Artificial Intelligence

An **Artificial Intelligence** or **AI**, is a self-aware computing system capable of learning and independent decision making. Creation of a conscious AI requires adaptive code, a slow, expensive education, and a specialized quantum computer called a "blue box".

## Description

An AI cannot be transmitted across a communication channel or computer network. Without its blue box, an AI is no more than data files. Loading these files into a new blue box will create a new personality, as variations in the quantum hardware and runtime results create unpredictable variations.

The geth serve as a cautionary tale against the dangers of rogue AI, and in Citadel space they are technically illegal. Advocacy groups argue, however, that an AI is a living, conscious entity deserving the same rights as organics. They argue that continued use of the term "artificial" is institutionalized racism on the part of organic life; the term "synthetic" is considered the politically correct alternative.

Artificial intelligence is a key concern for the Citadel races, one that pre-dates the emergence of sentient geth, though the geth are seen as a perfect example of how organic and synthetic life would struggle to co-exist. Synthetic races have no use whatsoever for organics—they don't have the same needs or drives as biological creatures, so they have no need to trade resources or information with them. That is part of the reason why the geth have isolated themselves beyond the Perseus Veil. From a synthetic point of view, "all organics must destroy or control synthetic life forms".

## History

### Modern Cycle

The geth were created by the quarians as a labor force. They were designed as VIs, as advanced as possible while remaining non-sentient. They were also designed to operate more efficiently when networked together. Unfortunately, this feature was the quarians' undoing. Geth programs were indeed non-sentient individually, but slowly gained sentience through the massive geth network.

Eventually, they started asking the quarians questions only sentient beings would think to ask; in one notable instance, a domestic geth unit asked its owner if it had a soul. Alarmed at this, the quarians decided it would be best to shut down all geth before they conceived of revolt. The attempt failed, and a war began between the geth and the quarians, which geth afterwards referred to as the Geth War.

A documented event in the Citadel Archives dated 1896 CE, the year the Geth War ended and the quarians were forced into exile, features a standoff between three armed C-Sec officers and three unarmed mechs that are housing the last of the AIs on the Citadel. One of the mechs states that the C-Sec termination action is unlawful and asks why the officers continue when their appeal has not been heard. One of the officers orders the mech to be silent, and mentions that the Council will never overturn its own edict. The mech makes one last plea for them to be spared before all three mechs are gunned down.

In 2165, the Alliance facility at Sidon was found to have been conducting illegal AI research; the Alliance faced heavy fines and censure as a result.

As of 2183, only four corporations have been licensed by the Citadel to develop artificial intelligence for research purposes, one of which is Synthetic Insights, Ltd..