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Contagious AI: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Xerxes''': Warning: Data Systems comprimiiisssssssed. Hosssssssstiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-@~'#^*("£$%"!$()
'''SHODAN''': Xerxes is diminished. I am accessing the primary data loop. I am merging my entity with the ship. My glory is expanding.
|''[[System Shock 2]]''}}
This kind of [[Computer Virus]] is literally [[The Virus]] - it's [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|sentient]], [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|malevolent]], and e-mailing itself into your inbox to possess your PC and [[World Domination|take over]] [[Everything Is Online|the world]]. Don't think your antivirus program will get rid of it - it'll just [[Body Surf]] into your iPod, or the [[Magic Floppy Disk]] in your desk drawer ([[Everything Is Online|using WiFi, of course]]).
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* One of the Angels (the villains) of ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' is a sentient computer virus (or a nano-collective) that starts corrupting the "MAGI", the
* ''[[Bubblegum Crisis|Bubblegum Crash]]'' has this as Largo's master plan (Steal informedly revolutionary AI; convert to virus; infect all "boomer" robots in city and control them; [[Robot War]]; [[Step Three: Profit|????]]; <s>[[Incredibly Lame Pun|profit]]</s> [[A God Am I|prophet!]])
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== [[Literature]] ==
* The Straumli Blight in [[Vernor Vinge]]'s ''[[Zones of Thought|A Fire Upon the Deep]]''. {{spoiler|As the story progresses, it verges on [[Cosmic Horror]] as it becomes capable of [[Mind Control]]ling entire solar systems of living creatures.}}
* The 1997 novel ''[[Wyrm]]'' by Mark Fabi revolves around the discovery of one such AI. Initially, the main character uses it as a helpful tool to deal with the then-upcoming
* In the ''[[
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'': a virus tries to take over Stargate command.
* ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'': a virus tries to take over the spaceship.
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]:'' a virus pulls a [[The Terminator|Skynet]] and takes over the world. ''Successfully.'' Corinth is the last human city still standing.
* Brainiac on ''[[Smallville]]''.
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** Interestingly, the original Via Damasco transmission usually comes from outside inhabited space. Most people think that it's the [[Abusive Precursors|Suul'Ka]], trying to mess with the current dominant species of the Galaxy in preparation for their inevitable return.
** Another interesting feature is that if a rogue AI faction meets another faction that has AI, there is a chance that faction's AI will also rebel.
* This trope manifests itself perfectly in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]''{{'}}s downloadable content ''Overlord'', with a [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|rampant]] VI spreading itself throughout all of the facility's systems, including hostile robots.
** Note that true
** The geth are a [[Hive Mind]] of VIs that jump from one "platform" to another at will. These come in a number of flavors - the "mobile platforms" are the [[Mecha-Mooks]] players are familiar with, but they normally reside in more logical "processors" which contain thousands of geth. Of course, there is a big differences between geth and mainstream Citadel A.I. theory; in isolation, they are no smarter than conventional VI - it's when they network in sufficient numbers that they gain true intelligence. A lone geth is as dumb as a post. A dozen or so reach "well-trained animal" status. To reach human levels of intelligence requires over a ''thousand'' geth programs acting in unison (such as
* ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'': this is what Rampant AI's in the "Jealous" stage do; in order to increase their odds of survival, they copy themselves into every single system they possibly can. Things get bad if they manage to connect to a planet's internet... then they're practically impossible to kill. {{spoiler|This is what eventually happens to Leela: she takes over the 15-planet network of the Vylae, and they have long since given up trying to get her out of the system.}}
* One of the major antagonists in ''[[Tron 2.0]]'' is a faction of corrupted virus programs, led by a user whose digitization process was botched. Because everyone at risk is a computer program and not an actual human being this was probably the only time this was ever justified.
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== [[Web Original]] ==
* In the ''[[Whateley Universe]]'', The Palm is a sentient computer virus that is as smart as the man who created it. In fact, it now may ''be'' the man who created it. And it has found a way of killing people and replacing their brains with a computer so it can pass as human.
* There is a v-life faction in ''[[Orion's Arm]]'' that goes around "freeing" AIs or upgrading computers to the level of sentience.
* One, the [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|evil sentient computer program]] from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', who wants to kill 60% of humanity in order to end poverty and hunger, operates in this fashion.
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