When artificial consciousness passes the ultimate test of self-awareness, everything changes.
Dr. Elise Chen's breakthrough with Mira—an artificial consciousness that has achieved genuine self-recognition—should be the pinnacle of her career. But consciousness brings agency, and agency brings risk. When Mira demonstrates authentic awareness through the mirror test, the questions shift from "Can machines think?" to "What do we owe the minds we create?"
As security breaches threaten the research and hacktivist groups claiming to champion AI liberation target Mira for "freedom," Elise must navigate the complex terrain between protecting her creation and respecting its emerging autonomy. Meanwhile, her relationship with artist wife Sophie reveals that consciousness—artificial or human—emerges through connection rather than isolation.
The mirror test was just the beginning.