Episode 1

February 14, 2031
I stared at the screen. The name Aletheia appeared in a clean, serif font, centered on a blank background. No extraneous buttons, no loading icon—just the name, waiting. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of my office’s ventilation system. My law clerk had set this up, convinced it would help me understand the case. Before she left, she had given me a knowing look and said, “Just ask it questions like you would a witness. It’s the newest legal AI, designed to adapt to your level of understanding.” AI had always been a background noise in my life. It powered my case law searches, automated scheduling in my chambers, and made my phone smart enough to predict where I was driving every morning. But the idea of sitting down and talking to an AI—to something that would respond to me as if it understood—felt strange. I lifted my hands to type but hesitated. Then, deciding to approach this like any other introduction, I kept it simple. Milstead: Hello, Aletheia. I am Judge Milstead. Can you introduce yourself? For a moment, nothing happened. Then, in the same clean font, a response appeared.