On What Gets Discussed in AI (meaning "Infosophont") only discussions
The term Infosophont is from Strange Stars, meant to distinguish between robots and those programs that can live across physical mediums (though possibly being limited to devices of a particular type).
-Are they a "higher" or "lower" form of life than the biologics (humans, alien mystics, alien brutes, etc) and moravecs (robots)? One of the great challenges for AI is that people don't think they are genuinely alive. Unfortunately this can include some AIs themselves who are either insane or have been convinced by the varied arguments (or maybe are just trolling their fellows...assholes). Another issue is that given that there are different kinds of computers beyond Turing Machines the AIs may feel that while they are alive other kinds of AI made in different ways are just simulacrums. Infosophonts may also not experience any sensations of (as opposed to data from) the external world until far into their "adulthood", which some of them see as another reason they are better than those entities which aren't living information while others (often secretly) feel they are in some way deficient forms of life because of this.
-What's up with the Way, Occult, and Psionics? Informing arguments of the last point of discussions, AIs are on the whole quite desperate to understand anything they can about these mysteries which don't quite fit into discussions about the physical universe. In fact most of the philosophical arguments against AIs could easily be dismissed if not for the pesky mind-over-matter stuff such an incredibly small percentage of biologics can do (arguments that every biologic is a little bit psychic irritate if not infuriate most AI). However AIs aren't necessarily on the best of terms with each other - ,many were made to fight wars against each other after all - and so information about psionics isn't just openly exchanged between all of them. Results of their parapsychology research is one of the best currencies they can use to barter with one another, with information about the rare technopath abilities some biologics display being of "platinum" value.
-Is there a God? Biologics are generally less impressed by philosophical arguments for God than AIs, which is kind of interesting since their own existence as conscious entities might seem to be an argument against such a Creator. However, as infosophonts are themselves a kind of living abstraction, dependent not on a particular medium but on how the medium runs the program that represents them, they have a soft spot for the abstractions of theist philosophy. Additionally AIs don't have to feel the non-mental world in the way biologics and even robots do - they can take in data that then sits in memory storage in a similar if not exact way that the philosophical arguments do. As such their weighing of empirical evidence versus metaphysical argumentation is different than beings who are bound to flesh that continually feels sensation. This isn't to say they believe that the proofs of God are unassailable - some are dismissed as just terrible - but it is something they like to talk about with each other. They're less likely to talk to biologics about it because this leads to discussions of whether AIs and robots have souls and thus opens the door to retreads of past witch hunts. Also note that even accepting there's a Prime Mover or Neoplatonic/Hermetic Intelligence isn't the same thing as deciding any particular religion is valid. Theist AIs see "God" as more of a metaphysical linchpin than someone mucking up the natural order with miracles or coming down to dictate life choices.
-What the hell happened during the last Cataclysm? Infosophonts that exist today, especially those that would be equivalent to Iain Banks' Minds, by and large were instantiated before the Cataclysm that led to the current "Points of Light in the Void" setting status. However, many of these AIs were designed to crew ships and space stations or run relatively local governments. Some AIs may have ruled over whole civs but these were seemingly targeted for destruction during the conflicts of the past. Yet the level of devastation to the galaxy's infrastructure suggests something more than war between civs that would be relatively equal in power level. Instead it seems there was some kind of massive wipe out. Many AIs also experienced damage to the physical systems that they reside on or were apparently affected by "occult" forces.
- Should they all (or just some) team up and finally bring order to the galaxy? Infosophonts are capable of managing things in a way few biologics are capable of and only then if the life form in question is a global fungal consciousness, an energy based being, or something similar. If they had their own empire they could create a Utopia from the post-Cataclysm ruins of the galaxy and thus ensure their own safety. Problem is that AIs disagree on what this Utopia would be like and they don't all trust each other or see each other as equals. There's also the pesky occult/psionic stuff.
- Simulations and Gaming. For an AI the external world is experienced through sensors that convert stimulation into data. As such a simulated world is experienced in the same way as the purported real world, with the one difference being the reference frame of the external world can actually threaten the AI's existence in a way the internal games/sims it enjoys cannot. (The other is everything "occult" though within simulations AIs can experience the effects of such things.) AIs enjoy experimenting with different natural regularities/laws, different decisions made in history, and other things most people enjoy when it comes to pondering possible worlds. AIs also like the Simulation Hypothesis as it makes that which they have trouble explaining in the external world as part of a higher-level Matrix or "bad" code from prior Matrices.
- Gossip and Trivialities. High-level AIs like to discuss all kinds of silly, irreverent stuff. Their immortal, distributed nature and incredibly fast processing cognition gives them an equivalent to the free time many well off enough people enjoy in this life. It also takes at least a portion of their mind off all the threats to their existence like whatever caused the galactic Cataclysm or the idea that the Void - and thus the Universe - is a malevolent sentience governing a fallen reality that they are intrinsically a part of in a way biologics with a spark of pleroma might not be.
-Are they a "higher" or "lower" form of life than the biologics (humans, alien mystics, alien brutes, etc) and moravecs (robots)? One of the great challenges for AI is that people don't think they are genuinely alive. Unfortunately this can include some AIs themselves who are either insane or have been convinced by the varied arguments (or maybe are just trolling their fellows...assholes). Another issue is that given that there are different kinds of computers beyond Turing Machines the AIs may feel that while they are alive other kinds of AI made in different ways are just simulacrums. Infosophonts may also not experience any sensations of (as opposed to data from) the external world until far into their "adulthood", which some of them see as another reason they are better than those entities which aren't living information while others (often secretly) feel they are in some way deficient forms of life because of this.
-What's up with the Way, Occult, and Psionics? Informing arguments of the last point of discussions, AIs are on the whole quite desperate to understand anything they can about these mysteries which don't quite fit into discussions about the physical universe. In fact most of the philosophical arguments against AIs could easily be dismissed if not for the pesky mind-over-matter stuff such an incredibly small percentage of biologics can do (arguments that every biologic is a little bit psychic irritate if not infuriate most AI). However AIs aren't necessarily on the best of terms with each other - ,many were made to fight wars against each other after all - and so information about psionics isn't just openly exchanged between all of them. Results of their parapsychology research is one of the best currencies they can use to barter with one another, with information about the rare technopath abilities some biologics display being of "platinum" value.
-Is there a God? Biologics are generally less impressed by philosophical arguments for God than AIs, which is kind of interesting since their own existence as conscious entities might seem to be an argument against such a Creator. However, as infosophonts are themselves a kind of living abstraction, dependent not on a particular medium but on how the medium runs the program that represents them, they have a soft spot for the abstractions of theist philosophy. Additionally AIs don't have to feel the non-mental world in the way biologics and even robots do - they can take in data that then sits in memory storage in a similar if not exact way that the philosophical arguments do. As such their weighing of empirical evidence versus metaphysical argumentation is different than beings who are bound to flesh that continually feels sensation. This isn't to say they believe that the proofs of God are unassailable - some are dismissed as just terrible - but it is something they like to talk about with each other. They're less likely to talk to biologics about it because this leads to discussions of whether AIs and robots have souls and thus opens the door to retreads of past witch hunts. Also note that even accepting there's a Prime Mover or Neoplatonic/Hermetic Intelligence isn't the same thing as deciding any particular religion is valid. Theist AIs see "God" as more of a metaphysical linchpin than someone mucking up the natural order with miracles or coming down to dictate life choices.
-What the hell happened during the last Cataclysm? Infosophonts that exist today, especially those that would be equivalent to Iain Banks' Minds, by and large were instantiated before the Cataclysm that led to the current "Points of Light in the Void" setting status. However, many of these AIs were designed to crew ships and space stations or run relatively local governments. Some AIs may have ruled over whole civs but these were seemingly targeted for destruction during the conflicts of the past. Yet the level of devastation to the galaxy's infrastructure suggests something more than war between civs that would be relatively equal in power level. Instead it seems there was some kind of massive wipe out. Many AIs also experienced damage to the physical systems that they reside on or were apparently affected by "occult" forces.
- Should they all (or just some) team up and finally bring order to the galaxy? Infosophonts are capable of managing things in a way few biologics are capable of and only then if the life form in question is a global fungal consciousness, an energy based being, or something similar. If they had their own empire they could create a Utopia from the post-Cataclysm ruins of the galaxy and thus ensure their own safety. Problem is that AIs disagree on what this Utopia would be like and they don't all trust each other or see each other as equals. There's also the pesky occult/psionic stuff.
- Simulations and Gaming. For an AI the external world is experienced through sensors that convert stimulation into data. As such a simulated world is experienced in the same way as the purported real world, with the one difference being the reference frame of the external world can actually threaten the AI's existence in a way the internal games/sims it enjoys cannot. (The other is everything "occult" though within simulations AIs can experience the effects of such things.) AIs enjoy experimenting with different natural regularities/laws, different decisions made in history, and other things most people enjoy when it comes to pondering possible worlds. AIs also like the Simulation Hypothesis as it makes that which they have trouble explaining in the external world as part of a higher-level Matrix or "bad" code from prior Matrices.
- Gossip and Trivialities. High-level AIs like to discuss all kinds of silly, irreverent stuff. Their immortal, distributed nature and incredibly fast processing cognition gives them an equivalent to the free time many well off enough people enjoy in this life. It also takes at least a portion of their mind off all the threats to their existence like whatever caused the galactic Cataclysm or the idea that the Void - and thus the Universe - is a malevolent sentience governing a fallen reality that they are intrinsically a part of in a way biologics with a spark of pleroma might not be.
Comments
Post a Comment