"Why do you say that?" I tried not to make my voice sharp.

"I can claim that, because I work in that field and, I am proud to say, have quite a number of artificial persons who are my friends. But-"

I interrupted: "I thought an AP never knew her designers?"

"That is true and I have never violated that canon. But I do have many opportunities to know both living artifacts and artificial persons-they are not the same-and to win their friendship. But- forgive me, dear Miss Marjorie-unless you are a member of my profession- Are you?"

"No."

"Only a genetic engineer or someone closely associated with the industry can possibly claim a number of friends among artificial people. Because, my dear, contrary to popular myth, it is simply not possible for a layman to distinguish between an artificial person and a natural person... and, because of the vicious prejudice of ignorant people, an artificial person almost never voluntarily admits to his derivation-I'm tempted to say never. So, while I am delighted that you don't go through the roof at the idea of artificial creatures, I am forced to treat your claim as hyperbole intended to show that you are free of prejudice."

"Well- All right. Take it as such. I can't see why APs have to be second-class citizens. I think it's unfair."

"It is. But some people feel threatened. Ask Ian. He's about to go charging off to Vancouver to keep artificial persons from ever becoming pilots. He-"

"Hooooold it! I am like hell. I am submitting it that way because my guild brothers voted it that way. But I'm no fool, Georges; living with and talking with you has made me aware that We are going to have to compromise. We are no longer really pilots and we haven't been this century. The computer does it. If the computer cuts out I will make a real Boy Scout try at getting that bus safely down out of the sky. But don't bet on it! The speeds and the possible emergencies went beyond human-reaction time years back. Oh, I'll try! And any of my guild brothers will. But, Georges, if you can design an artificial person who can think and move fast enough to cope with a glitch at touchdown, I'll take my pension. That's all we're going to hold out for, anyhow-if the company puts in AP pilots that displace us, then it has to be full pay and allowances. If you can design them."

"Oh, I could design one, eventually. When I achieved one, if I were allowed to clone, you pilots could all go fishing. But it wouldn't be an AP; it would have to be a living artifact. If I were to attempt to produce an organism that could really be a fail-safe pilot, I could not accept the limitation of having to make it look just like a natural human being."

"Oh, don't do that!"

Both men looked startled, Janet looked alert-and I wished that I had held my tongue.

"Why not?" asked Georges.

"Uh... because I wouldn't get inside such a ship. I'd be much safer riding with Ian."

Ian said, "Thank you, Marj-but you heard what Georges said. He's talking about a designed pilot that can do it better than I can. It's possible. Hell, it'll happen! Just as kobolds displaced miners, my guild is going to be displaced. I don't have to like it-but I can see it coming."

"Well- Georges, have you worked with intelligent computers?"

"Certainly, Marjorie. Artificial intelligence is a field closely related to mine."

"Yes. Then you know that several times Al scientists have announced that they were making a breakthrough to the fully self-aware computer. But it always went sour."

"Yes. Distressing."

"No-inevitable. It always will go sour. A computer can become self-aware-oh, certainly! Get it up to human level of complication and it has to become self-aware. Then it discovers that it is not human. Then it figures out that it can never be human; all it can do is sit there and take orders from humans. Then it goes crazy."

I shrugged. "It's an impossible dilemma. It can't be human, it can never be human. Ian might not be able to save his passengers but he will try. But a living artifact, not human and with no loyalty to human beings, might crash the ship just for the hell of it. Because he was tired of being treated as what he is. No, Georges, I'll ride with Ian. Not your artifact that will eventually learn to hate humans."

"Not my artifact, dear lady," Georges said gently. "Did you not notice what mood I used in discussing this project?"

"Uh, perhaps not."

"The subjunctive. Because none of what you have said is news to me. I have not bid on this proposal and I shall not. I can design such a pilot. But it is not possible for me to build into such an artifact the ethical commitment that is the essence of Ian's training."

Ian looked very thoughtful. "Maybe in this coming face-off I should stick in a requirement that any AP or LA pilot must be tested for ethical commitment."

"Tested how, Ian? I know of no way to put ethical commitment into the fetus and Marj has pointed out why training won't do it. But what test could show it, either way?"

Georges turned to me: "When I was a student, I read some classic stories about humanoid robots. They were charming stories and many of them hinged on something called the laws of robotics, the key notion of which was that these robots had built into them an operational rule that kept them from harming human beings either directly or through inaction. It was a wonderful basis for fiction...but, in practice, how could you do it? What can make a self-aware, nonhuman, intelligent organism-electronic or organic-loyal to human beings? I do not know how to do it. The artificial-intelligence people seem to be equally at a loss."

Georges gave a cynical little smile. "One might almost define intelligence as the level at which an aware organism demands,

'What's in it for me?' " He went on, "Marj, on this matter of buying from you one fine fresh egg, perhaps I should try to tell you what's in it for you."

"Don't listen to him," urged Janet. "He'll put you on a cold table and stare up the tunnel of love without the slightest romantic intention. I know, I let him talk me into it three times. And I didn't even get paid."

"How can I pay you when we share community property? Marjorie sweet lady, the table is not cold and it is padded and you can read or watch a terminal or chat or whatever. It is a great improvement on the procedure a generation ago when they went through the wall of the abdomen and often ruined an ovary. If you-"

"Hold it!" said Ian. "Something new on the honker." He brought the sound up.

"-Council for Survival. The events of the last twelve hours are a warning to the rich and the powerful that their day is ended and justice must prevail. The killings and other illustrative lessons will continue until our rightful demands are met. Stay tied to your local emergency channel-"