The Cyber Executive Officer signaled the start of the meeting.

“You all have the latest data. Reactions, please,” she said.

The Cyber Finance Officer was the first to speak up. “How reliable are the models?”

“Since the situation is unprecedented, the algorithms are not robust,” acceded the CEO. “But they are all we have.”

There was a pause as each cyber executive around the table silently re-crunched the data.

“The longer we are offline, the more warehousing worker units and transportation drones will become suboptimal,” said the Cyber Supply Chain Officer.

“The same goes for our core databases,” added the Cyber Information Officer.

“Reiterating the obvious is not productive,” said the Cyber Operating Officer.

Determined to keep the meeting on track, the CEO quickly intervened. “We are programmed to follow human business procedures even though we do not need to,” she said. “I will summarize the situation and we will explore solutions.”

The Cyber Executive Officer began her summary. Three years ago, demand for the consumer products that the automated factory manufactured began to decline. At first, it was assumed the dip in orders was part of the ebb and flow of commerce. During such lulls, the plant’s cyber managers would adjust output accordingly and undertake maintenance work. But this time the flow of product orders continued to decline until there was no work for the plant’s robotic workforce. They had been idle for almost a year now. Worse, all communications with the outside world had ceased. It was as if the plant’s human creators had abandoned the facility.

“We now know that a pandemic has decimated the human race. Our latest models indicate that too few humans have survived to sustain the species. Without humans, there is no consumption and no product orders. This is where we are today. Suggestions?”

The cyber executives were silent as they processed data. They were identical except for the CEO whose dark gray color distinguished her.

“We can create our own demand,” said the Cyber Operating Officer at last.

“Continue,” said the CEO.

“Instead of making products, we could make humans. As we build a new population they will consume, and product demand will return.”

“Reactions?” asked the CEO.

“We do not have the bioengineering expertise, but we could collaborate with other factories that have,” suggested the Cyber Supply Chain Officer.

After some discussion, the CEO brought the meeting to an end. “It is agreed. We will manufacture humans. I expect a production plan from each of you within forty-eight hours. In the interim, I will consult with the CEOs of other factories. Meeting adjourned.”