Alan Binet

**Alan Binet** (username **Binet.A**) is the head of the Institute's Robotics division in 2287.

## Background

Head of the Robotics division of The Institute, Alan Binet was instrumental in creating third generation synths. He is a talented designer - a must in the Institute's meritocratic environment - and believes in a healthy work/life balance and tries to put his work out of mind when he retires for the day. Binet fully believes that the synths are potentially sentient beings and has had many arguments over it with his colleague, Max Loken. His impassioned speeches about artificial sentience and machines are a constant feature of Robotics, so much that Loken could write them down from memory. Binet is keenly aware that his words fall on deaf ears, as dismissing the synths as machines is what allows the Institute to keep using them as slaves. When reminded of the option to trade the Institute for the wasteland, he's quick to remark that he's only trying to broaden the horizons of his colleagues. In fact, he believes that the synths could be a further evolution of humanity, if the Institute could only allow them to demonstrate their potential. Understandably, these are not popular ideas, especially in the light of the recent increase in autonomous behavior among the latest gen-three models.

Beyond simply challenging Institute ideology, his affinity for working with synths is another source of problems. Following the loss of his wife, Alan has been bonding a little too closely with the synthetic replacement he created in her image, ostensibly as an experiment to determine whether synths are sophisticated enough to form social and familial bonds. Eve has, in fact, caused him to come under the suspicion of deviant behavior. Justin Ayo, head of the SRB, believes that his admiration for the synths has led him to mistake them for sentient beings and that Binet helps them escape to the surface. Binet vehemently denies the charge, as he would not do something as cruel as banishing them to the hellish wasteland. The situation is not helped by the fact that the rate of escapes has greatly increased in recent months.

## Quests

* Pest Control: Binet asks the player to clear out a salvage site on the surface, so that the synths can move in.
* Plugging a Leak: Binet is one of the suspects in the SRB investigation.

## References

1. ↑ The Sole Survivor: *"Do you ever log in from your quarters?"*
Alan Binet: *"  "*
(Alan Binet's dialogue)
2. ↑ Max Loken: "*It was probably just a glitch in the nervous system. The fine motor control software could use an update.*"

**Alan Binet**: "*If it were just a limb twitching, perhaps, but her eyes were moving as well. Involuntary twitching and rapid eye movements while sleeping can only mean one thing, Max. You just don't want to admit to yourself what it is.*"
Max: "*If you're about to launch into one of your impassioned speeches about artificial sentience and machines with souls, don't bother. I've heard enough of them by now. Hell, I could write them down from memory.*"

Binet: "*But we can't just ignore the question. If a synth can dream, why can't it have a soul? And if a synth has a soul, then it is a living person by every standard we can measure. Of course, it's far more comfortable to think of them as machines, so we can do what we want with them.*"
Max: "*If you disapprove of the work we do here, Doctor Binet, you know where to find the teleporter.*"

Binet: "*Now just a moment, I never said that. I'm simply trying to open everyone's eyes to new possibilities.*"

Max: "*Well it's an unwanted distraction.*"
3. ↑ Institute Scientist: "*SRB doesn't agree. Statistically, the gen-threes have shown an increase in autonomic behavior, suggesting a malfunction in the latest models.*"

Binet: "*I see...Another of Doctor Ayo's manipulative power plays. Well he's wrong. The Gen-threes are functioning just as designed.*"

Institute Scientist: "*I assure you Doctor, that is not a malfunction.*"

Binet: "*Think about it, doctor. You and everyone else firmly hold onto the archaic opinion that the synths are inferior. By limiting them, we limit our work.*"

Institute Scientist: "'I am well aware of your ideas, doctor, and there is a reason they are not the popular ones. There needs to be a distinction between us and them.*"*

Binet: "*No, they are an evolution of us. The synths possess vast untapped potential, if we'd only let them show it...*"

Institute Scientist: "*I suggest you keep your radical opinions to yourself from now on.*"
4. ↑ Max Loken: *"How's that personal synth of yours working out? I've heard that Liam's grown quite attached to it."*

Alan Binet: *" "*

Max Loken: *" "*

Alan Binet: *""*

Max Loken: *"Don't hide behind technicalities, Alan. I'm your friend. I'm not judging you, but others will. Such behavior could be construed as deviant. You know where that will lead."*

Alan Binet: *" I believe that our third-generation synths are sophisticated enough to form social bonds, even familial bonds. Only through close observation can I prove my hypothesis."*

Alan Binet: *"Alright, Alan. I'll trust your judgement on this. Just be careful."*

(Alan Binet's and Max Loken's dialogue) **Note:** DialogueInstituteRobotics4Scene
5. ↑ The Sole Survivor: *"Why would Ayo think you were helping synths?"*
Alan Binet: *"He probably thinks my admiration for the synths might have caused me to have some delusion about setting them free. The notion is preposterous. The last thing I'd want to do is banish a synth to the surface. It's a living hell up there. That's not freedom, it's a death sentence. I would never be so cruel."*
(Alan Binet's dialogue)
6. ↑ The Sole Survivor: *"How many synths have escaped?"*
Alan Binet: *"I'm not sure of the exact number, but I can tell you the rate of escapes has accelerated greatly in recent months."*
(Alan Binet's dialogue)