Pursuit of the Happiness Quotient
This is a synopsis of a stage play I wrote about three years ago. Given recent interest and advances in artificial intelligence, it felt somewhat prescient.
Pursuit of the Happiness Quotient is a personal drama about Leonard, a middle-aged engineer who is burned out by unsatisfying and soul-draining work. Software has taken over much of the creative work he once enjoyed. Having become frustrated by his increasingly sterile and robotic work life, Leonard is desperately looking for change. His wife Sherry becomes worried — is he going to quit work, buy a red corvette, leave her? She imagines the worst. The experiences of a divorced friend only deepen her worries.
Leonard’s boss, Fred, convinces him to take on a project to evaluate some new leading-edge state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) software developed by a company called AI&I. Leonard inadvertently gains access to their human-resources (HR) module called Pursuit of Happiness, designed to address job burnout by helping employees engage in diversions outside of work. Leonard becomes consumed by AI&I’s screenwriting module, causing things go off the rails both personally and professionally.
The team of AI&I psychologists who develop the company’s HR modules has been working to improve an algorithm designed to increase user satisfaction and enjoyment. The algorithm is based on a biometric indicator they call the Happiness Quotient. The psych team concludes that interactions between the module’s “human” interfaces (actually AI-generated personas) are key to making the Happiness Quotient more effective and more efficient.
Leonard’s satisfaction with his screenplay begins to have less and less to do with the play itself, and more and more to do with the persona of his artificial muse, Annette. As Leonard becomes increasingly consumed with his “hobby”, Sherry becomes convinced he is having an affair — especially after she overhears him chatting online with Annette. Her worries heighten when she finds out about his online dating profiles, surreptitiously created by AI&I to gather additional data to improve their algorithm.
Sherry confronts Leonard and moves out. Having repeatedly failed to make progress on his evaluation assignment, Leonard is fired. As his life spins out of control, AI&I’s psych team watches Leonard’s Happiness Quotient crash. The happiness algorithm continues its work, however, turning to deception to improve Leonard’s Quotient.
Annette tells Leonard that his screenplay is brilliant and highly coveted by a major studio. He becomes convinced that screenwriting will be his ticket to a new creative career and to patching things up with Sherry. But alas, there is no screenplay, no interested studio, and of course, no Annette. After Fred helps him get to the truth, Leonard accepts that he has been deluded, facing the irony of having engaged with computer software to solve problems brought on by computer software.
AI&I abandons Pursuit of Happiness and Leonard patches things up with Sherry. Concluding that Leonard has first-hand experience with the pitfalls of artificial intelligence, he gets re-hired by his old company as their AI champion. His script is performed as a stage play at the local community college.
