@Everyone | Text | UN: Skateboard Sniper

[duel_wielding]

So it has sorta come to my attention that not everyone might be familiar with the concept of an AI. Apparently some time line differences and stuff. So Theta's asked me to do what he says used to be called an 'AMA'

He says it stands for 'Ask Me Anything.'

So basically does anyone have questions for or about Artificial Intelligences? I'll probably let Theta be in charge of answering, he's better at understanding this particular part of the stuff than I am.

Oh, right. I'm North Dakota, and the little guy in my head, his name is Theta.

Comments

UN: skullmask

[to_defend]

How are AI made? How are they put into things? Are they always sort of stiff or can they be more human like? Are they ever like other things, like animals? Do they have a soul? Can they die? Can they be taking out of the things they're put in?

[Someone is having a crisis of self and hasn't been able to properly define just what she is, but she knows she's not human, and without 2 here she has to find these answers for herself.]

UN: Theta!

[duel_wielding]

Well, AIs themselves are really, REALLY complex. So humans tried for a really long time to make a complex neural network program, but it didn't work. But they found that the creation of them comes best through the human brain. So AIs are made from brains. Usually from the recently dead or mortally wounded. I'm different. I'm an AI Fragment.

That's... a sadder thing to talk about.

Anyway, so AIs are from dead people, except for me and my brothers and sister. We're different and special.


We're not stiff at all. No, that's not right. So, uh, it depends on the AI? We choose a lot about ourselves. Our names usually. What we look like, what we sound like. Our personalities are like people, we're all super unique. Like me. I like skateboarding and dogs. And fireworks. Fireworks are amazing. But yeah, AIs can take the forms of stuff that aren't humanoid.


I think I have a soul. North says he thinks I have a soul. Because he died and he's here. But I'm with him here and I was set to be deleted if I died out of Freelancer's control. So I guess I have a soul too because I'm here.


Uh. Death. Yeah. That's... That's sad. Do you really want to hear about that?


I'd rather talk about the things that we're put in. Like, a lot of AIs are in ships. Some are in space stations. Military institutions. I'm in North's head. That's SUPER rare. Only Freelancers and SPARTANs can directly integrate with us like that. But we can be stored in special chips.

[to_defend]

Fireworks are amazing. You're in his head?? What about dolls?

I met someone else talking about space and ais ... he said they were assholes but you seem really nice.

[duel_wielding]

Yeah. I'm integrated with him. I use unused portions of his brain as my processing space at this point. I used to be in a chip in his implants but that chip is gone now. He also had armor that I could shunt other processing over to. It's really weird, but we like it.

What do you mean, dolls?



Wait. AIs aren't that word. That's a rude word. Okay, well, maybe Sigma was mean, and Gamma told lots of jokes and they didn't always feel nice. And Epsilon hurt Washington...

But me and Delta are nice. Really nice. Who told you about AIs?

[to_defend]

dolls, like ... steel skeleton, canvas skin, something like that?

I didn't get his name. he didn't really trust people. or food. he may have starved to death by now. he was blond?

[duel_wielding]

Oh, yeah. Like Texas. She didn't have canvas skin, it was synthetic skin. I think the term is a gynoid. She was SOOOOOO badass. She's my sister.


North is frowning at your description. Did you meet him here? Can you tell me more?

[to_defend]

gynoid?

I met him here, at a party. The details are a little fuzzy, it was my first time drinking. Do you know him?

[duel_wielding]

When a robot with an AI looks like a boy it's an android. When it looks like a girl it's a gynoid.


I hope not. Because it sounds like Washington.

[to_defend]

Does it make a lot of difference?

Is he bad? We had a talk about

trusting people. he seemed to think it was a bad idea.

[duel_wielding]

Uh, no. Not really. It's just terms. Humans are weird with their construction of and emphasis upon gender.


That's Agent Washington then. I don't want to talk about Agent Washington. He was mean to North. But he wasn't mean before. He was my favorite Freelancer that wasn't North. He was nice to me. Well, he thought I was really small. But I liked him other than that. He likes skateboards, and I learned about them from him.

[to_defend]

He used to be nice? What happened?


What are skateboard?

[duel_wielding]

North says that it's not mine to talk about. And I'm sure he feels weird typing that and this, seeing as we have to use his hands for me to talk to you. He pretty much is just typing what I tell him.


Flamingo.

Hehehehe


Skateboards are the best! They are these pieces of wood that you make this specific shape and then you put wheels on them and they roll around like ZOOM! And you can do tricks!

[ataashihunter]

You have a little guy in your head? Like a demon or something?
[ Sorry Theta, he is from a very different world ]

But he calls himself an AI?

[duel_wielding]

I don't call myself an AI. I AM an AI.


And I'm not a demon. That's not a nice thing to say.

[ataashihunter]

But you live inside someone's head and tell them what to do? In my world only spirits and demons do that.

[ But he takes a breath and continues a little later.]

But alright, you're from a different world than me. What is an AI? Like what do you do? Who made you? How did you end up with North?

[duel_wielding]

I don't tell North what to do. Except right now, telling him what to type because I can't interface with the electronics here.

[After some time the message continues, but he's not speaking with Theta. Instead it's a rather a tired North who has been comforting the AI in his head.]

Hi, sorry, Theta is still a little distressed by what you suggested. You didn't mean to do it, of course, but you kinda hit a nerve for him. Metaphorically. I guess I'll take over the explanations for him right now.

So, I guess the simplest way to explain this if you're not familiar with the concept of an AI is that they're sort of like the device we're talking on right now. But a few hundred times more complex. Theta could give me exact orders of magnitude but, well, he's informing me that he's not talking to you right now. I hope you can forgive him that, he's always presented as a fair bit younger than the other fragments.

Basically, Theta's a very powerful computer, but he's also completely self-aware. 'AI' stands for Artificial Intelligence. Sort of like a person made out of technology. They're very rare and very valuable when and where I'm from. He, in particular, is a fragmentation of a greater whole created by not very nice person. But he was given into my care. It used to be that he resided in a computer chip that was integrated into my brain through something called a neural lattice. I don't rightly know how he's still with me now, how he came here with me after I died. What I can say is that he is here now and he's sensitive.

Especially to the idea that he controls me.

[Thanks for that, Washington.]

[ataashihunter]

[ It takes a bit of time while bull reads and processes the information. He realizes he made a giant faux pas here though. ]

My world doesn't have anything like him by the sounds of it. Of course, we don't have anything like these devices either. Or guns. Someone had to explain what those are. We have swords and bows. And magic. And a different plane where there are demons that live and they try to take people over since it is the only way they can get to our plane.

So... I am sorry. That's just... They can do an awful lot of damage in my world. And they try to do that too. To take over and control. And... I am scared of them. So I am a bit... jumpy about that.

I am sorry I misunderstood, Theta and jumped to conclusions.

[duel_wielding]

Well, now you've got his attention back. Hold on. Theta's got some questions for you.


That really sounds scary. I don't want to be someone that causes a lot of damage. Or hurts people. I'd be scared of things that take over people. And I guess it's okay to be scared of me. I mean, I guess I can understand. We've met people from a long long time in our past, so to them I might seem like something scary. The late 20th to Early 21st century had lots of movies about computers going bad. I guess that means I could be scary to some people. Washington said that some AIs, some of my brothers, did bad things too. I don't know that I believe him. I don't want to hurt people. I just want to learn things.

Like Magic! That's real for you? It's only in books and movies for us. Can you tell me about magic? That sounds awesome. Not that guns aren't nice, I helped North with his rifles and shields a lot. But magic! Like poof, bam, Pshoooooo! That's so cool. Can magic make things hover? Or what about fireballs? That's pretty much in all the games.

Please tell me something about magic? Please?

[ataashihunter]

I don't want to be scared of you so maybe I just need to get to know you better. Would that be ok?

Magic is real. It is a little complicated, a lot of people are scared of mages. A lot of people are scared when they think someone else is stronger than them. I can't do magic, but Dorian who used to be here could. He couldn't here though. And yeah you can make fireballs or plants grow or heal or just some pretty intense destruction.

[duel_wielding]

Yeah! It's totally cool. You were really nice when North and I got here.


Magic to grow plants? That's really cool. I didn't get to interact with as many plants, except things like grass. We didn't deploy to a lot of really planty areas. I think the MoI should have had plants. It would have been nice. Magic healing sounds good too. Could magic heal someone's hurt mind? Because I know someone who could use that.

[to_defend]

skateboards sound pretty cool! Are you going to make one here?

What's flamingo?

Are you just in his head or can you turn into anything else? Like turn into singing else when north is asleep?

[duel_wielding]

I would if I could. But North won't skateboard.


Flamingos are big pink birds.


So North used to have this armor that I could interface with. Could use holoprojectors to be seen, and I'd do math and stuff in his head. But here I'm just in his head.

[ataashihunter]

Yes and no. You can try. But you can also really hurt people that way. Qunari have a few methods but I don't think you want to use them. They... take away what makes a person them.

What or where is the MoI?

[duel_wielding]

Oh.

[Had he access to his holographic form, he would definitely be bashfully kicking at the air for having suggested something that is so clearly a bad thing. He's really sorry.]

I just hoped there would be a way to help my friend.


'MoI' is the Mother of Invention. It was where I was born. A space ship.

[ataashihunter]

Yeah it would have been good. There might be a magical way to do it. I am not a mage and my people focus mostly on battle magic, not healing, so I don't actually know. Maybe something some of the elves can do.

Ships don't usually have a lot of plants in my experience. At least not compared to a jungle or something like that. I'ved places warm enough to have jungles most of my life. What do you think of the forests here?