A Key Event

# Declaration of the Empire of Humanity

## Declaration of the Empire of Humanity

- Former King William VI of England ascends to the position of Emperor of Humanity in a life-long term, as Emperor William I

- The United Nations General Assembly becomes the Imperial Assembly

- True artificial intelligence is outlawed and all existing AI are ordered destroyed

The **Declaration of the Empire of Humanity** was a proclamation made by former King William VI of England, as a general address to the refugees of the Earthen Planetfall and the populace of the now universally-defunct nations of Humanity. In it, he gave regards to the suffered of the Planetfall, echoed sentiments of discontent towards the United Nations, issued what would later become the Imperial Decree on Artificial Intelligence, outlined his vision of transforming the thenceforth-abolished United Nations, and proclaimed himself Emperor of Humanity.

The anniversary of the Imperial Declaration is officially known as Survivors' Day.

Contents

## Full Text

As transcribed directly:

*"Citizens of Humanity. I stand before you in our darkest hours, where ahead of us are the most difficult decisions our species must make. For two hundred years, the United Nations was our crowning achievement. A community of discourse between the countries of humanity, so that all may be represented in equal part to one another. But ultimately, when we needed it most, it failed us as a species. It pains me to reject it, but it could not provide us strong leadership when the day of reckoning arrived.*

*"I lend no fault to us. We could not possibly have foreseen the devastation and anguish our own creations would bring down in our midst. We have all lost a piece of ourselves in the Planetfall, but we are the survivors. Humanity has conquered extinction, the true test of sapient life, and for it our resolve will only strengthen.*

*"The remaining works of true artificial intelligence shall be sought out and destroyed! To make certain that our mistakes cannot be repeated, any machine with computing power must remain only at the whims of a human operator. The threshold we cross today marks the beginning of a new age. No longer shall we rely on fabrications that mimic our unique minds, absently delegating important aspects of daily affairs. From this moment, we take back control of our lives!*

*"In order to ensure our continuing stability, the United Nations shall be reorganized into the first Empire of Humanity, for a safe and secure society. An Empire that shall last for ten thousand years or more. An Empire ruled by a sovereign, advised by an assembly without falling subject to it. This occasion is monumentous, but ultimately it is a sacrifice we had to make for the survival of our species. This path we tread will be long and difficult- one which requires a strong and decisive ruling hand- but in so doing, we never again shall fall victim to the arguments and inaction which plagued the United Nations.*

*"Under the Empire, we will truly be one species. We have risen and developed out of many nations, many groups of ethnicity, culture, and creed; but now is the time to view ourselves as Human first and foremost. Celebrate our diversity, and proudly cherish the cultural mosaic of Humanity; but never forget who we are together.*

*"I am honored to take upon the mantle of this leadership, a title which I promise never to betray. An Emperor to guide us, towards glory beyond imagination, to the stars which have called us since the first humans laid eyes on them; to survive, so our children and our children’s children may live in prosperity grander than the Earth had ever known. Ten thousand years united begins today."*

## General Reception

The general public at large would react favorably to the speech, with notable sentiments abound of the Empire being a necessity as was the mood at the time. It is also possible that William I's prior following and notable charisma contributed to the success of the proclamation. Another chief contributor was also the aforementioned failure of the United Nations to solve the Planetfall crisis through the long-standing conventional means of representative democracy and egalitarianism.

Despite the widespread rejection of old liberal values, coupled with high public approval of the first Emperor; some would still lament at the passing of the old era. Many former General Assembly delegates, most of whom willfully transitioned to the Imperial Assembly, often spoke publicly and privately of their wishes that the old system would have "Proven venerable" and similar statements. As for Emperor William himself, though an experienced head-of-state and former monarch, he was known to be somewhat reluctant at the notion of supreme executive power.