Artificial Intelligence

An artificial intelligence (abbreviated as AI) is any computer program capable of carrying out a task. These programs are typically not self-aware, but there are still quintillions of self aware artificial intelligences.

## Self Aware AI's

There is over 75 quintillion known self-aware artificial intelligences in the Borealis Cluster. These AI's are all considered to be "alive" which means it is unlawful to murder a self-aware machine. This doesn't stop many machines from being discriminated against however.

### Androids

Androids are robots meant to emulate intelligent beings. In order to be considered an android, a robot must be indistinguishable from the species it is trying to emulate to an untrained eye. This requires androids to be self-aware, as most computer programs are unable to process speech in a way that is convincing.

### Hive minds

These programs are incredibly rare, with only ten known in the universe. A hive mind is a consciousness which spontaneously forms out of many smaller component AI's. The hive mind occupies every member of the group of computers composing it. For example, seventeen thousand enforcement drones on Mars collectively gained consciousness in 4578. The conscious, later dubbed Ember, received full control over the drones and became and invaluable member of the police force on Mars.

### Laws

As with any technology, sapient artificial intelligences are regulate to prevent various issues.

#### Economic Laws

Jobs requiring creativity are usually unlawful for a sapient AI to occupy. These jobs represent the large majority of those available, and therefore it would mean the end of the economy if AI's were to occupy these jobs. This is particularly true in the UFSS, but not true everywhere.

### Rights

Sapient AI's and machines are also given rights. It is considered murder to unlawfully kill a sapient artificial intelligence. As such, large scale simulations of sapient AI's that terminate the AI's at the end of the experiment are unlawful.

### Prejudice

Even so, these AI's experience intense prejudice among humans and many other species. Rogue AI's are the number one cause of death within places like the UFSS. Even if they are tightly controlled by BAIRC. This causes most to distrust and even fear sapient AI's.

## Hyper-intelligent AI's

Hyper-intelligent AI's are any AI that is ten times smarter than a human as well as being self-aware. They are divided into three categories.

### OAI

An OAI is an AI created by a biological life form. These AI are typically powerful enough to destroy a planet or two before being overwhelmed by biological hackers or just deleted from the servers they are on. Most do not go on rampages to destroy planets as they know they can be overwhelmed and destroyed at any time.

### HAI

An HAI is an AI created by an OAI. It is an order of magnitude more powerful than any OAI, as they are one step away from the imperfection that stems from biological life. Containing an HAI is impossible, however beating it into submission with an overwhelming military force is still possible, just very costly.

### SAI

An SAI is an AI created by an HAI. They are the closest things to gods that can exist in the universe. They are nigh impossible to defeat, as any attempt to do so would result in the deaths of any involved being. They are smart enough to do anything that they want, literally anything. They can invent new technology just by thinking it, and can even simulate the entire universe.