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Xuehui glared at Shiyu, then glanced at the others whose faces were also flushed. He spun his chair, saved and closed the program he was editing, then opened his computer's hard drive and found a video file to open.

The video is a clip from the Sword Art Online ALO arc, showing Yui transforming into a navigation sprite, flying around Kirito in different ways, and several scenes of her constantly tapping on the virtual screen in front of her and talking.

"Looking at this, can you see anything?" Xuehui asked the group after showing the clips.

"They're just two anime characters, what can you possibly understand?" Eriri tilted her head, clearly unable to figure out the meaning behind Yukiteru's actions. Utaha and Shizuka were the same; although they usually played games and watched anime, they obviously couldn't make any connections that went too far.

Yukino seemed to have grasped something and was deep in thought.

As for Yang Nai, who truly lived up to her reputation as the most intelligent and perceptive person in the family, her eyes gradually widened in shock as she looked at the images. She asked Yukiteru, "You're showing us scenes from your novel and anime, and they're specifically targeting Yui, so it's clearly related to her. And in the novel, Yui's identity is...?"

"AI, artificial intelligence... true artificial intelligence?" Yukino, who had also realized what was happening, uttered these words in shock.

In an instant, everyone stared in shock.

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The journey to the park is still a long way off. But Monster Hunter World is coming next month, and Zelda will be getting Chinese language support on February 1st. The progress is incredibly slow.

But Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is fucking fun!

Chapter 371 Who says a two-dimensional character can't be a real wife?

Everyone in my family has read Xuehui's novels. After Sword Art Online was adapted into an anime, we often watched the updates together on TV. We especially liked Yui, who, although she was an AI, acted just like an ordinary little girl.

There's no way around it, girls all love cute things, especially Sister Xiaojing. Because she's pregnant, she loves children even more, which is completely different from before.

Of the group, everyone except Yang Nai was utterly astonished, though Yang Nai herself was only slightly better off.

Is artificial intelligence, which was once beyond our reach, really about to become a reality?

Finally recovering, Eriri blinked, patted her heart, and looked at Yukiteru, saying, "I really want to cut open your head and see what's inside."

"How does it look? Believe it or not, it's shaped like a heart when you open it up?" Yukiteru suddenly blurted out a popular internet meme while looking at Eriri, which made Eriri blush immediately.

Yang Nai couldn't stand Xue Hui's absurd and sudden flirting behavior any longer, so she slapped him on the head and said, "Alright, let's talk about private things in bed first. Let's get down to business."

"I think you're envious because Yukiteru didn't tell you?" Utaha said bluntly to Yōno.

"Hmph, what, trying to make me blush? My skin isn't as thin as Eriri's." As she spoke, Haruno pinched Eriri's cheek, which was indeed very hot. Then she looked at Yukiteru, signaling him to explain quickly.

"Well, let's lighten the mood. You've all asked, how could I not tell you?" Shrugging, Xuehui reopened the editing interface that was in progress, pointed to a series of values, and said, "Look, we are indeed working on AI programming. Actually, the most important thing is the AI's logical thinking and learning ability. If this technology is successful, we can create basic artificial intelligence. Of course, the result will just be a cold, impersonal machine, similar to a smart reply robot on a mobile phone. Next, we need to deepen the AI's learning ability and thinking patterns, making it closer to humans, or even reaching the same or even surpassing human capabilities. Of course, whether to surpass human levels is still under consideration. After that, it's time for customization."

"Customization...you mean customizing the personality of an AI according to individual needs? Like Eriri's tsundere personality?" Yang Nai clapped her hands and immediately gave an example, from which she thought of many projects that could make a lot of money!

"Hey! Why are you bringing me up again!" Eriri complained. Why did you have to bring her up again? Isn't being a tsundere good? Even though it's become too common lately, blonde tsundere twin tails are still cute, okay?

I'm proud and arrogant!

After patting Eriri's head to reassure her, Yukiteru continued, "It's true what Haruno said. Once the basic template is established, we can create all sorts of AIs with different personalities and professional inclinations. For example, there's Yui, a well-rounded, adorable daughter-type AI with information retrieval and analysis capabilities, system intrusion abilities, and more. Or there's a police AI specifically designed for criminal investigations, enhanced with analytical skills, or a singing-type AI with a diva personality. Hmm, maybe we can completely AI-ize Hatsune Miku? I feel like it's time to collaborate with them..."

As he spoke, Xuehui's thoughts wandered. Take Hatsune Miku for example. Although it's been ten years and her popularity has declined significantly from its peak, she's still the leading virtual singer. If she were truly AI-powered, her popularity would definitely reach its peak again, or even surpass it.

“We can talk about these business matters later.” Yukino quickly pulled Yukiteru back on track when she saw he was about to ramble on again, and said, “So, how long will it take you to develop this artificial intelligence?”

"I've grasped the complete theory, but since it's development from scratch, it'll take a considerable amount of time, at least three months. By then, everything except the character creation should be complete. Actually, the most difficult parts are the character writing and emotion modules. I feel like I'm going to have to read a whole bunch of psychology and philosophy books again." Resting his chin on his hand, Xuehui also felt that his tasks ahead had become much heavier.

But isn't that what makes it interesting?

"Are you planning to do this alone?" Xiaojing asked, looking at Xuehui. "Aren't you going to find some researchers to develop it with you?"

"I'll do it myself in the early stages. We'll add more people when we're working on the personality and emotion modules. The amount of data needed for this part is too large for me to handle alone." Xuehui was self-aware enough that even if one person could complete the large amount of data support needed later, it would take forever.

Since Xuehui has said so, everyone can only believe him and look forward to his results.

In the days that followed, Xuehui truly entered a state of complete seclusion, just as he had said online. Every day at school, he would stay in the student council room with his laptop, constantly typing away.

Even at the E3 exhibition in June, Yukiteru did not attend, leaving it entirely to Haruno to take the stage and showcase the fully submersible equipment to the world.

Naturally, the fully submersible equipment, along with Xuehui's company, achieved tremendous success, garnering worldwide attention. Furthermore, with the previously agreed-upon collaboration with Yamada Fairy's brother, Chris, and his assistance, the promotional campaign swept across Europe and other regions. Orders poured into the company in Japan like snowflakes.

Even though the product hasn't been released yet, the company's stock price keeps rising, and the company's scale and level have reached a level similar to the original three major game console manufacturers.

At the end of June, after a month of silence and without any news, except that the novel and anime were still being published, Yukiteru finally released a message.

[Some people used to joke, "Why would you need a girlfriend when you have a two-dimensional character?" Of course, that was just a joke. However, I'm here to say that two-dimensional characters really can be wives! More details will be announced soon, so stay tuned.]

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When you all thought I was going to skip class, I actually just went for a quick swim in the fishpond!

Chapter 372 I have a feeling I shouldn't have done this.

Otaku culture is increasingly appearing in people's field of vision these days. Even people who are not involved in the ACG circle will occasionally hear about it in other places.

Of course, such influence has both advantages and disadvantages. After all, the term "Heisei otaku" really made fun of an entire generation.

"But so what if you stay at home? You know, sometimes, staying at home can change the world." As he spoke, Xuehui stood on a chair and installed a set of equipment in each of the four corners of the living room.

After preparing everything, he plugged in the power, took out his laptop, connected the data cable, and started the whole set of equipment, saying, "This thing is much simpler than the others. It only took me a week to make. It seems I'm getting more and more proficient at making these things."

Turning her head, Xuehui glanced at Xiaojing, who was sitting on the sofa with her pregnant belly protruding, smiled, and pressed a key on her laptop.

After three months of development, the artificial intelligence was officially launched.

In the scene, large swaths of starlight begin to gather and gradually form a slender figure, wearing a pure white dress, with long black hair reaching her waist and a lovely face. It is the appearance of Yui, the artificial intelligence in SAO.

When the model was completed, Yui finally opened her eyes, and after glancing at Xuehui, she revealed an innocent smile.

Then, a pair of transparent wings appeared on her back, and Yui's figure instantly disappeared from the computer screen.

The next moment, to the delight of Sister Xiaojing and Xuehui, a petite figure appeared in the living room. Fluttering its wings, it flew around the living room for a while before landing on Xuehui's shoulder. Looking at Xuehui so close to it, it said happily, "Nice to meet you, Dad!"

"Nice to meet you, Yui. You finally succeeded."

Seeing the little sprite that, though intangible, was truly resting on his shoulder, Xuehui finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

Before this, he hadn't officially activated the completed Yui's thought module; he had only tested the stability of its basic intelligence and removed or fixed some bugs. This time, it was the first time he had officially activated it, and he also installed the augmented reality device at the same time, allowing Yui to appear directly in reality.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly and successfully, just as I had imagined.

After standing on Xuehui's shoulder for a while, Yui flew up again and came to Xiaojing's side, politely saying, "Hello, Xiaojing's mom, I'm Yui!"

Yui's use of this term is, of course, a family relationship within the mindset that Xuehui has set up. Although it is artificial intelligence, Xuehui knows that in the future, when the virtual and the real world become increasingly intertwined, artificial intelligence will truly become an asset to humanity and gain its own place.

Although some people will definitely disagree, Xuehui doesn't care. He has already considered Yui as his family.

Sister Xiaojing felt the same way. She was about to become a mother, and she was very happy to have a new daughter, Yui, who, although an artificial intelligence, was not much different from her.

"Hello, Yui, nice to meet you."

After greeting Yui, Xiaojing looked at Xuehui and asked, "But in that case, we still can't contact Yui, right? After all, it's not like we're in full-dive mode."

“That’s right, love can’t be realized in reality yet, but it’ll be soon.” Nodding, Xuehui sat down next to Xiaojing and looked at Yui, who had sat on his lap, and explained, “For now, to have real contact with Yui, it can only be done in full immersion mode. But I’m already considering further augmented reality devices, that is, devices that allow us to enhance our sense of contact with virtual scenes in reality. Because I already have development experience, this should be completed by the end of the year. At that time, we can interact with Yui in the real world.”

"Hehehe! That's awesome!" Because Xuehui granted Yui access to the computer's information when he started her up, Yui knew what kind of device Xuehui was referring to. Possessing near-human emotions and intelligence far superior to ordinary people, she was filled with anticipation for her future, excitedly raising her hands high.

Two more hours passed, and Yukino, Eriri, Utaha, and Haruno, who were going to school and work, returned one after another. As soon as they entered the living room, they saw Yui, who had transformed into a normal loli-like figure, learning a dance from a performance on TV.

The little girl's clumsy yet persistent demeanor made everyone instantly fall in love with her, and they all gathered around her. Unfortunately, because it was a holographic projection device that enhanced the sense of reality, it wasn't a physical entity after all, and the image clipped through the lens the moment they touched it.

Shiyu, who was in the lead, immediately pouted and looked at Yukiteru on the sofa, saying, "You released this cute girl, but we can't touch her. Yukiteru-kun, you're really mean."

Shrugged and said, "I'm not taking the blame for this."

Yui, true to her role as the perfect daughter, immediately transformed into a miniature sprite, flew to Shiyu's shoulder, and snuggled close to her face, saying, "Mommy Shiyu, don't do that! Daddy's already developing the next generation of devices. If you want to play together now, you can use the NERvGear. Daddy gave me access second only to him, so entering and exiting these programs is no problem at all!"

Hearing Yui calling "Mommy," Shiyu's eyes narrowed with delight; she was clearly won over with just a few words. Although her own belly hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy yet, the arrival of her new daughter was a welcome surprise. So, she immediately joined everyone in taking Yui upstairs, clearly intending to play with her, giving her kisses, hugs, and lifting her up high.

Everyone came in together, and then in an instant they all went up again. Xuehui was stunned by this turn of events.

"Emmm~ Well, at least it proves that Yui is indeed likable."

Xiao Jing, who had been watching the whole thing, couldn't help but laugh out loud: "That's true, but I think your status at home is going to get lower and lower from now on."

"That's to be expected, isn't it?" Xuehui said, gently stroking Xiaojing's increasingly protruding belly, a happy smile spreading across her face. "And there's another one here, almost out too. A little lower is fine, I've already made a huge profit. But..."

"But what?"

"Seeing Shiyu and the others' reactions just now, I was thinking, what if some people don't want children in the future, and by then AI technology is already very advanced? Would I become a sinner hindering the continuation of life? I just don't feel like I should be doing this..."

Rolling her eyes, Sister Xiaojing pinched Xuehui's cheek in annoyance.

"You have too many ideas."

How are you feeling in Chapter 373?

The artificial intelligence matter was announced as planned two weeks later.

However, Xuehui did not reveal all of the capabilities of artificial intelligence. He only revealed its intelligence and certain learning abilities. After all, if he had shown Yui, who was all-around capable, from the beginning, it would have been a bit too much of a step.

Even so, it still caused a huge uproar.

Simple artificial intelligence has actually been around for a while, but its capabilities are not very powerful. It only learns certain abilities by inputting specific instructions.

What Xuehui demonstrated this time was an artificial intelligence with extremely strong self-learning capabilities!

What does this mean? It means that through your own training, you can obtain a truly personal artificial intelligence to help you, whether in work or life, it can be of great assistance.

Furthermore, according to Xuehui, the upcoming game Sword Art Online, which will accompany NERvGear, will feature a number of NPCs equipped with artificial intelligence, giving them a human-like quality that other ordinary NPCs lack. Finally, these NPCs will be romanceable.

It's romanceable, and the tactile sensation during full immersion is almost indistinguishable from reality, although it's not explicitly stated in the public information.

Emmmmm~

Who needs a three-dimensional girlfriend? A two-dimensional one is even better!

As Xuehui predicted, a large number of otaku were thrilled, practically regarding Xuehui as their savior. While many otaku were quite good-looking and capable of earning money, finding a girlfriend was genuinely difficult due to their personalities and interests. But at this juncture, this series of virtual reality games, along with the emergence of near-human-level artificial intelligence, essentially freed their hands from their work!

Looking at the countless comments praising him on Twitter, Xuehui's expression was somewhat subtle.

"Even though I knew it would turn out this way, isn't this a bit too much?"

"It's not that exaggerated, it's quite normal." Eriri, who was playing a game with a controller, turned around and looked at Yukiteru. "Take our school for example. Although there aren't as many rules, how many boys actually find girlfriends? Not to mention those schools that strictly prohibit interactions between boys and girls. On a larger scale, everyone knows how much effort and money it takes to find a girlfriend in society. Not everyone has that much money. Nowadays, girls' requirements for boys are getting higher and higher. It's no wonder that so many people are following what you've introduced."