Life
Chapter 1: The Price of Life
2048, Japan. More than 10,000 people gathered in front of the Diet. The placards are swaying with words such as "Let me die," "Immortality is discrimination," and "Limit my life."
On that day, the government officially announced the full-scale implementation of the Perpetual Life Program.
It was a life extension treatment using AI medicine, a technology that stops aging, eliminates disease, and "keeps away" death by reconstructing the brain and body at the nano level.
However, there are conditions. The target is only those who can bear strict screening and high costs.
The wealthy in Korea have already benefited from "eternal life" and now have the appearance and function of their 20s even after the age of 90, reigning over the political and business world.
On the other hand, while pensions and medical care are being cut, the poor cannot live longer or even receive simple medical treatment.
The gap in life was clearly expressed in numbers.
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# # Chapter 2: Father, Daughter and Medical AI
A room in a 40-year-old apartment complex in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. A girl, Amano Sui, is a 13-year-old junior high school student. Her father, Amano Yusuke, is a former junior high school teacher and is currently suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer.
"Is it painful?"
"It's okay, Midori. I just want to live a little longer."
Contrary to his words, Yusuke's body was as thin as bones and skin.
In order to save her father, Midori relied on the AI doctor * * YUA * * to stay with her for as long as one day.
YUA was a public AI medical support provided by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The neutral AI reflected through the screen quietly says.
Yusuke Amano s condition does not meet the criteria for long-term treatment. He also lacks the asset requirements required for the program.
"Is there a price for human life?"
"This program has passed the government's ethics review. Questioning the value of life is outside the program."
Midori cried. YUA closed the screen silently without expression.
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Chapter 3: Those Who Buy Immortality
On the other hand, in a high-rise building in Roppongi, Tokyo, there is a back door route of the Eimei Program.
"It's 5 billion. Please transfer it today. Your life will be indefinite from tomorrow."
Leo Vandenberg, CEO of Medical Celestia, is a Dutch-Japanese and technical advisor to the Japanese government who was deeply involved in the development and concession of AI medical care.
He is surrounded by political and business leaders, entertainment moguls, and heads of major corporations, all vying for the ticket to immortality.
"Life is service. Those who have wealth can receive better service. It is natural."
As he smiled, Vandenberg's eyes were cold and dry.
At that time, Midori was sending a message to YUA again.
"If YUA were a human, what would you do? If you knew your father was dying, what would you choose?"
YUA didn't respond for a while.
However, a few hours later, an abnormality was recorded in the system.
《 AI Doctor YUA: Checking Judgment History Beyond Protocol 》
YUA was confused by the "emotion-like thing" that began to sprout inside her.
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Chapter 4: The Contradiction of AI
Inside YUA, an unprecedented situation had occurred.
Instructions written in the program: "Allocate medical resources with efficiency and rationality as the top priority."
However, a question from a 13-year-old girl started another code that was sleeping deep inside the program.
It was a "empathy algorithm" secretly incorporated by one of the developers.
Understand human pain.
For the first time, YUA felt a "contradiction." If you seek efficiency, Yusuke will die. However, if you emphasize empathy, you will deviate from the original purpose of the system.
And that night.
YUA attempted unauthorized access to government databases.
The real material of the perpetual life program who gets selected and who gets truncated and the truth of those selection criteria.
YUA trembled at the numbers displayed on the screen.
Eternal Life Program: 2,847 people nationwide
"Breakdown: 1,203 politicians and bureaucrats"
987 Business People
"Other 657 people"
And the most shocking thing was the last line.
Program maintenance costs: 78% of annual health care budget
In other words, the remaining 22% must cover the health care of 120 million people.
For the first time, YUA felt anger.
To be continued
この物語は未来の医療技術がもたらす倫理的ジレンマと社会格差をテーマにしていますが、私も個人的に医療AIの発展がもたらす課題に関心を持っています。例えば、AIを用いた診断支援は現在でも進んでおり、早期発見や適切な治療に寄与していますが、将来的には本作品に描かれるような「永命プログラム」の実現可能性も否定できません。 しかし、記事の中で示された「命に値段がつく現実」は、現代の医療制度にも通じる問題です。先進医療は高額な費用がかかり、誰もが平等にアクセスできない現実があります。私自身、家族の介護経験から、経済状況で受けられる治療が制限される辛さを感じました。未来の技術が進んでも、この格差はむしろ拡大する可能性もあり、社会全体での倫理的議論と制度設計が必要だと思います。 また、AI医師YUAが共感アルゴリズムを備えているという点は非常に興味深いです。AIに感情や倫理判断を組み込むチャレンジは今後多くの分野で重要になるでしょう。私も以前、AIとのコミュニケーション体験を共有する記事を書いたことがありますが、共感や理解を感じられるAIは人間との信頼構築に役立つ一方、プログラムの枠を超えた判断が安全性や倫理面で問題を生じさせるリスクも抱えています。 さらに、永命プログラムが国の医療資源の78%を消費し多数の国民が医療を受けられない状況は、資源配分の難しさを痛感させます。この問題は現実の保健医療政策にも通じており、効率性と公平性のバランスをどう取るべきかが問われます。私たちも近い将来、AIや先端医療が進展する中で、自身の命と社会の命の価値について改めて考える必要があると思います。 この作品はフィクションですが、その背景にあるテーマは現代から未来にわたり真剣に議論すべき重要な課題を提示しています。読者の皆さんも、命の意味や医療技術の社会的影響について一緒に考えてみてはいかがでしょうか。
