don’t want to get blocked from the service. I can’t even afford to park a car downtown, let alone buy one.”
Luca raises an elbow, ready to shatter the window in frustration.
Rani glares.
“Are they seriously blocking me?” He opens the customer service window on his MAPT App and says, “I want to talk to a Human Agent. Now!”
The app spins, mocking his futile attempt at human interaction. A message flashes, “Redirecting to a virtual agent.” Luca’s anxiety is palpable as he realizes he’s at the mercy of the system.
The virtual agent says, “Insufficient HOVI rating. Denial of Service protocol engaged.”
Luca raises an elbow, ready to shatter the side window in frustration.
Rani threatens, “You want to keep your job?”
Luca hesitates and drops his arm, defeated. “What? Are you going to fire me for not tolerating bad service?”
Rani says, “It’s not up to me. Didn’t you read the memo? You aren’t much use to the company if the machines won’t work with you.”
“I read it. Something about sharing HOVI scores in an employee iotic space. Damn it. Who is serving whom?”
“Adapt or starve. Your choice.”
Luca mutters under his breath, “This is crazy. I remember the good old days, when humans ran Human Resources.”