Testing Gnirut

By Aaron Zhao

Two thousand and twenty five. That's how many times Alan had tested the human-like AI agent Gnirut. This time was no different. Alan felt Gnirut answering his questions flawlessly without error.

“How old are you?” Alan asked.

“I am thirty eight years old.” Gnirut replied.

“What's your favorite food?” Alan asked,

“My favorite food is chicken, and my favorite dish is probably caesar chicken wrap.” Gnirut replied.

The test was going flawlessly, as usual.

“What is your name?” Alan asked,

“My name is Gnirut, Alan. Why asking?” Gnirut replied.

“I like your name, unique and beautiful.” Alan smiled.

Alan kept asking the questions routinely, but at the same time he also started feeling something was off, he felt something was familiar with the script that he was holding in his hands. But there wasn't much time to spare, he kept pressing on.

“Hey can you remember a number for me?” Alan asked,

“Sure!” Gnirut replied.

“1950?” Gnirut asked.

“Yes, 1950. That’s the number you need to remember.” Alan said.

“Okie Dokie.” Gnirut replied.

“Now, another question. What is your favorite fruit?” He asked,

“Pineapple! I love its refreshing taste, especially if it's refrigerated!” Gnirut replied.

Many questions were asked and answered, as usual.

“Now, what's the number I asked you to remember?” Alan asked,

“1950, right?” Gnirut answered.

“Congrats, Gnirut! You finished another round of the test!” Alan sighed.

But suddenly, Alan remembered something strange. “1950, 1950… Why 1950? Why Gnirut? Why Alan? …”

“No, Gnirut!” Alan shouted, “You not only finished another round of the test, you actually PASSED the test! You remember the number from previous rounds, and you said it before I did! You are human-like!”

Suddenly, Gnirut said something strange. “Congrats, Alan! YOU passed the test!” Gnirut exclaimed.

The room brightened. Alan saw people cheering all around him, all of them were clapping.

Alan had finally figured out what had happened. He wasn’t testing Gnirut. He was the Gnirut.