AI Sees All

To scrape together my mother's surgery money, I worked myself to the bone at this company for three straight years. My performance was always number one.

By myself, I supported half the sales department.

Then, a newly hired HR director decided every desk needed an AI camera, claiming it was to optimize efficiency.

Every blink, every breath I took was measured and calculated by the system.

"Warning. Employee Nathan Gray blinked more than twenty times within one minute. Mental distraction detected. Fine: 50."

"Warning. Employee Nathan Gray took 3.5 seconds to drink water, exceeding the standard by 1.5 seconds. Slacking detected. Fine: 100."

"Warning. Employee Nathan Gray's mouth corners drooped for over thirty seconds. Suspected spread of negative emotion. Fine: 200."

The most ridiculous part was the way he stood in front of the entire department, pointing proudly at my data on the giant screen.

"See that?" he said smugly. "This is the power of technology. In front of AI, you lazy freeloaders have nowhere to hide. Nathan, your bonus for this month has already been wiped out by the system. If you don't like it, get lost. Plenty of people are lining up to take your place."

What he didn't know was that the AI system he trusted so blindly had its core code written by me.

Tonight, I was going to show him what happened when he angered the one who built the machine.

Under the Lens

The conference room door closed behind me. In the entire sales department, dozens of people were packed into their seats. No one dared to look up.

The room was so quiet that the only sound was the soft mechanical whir of the AI cameras turning.

The newly appointed HR director, Lucas Reed, followed me out. He clapped his hands sharply, the sound cutting through the silence.

"Wake up, everyone. Don't end up like Nathan here—stuck in old habits, resisting new technology. In the end, the only one who loses is you."

He stopped at my desk and rapped his knuckles against the surface.

"Nathan, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Not happy about this?"

I said nothing. I just looked at him.

"I'll spell it out for you. This system cost the headquarters eight figures to bring in from Nova Valley. It is the most efficient management model available. Whatever little schemes you're cooking up mean nothing in front of it."

The smile on his face widened.

"Oh, and one more thing. I almost forgot to inform you. Starting today, the AI monitoring system will include a 'positive energy' metric. It will evaluate your work enthusiasm in real time based on facial expressions. So keep smiling. Otherwise, what gets deducted won't just be your bonus."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode away like an official inspecting his territory.

At the desk beside mine, Claire Sullivan cautiously slid a note toward me. 'Nathan, are you okay? Mr. Reed went way too far.'

I picked up my pen and wrote a brief reply underneath. 'I'm fine.'

The moment I finished writing, the AI speaker above our heads came to life.

"Warning. Employee Nathan Gray has engaged in nonessential, non-work-related communication with a colleague. A fine of 100 has been issued."

Claire recoiled as if burned, pulling her hand back at once. Her face was drained of color.

I tightened my grip on the pen. The tip gouged deeply into the paper, leaving a deep mark.