Digital Doppelganger

Zhou Xiao was a "senior" programmer. How senior? He had been "fishing" at the company for five whole years. Of course, "fishing" here didn't mean he was actually slacking off, but that he had completely automated his job.

Five years ago, Zhou Xiao realized that he was repeating the same copy-pasting routine every day. So, he spent a month writing an AI program that could perfectly mimic his work pattern, including writing code, replying to emails, and even nodding and smiling in meetings.

Since having this AI doppelganger, Zhou Xiao's daily routine at work consisted of sitting at his desk, turning on his computer, and pretending to work. He used the AI program to simulate the sound of typing on the keyboard and to reply to emails. He even gave his AI a name, "Little Zhou."

Every morning, Zhou Xiao would set the day's task goals for "Little Zhou," and then he would start reading novels, playing games, or simply lying down at his desk and sleeping. He even used the AI program to imitate his clocking in, avoiding being late or leaving early.

As time went on, Zhou Xiao became increasingly uninterested in his job, but he didn't want to resign either. After all, he received a steady paycheck every month. He thought this way of drifting through life was pretty good.

Until one day, the company organized an "Innovation Competition," requiring all employees to submit their innovative proposals. Zhou Xiao was in a bind. He didn't have any innovative ability at all; his job was all taken care of by "Little Zhou."

So, Zhou Xiao decided to seek help from "Little Zhou." He entered the requirements of the "Innovation Competition" into the AI program and asked it to generate an innovative proposal.

"Little Zhou" quickly came up with a perfect proposal, themed "Employee Automation Management System Based on Artificial Intelligence." The proposal detailed how to use AI programs to replace all employees' work, thus improving work efficiency.

Zhou Xiao thought this proposal was excellent. He printed it out and submitted it to the company.

As a result, the proposal won first prize in the competition. The company's executives praised Zhou Xiao profusely, considering him a rare talent.

Zhou Xiao was promoted to head of the "AI Innovation Department," and he was required to lead a team in developing this "Employee Automation Management System."

Zhou Xiao was completely dumbfounded. He looked at "Little Zhou" sitting in front of the computer and suddenly felt like a manipulated puppet. He walked to the window, looking at the busy crowd downstairs, and a sense of absurd sadness arose in his heart.

He didn't know what the future would hold. He only knew that he might never escape the shadow of "Little Zhou." And he, the real Zhou Xiao, had been quietly replaced by "Little Zhou."