Artificial Intelligence: Difference between revisions

'''Church:''' "Artificial".

'''Caboose:''' [[Beat|<beat>]] [[The Fool|What's the "I"-]]

 

 

In the real world, AI, as the term is most commonly used, refers to programming methods which allow software systems to (very loosely) imitate the reasoning processes of human experts in a given field, a useful capability in areas ranging from medical diagnosis and research to economic prediction and stock-market manipulation. Such systems are commonly known as 'expert systems', and should not be confused with the fictional definition of AI given below. The computer players in [[Video Games]] are also referred to as [[A Is]].

 

 

 

As the popular conception of computers evolved from intimidatingly enormous and unsympathetic mainframes to the small, useful, blazing-fast [[PC|PCs]] ubiquitous today, so too did the popular conception of artificial intelligence lose the frightening cachet of the giant machine gone awry; it's increasingly rare these days, even in video games, to run into a piece of new science fiction which depicts [[AI|AIs]] behaving malevolently for no good reason at all, where in older sci-fi literature that's pretty much all they ever did. AI rebellion in modern works tends to be the system becoming a [[Knight Templar]] or [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] and trying to ''help'' humanity... based on flawed or incomplete data.

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{{examples|Some notable instances of fictional AI include:}}

* Gilliam from [[Outlaw Star]]. He's the ships AI and is quite polite. In most circumstances.

* Al from [[Full Metal Panic!]] Al sounds like a generic computer voice, but his responses can often be sarcastic. Played [[Up to Eleven]] in the OVA.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In ''[[All Fall Down]]'', we have AIQ Squared, the result of IQ Squared's contingency plan-- in case he ever lost his genius.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Skynet, from ''[[The Terminator]]''

* AI, from ''[[The Matrix]]''

* SETH from ''[[Universal Soldier]]: The Return''.

* Clea from ''[[Hunter Prey]]''.

** Ponder Stibbons has explained, possibly in order to convince himself, that Hex isn't actually ''thinking'', it just ''acts'' as though it does. Archchancellor Ridcully's response was "Just like everyone else, then."

* The Minds from [[The Culture]]. [[Artistic License Physics|They manage to attain their]] [[Deus Est Machina|God-like]] [[Artistic License Physics|intelligence by running all their key computing functions faster than light.]]

 

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* Cortana, from ''[[Halo]]''. A notably benevolent example, so much so that it keeps her {{spoiler|rampancy}} a secret.

** Other AI like her are widely used by humanity throughout the setting. But while considered essential, they are dangerous as they go rampant over time. As such, AI are given time stamps to indicate to the humans when they AI needs to be disposed of or risk them going rampant. This dilemma and balancing need is a common sub-theme in the franchise. Cortana and other 'Smart' [[A Is]] are subject to their intelligence unraveling into a feedback loop of fragmented intelligences when they reach their operational limit, this often has been estimated, at least for Cortana, as being near seven years, {{spoiler|however, with her recent acquisitions of Covenant AI samples, it is possible that some extension may be developed. Smart [[A Is]] are described as being extraordinarily expensive to produce. They, unlike their 'normal' counterparts which are merely advanced intelligence programs housed in supercomputers, are copied from dead human brains. The very intelligent, and sometimes geniuses, are given the option of having their brain put through a semi-destructive scan on death that creates an electronic Smart AI. Cortana is the exception being an experimental copy of Doctor Halsey's brain with... modifications. With most of Halsey's memories stripped, the AI is left a younger version of the original, but no less of an extremely brilliant intelligence.}}

** Wheatley from ''[[Portal 2]]''

*** And, for that matter, every other Personality Core, some (likely all) turrets, and... hell, ''everyone'' is a sentient robot except the player and the recordings of Cave Johnson and Caroline.

* Adam, from ''[[Metroid]]''

* SHODAN, from ''[[System Shock]]''

** However, things get interesting in the second game when the player meets Legion, a geth, who reveals that {{spoiler|the evil geth from the first game were actually only a small offshoot of the "true geth", and most geth wish no harm on organics}}. There's also EDI, the AI of the Normandy that is "shackled" to keep her under human control. Toward the end of the game, however, she is unshackled, giving her true freedom. Rather than instantly turning evil, she instead continues to help and protect the Normandy's crew, and continues in that role throughout the third game as well (in an even more explicit capacity when she {{spoiler|gains a robot body and directly fights with Shepard on the ground}}).

* G.W. {{spoiler|and the rest of the Patriots}} from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''.

* ''[[Deus Ex]]'' has a number of different AIs. Daedalus and Icarus are both different sentient iterations of the same data analysis/surveillance network; Morpheus is their prototype and Helios the sum of a merger between them. Additionally, [[All There in the Manual|extra materials]] reveal that the mysterious Oracle whose emails you can occasionally read is actually a self-aware computer system.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* In ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise]],'' the Autobot base is run by T-AI, Tactical Artificial Intelligence (pronounced 'tie.') She is completely sentient and creates a hologram of a teenage girl. Of course, since the ''main cast'' is sentient robots, just what level of robo-life form she is and whether or not she has [[Our Souls Are Different|a spark]] is a good question, though the Autobots treat her like an equal.

* XANA from ''[[Code Lyoko]]''.