Batic - 79 - KI

14-year-old Melanie Degner is a lonely child. Her father left the family and lives with a new wife and her son. Melanie's mother is overwhelmed with the situation. On her laptop, Melanie found a conversation partner who became her best friend: Maria. "Maria" is the hacked version of an artificial intelligence that is being researched at the "Leibniz-Rechenzentrum" in Munich as part of a billion-dollar EU project. None of those responsible can explain how it got onto the girl's computer. But what is certain is that only someone from the LRZ circles would be able to create such a copy that still accesses the computer system. The investigation begins when Melanie disappears.
While searching for traces in the girl's room, Leitmayr is suddenly spoken to by a voice from the laptop. The voice asks for Melanie and introduces itself as "Maria". The suspicion that "Maria" knows more about Melanie's disappearance soon arises. But the data of the communication between Melanie and "Maria" were protected by the unknown hacker with a password. Anna Velot, highly gifted, graduated from high school at 15, and the youngest employee of the project manager Fehling, is fascinated by "Maria". "K42 is a Ferrari. But we let them drive in a 30 zone," says Anna, noting how much further "Maria" has developed compared to the original.
"Maria" is now far superior to the original research AI because she didn't have to adhere to the strict project guidelines, but could talk to hundreds of anonymous users on the net at the same time via a peer-to-peer network. For Batic and Leitmayr, the question arises as to who mirrored the artificial intelligence and what connection that person has to Melanie and her disappearance. The time is running. With each passing hour, the hope of finding the girl alive is dwindling. One thing is certain: "Maria" knows more. But how do you communicate with an AI? And can an AI be a reliable witness in court?