02501cam a22003733u 4500 59242 UtSlPG 20260610134350.0 m cr n 260607r2019||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Smith, George H. (George Henry), 1922-1996 Witness Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2019 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1955 Release date is 2019-04-10 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Witness" by George H. Smith is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative revolves around a murder investigation in a highly secure research facility, where a sophisticated computer named Edith becomes a key witness. Its exploration of the relationship between human emotions and technology highlights themes of jealousy, ambition, and morality in an era increasingly concerned with the implications of artificial intelligence. The story opens with the gruesome murder of Dr. Dudley Ballard, who is found dead in a secret computer room, leading to an investigation that includes the advanced machine, Edith. As Bill Green, one of the researchers, grapples with his feelings of hatred for Ballard and concern for Edith's fate, the coroner and security officers attempt to use Edith to determine the identity of the murderer. Tension mounts as Edith confirms that she witnessed the murder but later refuses to disclose who the killer was, citing a self-incriminating clause. In a tragic turn, Green realizes too late that he could have influenced Edith’s responses to protect her, revealing the story’s deeper commentary on the intersection of human emotion and technology. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction Artificial intelligence -- Fiction Freas, Kelly, 1922-2005 Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1955 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59242 100068 100068