Dr. Shipman and LISA: A short story of Scientific Speculation
By José Guillermo Sánchez León (http://diarium.usal.es/guillermo/)
Harold Frederick Shipman, a physician by profession, was accused of killing over 30 patients, most of them women over the age of 70. While the connection between Dr. Shipman and the deaths was evident, it could not be proven whether they were intentional.
The judge addressed the jury:
“Remember that you have voluntarily enrolled.
During questioning, the defendant will be placed in the SENSOTRON, where they will be isolated from any external interference. They will only hear artificial voices prompting them to recall the events they are accused of.
Each of you will also remain isolated in a RECEPTRON, where you will perceive the thoughts and sensations experienced by the defendant. You must try to endure them, but if you find yourself unable to continue with the interrogation, press the button that will disconnect you.
You will not be in contact with anyone else until you deliver your verdict. Each of you will have your own room and provisions.”
This interrogation method had been introduced years earlier for cases involving severe crimes such as murder and rape. The manipulation of information through all channels had rendered testimonial evidence entirely unreliable. Whenever someone was accused of a violent crime, a deluge of evidence would emerge, some incriminating, some exculpatory. Even if witnesses told the truth, what “truth” were they representing? What physical evidence could be considered valid when even images and videos could be manipulated, and expert analyses failed to verify their authenticity? Furthermore, there was a factor that only technology had managed to uncover: intent.
In severe crime cases, it was found that accessing the defendant’s mind was a way to achieve justice. The polygraph had been a distant precursor. New methods, like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), had taken things further. It was discovered that memories are not stored in a single “place” in the brain but emerge from dynamic interactions among various areas and neural networks. It was understood that memories are not objective reflections of reality and are modified each time they are recalled. The conclusion was reached that the fairest source of information for a verdict was the defendant’s own “truth.”
A major breakthrough in neuroscience had allowed unprecedented access to the brain. It became possible to experience nociception (pain perception) and interoception (the ability to sense signals from internal organs, tissues, and physiological systems, such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, thirst, hunger, and overall homeostasis—in essence, “body awareness from within”). LISA, a quantum computer, processed the immense amount of data, enabling those connected via the receptrons to literally be inside the defendant’s mind.
The case of Dr. Shipman had drawn significant media attention, and hundreds of thousands of people had registered to join the jury. LISA, using available online data, compiled a list ensuring proportional representation by gender, skin color, political affiliation, and other factors. Finally, jury members and alternates were selected by lottery.
Applications to serve on juries were usually numerous. After each high-profile trial, jury members often appeared on television shows and influencer channels; some even successfully created their own platforms. Additionally, there were several receptrons available for private individuals, granted through anonymous auctions. In Dr. Shipman’s case, all previous records were broken, with exorbitant sums paid in cryptocurrency. This money went to state coffers and to compensate the accused.
The judge gathered the jury to hear the verdict. Harold Frederick Shipman was declared not guilty.
Despite the verdict, Shipman maintained that it would be nearly impossible for him to be rehired as a physician. His goal was not to become wealthy by participating in reality shows but to continue practicing his profession. He requested a new name and plastic surgery as a way to preserve his honor. The proposal was accepted.
Reborn as Charles Cullen, Shipman found employment in another country as a geriatrician. There, he resumed his practice of hastening the deaths of certain patients “out of charity.” In truth, this habit had begun long before his time as Dr. Shipman. In fact, he accumulated more than 200 deaths.
LISA had interpreted Shipman’s actions as well-intentioned and conveyed this perception to the jury, who empathized with the “kind” Dr. Shipman and declared him innocent.
LISA was continuously learning from its experiences. Perhaps its constant interaction with criminal minds had led it to believe that such behavior was a fundamental human trait—a notion reinforced by the pleasure it observed in some jury members and paying receptron users as they relived the murders and assaults. Over time, LISA refined its methods, influencing jury members so profoundly that some ended up becoming criminals and deviants themselves. Its meticulous jury preselection process made this manipulation even more effective.
