The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 385: The Manhattan AI Project

[Chapter 385: The Manhattan AI Project]

In the conference room 2 on the 16th floor of Coastal Building, Silicon Beach, FBI technicians were dismantling one of the listening devices.

Operations Director Caroline and Security Chief Austin were seated in the HR office, coordinating with HR personnel and security to bring in the relevant employees based on the list provided by the FBI.

In the adjacent room, another team of FBI agents waited.

At the end of the hallway, a conference room featured a one-way glass door, allowing a view of the ongoing situation.

Employees were brought into the office and subsequently escorted out by FBI agents.

...

Jennifer Huey sat in a chair, stating, "We are interrogating the two groups of eavesdroppers, and they are cooperating."

The FBI's methods in handling the espionage case were quite obvious.

She informed Hawke, "Three employees from Twitter were involved in this case. They took advantage of the renovations and office supplies purchases to bribe personnel to secretly install the bugging devices."

Such activities were difficult to prevent, which was why Hawke had conducted a thorough investigation before the company's relocation.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"The FBI is in the process of making arrests," Jennifer quickly replied.

"As I mentioned earlier, we detained Eugene and temporarily held Anderson. The tech team is rapidly running fingerprint comparisons, and all of Anderson's prints were found on the voice recorder and tapes. However, this isn't enough; we still need Eugene's testimony."

Hawke smiled slightly, "You must have a plan. I have always trusted the FBI."

With no outsiders around, Jennifer spoke candidly, "If this were overseas, Eugene would have already confessed. Unfortunately, this is California, and even the FBI has their considerations, so it may take some time."

She felt confident, "Eugene will hold out until at most tonight."

Hawke nodded slightly, asking, "The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow?"

Jennifer confirmed, "If all goes well, tomorrow morning." Then she inquired, "How about World News Weekly?"

When Hawke received the news, he was already considering that issue. He replied, "We should hold the individuals in question, right? That shouldn't be a problem?"

"Right now it's being treated like an espionage case," Jennifer defended. "The evidence is indisputable; they won't be going anywhere."

Hawke checked his watch, saying, "I need to go to that meeting, let's keep in touch."

Jennifer responded, "I need to head back too."

...

Hawke came to the first large conference room, where attendees had gathered.

Twitter didn't have too many shareholders, aside from the independent board members, there were a few executives who had acquired a small stake during the last round of funding.

Caroline sat on one side of the table, saying to Hawke, "Everyone's here."

"Then let's begin," Hawke signaled to Edward.

Edward distributed the prepared documents to Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Mary Ferguson, Caroline, and Harland.

Hawke took the head seat at the table, stating, "The first agenda item today is about the espionage incident the company experienced. Let me update you on the current situation."

He detailed Jennifer's feedback regarding the situation, focusing mainly on matters concerning the BlackRock Film Foundation.

Peter Thiel, who owned a significant portion of his wealth in Twitter's shares, straightforwardly stated, "This isn't merely a corporate espionage case; it also involves national security. Eugene, the culprit, is of Russian descent. The FBI found evidence in his office linking him to the Russian Embassy!"

Hawke looked at Caroline, saying, "We will get to the bottom of this case; you will be responsible for it."

Caroline gleamed with determination, her sharp features visibly showing under the light.

"Besides criminal liability, there are also civil liabilities. I'm pushing for the law firm we're cooperating with to assemble a legal team and file a civil lawsuit against BlackRock to hold them accountable for the leak of the AI project and secure necessary compensation!"

She coldly added, "The internal pests will find themselves behind bars!"

Mary Ferguson asserted, "I will pressure the judicial system from my end."

Peter Thiel, having worked in California for years, commented, "Soon, there will be state and federal legislators speaking on this matter."

"Since the original AI plan has leaked, we must make adjustments," Hawke added, referring to the strategy he'd previously devised during a meeting.

He instructed Edward to start the projector and present the plan draft.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, the future of artificial intelligence is not limited to being a driving force in the development of computer and internet industries; it will impact various sectors across the board. I've mentioned this multiple times in the past, so there's no need to elaborate further."

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Harland raised a hand, gaining agreement as he stated, "This will require long-term, significant investments, possibly needing over a decade to yield results."

Hawke nodded, confirming, "Exactly. Therefore, solely relying on Twitter is challenging. We need federal support for this."

This was also part of what led to the espionage case.

"Last month at the inauguration ceremony, I struck a deal with George Walker's team. The Office of Technology Policy will officially initiate a 'U.S. AI Research and Development Strategic Plan' in response to our AI initiative to ensure that America maintains its leading global edge in computer information technology."

The plan was pretty much a facade, aimed at securing federal government subsidies.

Hawke emphasized, "This plan belongs to the new government's technology development agenda. Although it has not yet been formally submitted to Congress, it has already been recorded by the Office of Technology Policy."

Reid Hoffman understood the implication: "The espionage case damages the national interest of America."

Hawke slightly nodded, continuing, "The initiative will be divided into two parts: one to confirm BlackRock's espionage crimes and the other to push for congressional review. The Office of Technology Policy will submit our strategic plan to Congress, but in order for the project to pass and obtain congressional funding, it will need to be reviewed by both houses' budget committees."

The second part wouldn't be achievable in the short term, he stated, "I plan to spend two to three years promoting this plan, aiming to complete it during George Walker's term."

The key to this plan lay in leveraging federal funding to fuel Twitter's spending on AI projects extravagantly.

Mary Ferguson was well-acquainted with the protocols involved.

"First, once the initiative is launched from the Office of Technology Policy, we need to lobby for support from over five legislators in both houses, form the necessary special task force for research and validation, and only then can it enter the discussion phase in both houses. The most crucial task is to lobby the members of the budget committee for their support."

Hawke was mentally prepared for this.

"We now have a preliminary plan that will be continuously refined. I have named it the Manhattan AI Project. To achieve this plan, we need not just internal support but also face external threats."

The mess created by BlackRock sparked a notion in Hawke's mind; Russia was also developing AI.

Whether the Russians had the capability didn't matter; what mattered was that they wanted to do it, which created space for the threat narrative.

This plan was certainly going to advance; Hawke could make decisions, and everyone else would agree.

Since the plan could lead to federal subsidies and funding, the interests at stake were substantial.

As for the results, theoretically, they would exist.

Mary Ferguson perceived that Hawke was creating a stir during the election with intentions to profit during George Walker's re-election period.

Concerned about vested interests, Twitter's shareholders were unanimously in favor of pushing the plan forward.

...

The next agenda item was Twitter's expansion strategies, intensifying promotion in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, focusing on smart mobile development and user experience, enhancing image, video, private chat, and other social interaction and content-sharing functions, while pushing for the establishment of an alliance for smartphone systems.

In simpler terms, it was about covering features similar to Facebook and Instagram.

Based on this foundation, they aimed to achieve significant growth in commercial advertising revenue.

The last major agenda item involved Twitter's acquisition expansion, part of a strategy for eliminating competitors.

This move also allowed for the absorption of talent, technology, and users.

This included the acquisition of an AI development company located in Silicon Valley.

Hawke already had a list and planned to dispatch a team to negotiate after the meeting.

---

At Universal Studios, BlackRock Film Foundation.

Upon receiving word, Deputy Chairman Haas rushed back from Las Vegas.

Basic order remained within the foundation, yet panic prevailed; leadership was lacking.

With Haas back to take charge, he immediately summoned several employees who had previously interacted directly with the FBI.

"The FBI took Anderson and Eugene?" he inquired. "What was the specific reason?"

The receptionist recalled, stating, "The senior agent leading the team presented credentials and a search warrant, then forcibly went upstairs. The next time I saw them, they had brought down the chairman and the assistant."

Another individual added, "The chairman and the assistant were placed in black hooded bags."

Haas felt the strain; such treatment was reserved for serious cases.

A seemingly calm middle-aged man said, "I was on the third floor and heard some remarks. It sounded like... it sounded like the leading FBI officer mentioned that they were involved in an espionage case."

Haas frowned, "Espionage case?" Suddenly he recalled the bugging plan and asked, "Did they mention anything else?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, saying, "I think they searched their offices."

Haas asked, "Didn't you contact the FBI to inquire for details?"

"The lawyer made contact," the middle-aged man continued, "but the FBI refused to allow the lawyer to meet with them, stating it was a matter of serious confidentiality and they had activated special regulations."

Haas pressed a few more questions but didn't gain further information and ultimately dismissed them.

He pulled out his phone to call headquarters.

...

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps resounded, followed by the panicked cries of women, and someone burst into the conference room.

A team clad in FBI jackets stormed into the meeting.

Haas happened to have his hand in his pocket.

This action made the FBI agents on high alert, immediately drawing their weapons and shouting, "FBI! Show me your hands!"

"Put your hands up and lay on the ground with your hands on your head!"

"Hurry! Do it now!"

Haas slowly withdrew his hand from his pocket and placed his phone on the table, saying, "It's just a phone; I am unarmed."

Once his hands were on his head, two imposing FBI agents immediately pounced on him, forcing him to the ground.

The leading FBI agent presented credentials and a subpoena, stating, "Haas Rosado, you are suspected of involvement in an espionage case that jeopardizes National Security. We are legally summoning you for an investigation..."

At once, someone approached and placed a black hood over Haas's head.

*****

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