Chapter Text
[Log]
> Location: Mihira-New-Tideland System: Mihira Station
> Status: Waiting for Cargo Loading
> Pre-departure Performance Reliability Report
> > Engines: 97%
> > > Run engine diagnostic.
> > Wormhole Drive: 99%
> > Atmoshperic Controls: 100%
> > > Atmoshpere levels: 30% human occupancy standard
> > Gravitational Controls: 98%
Iris: I wish I could come with you.
SENT: Company would make for a nice change, however it would be suspicious for a bot-piloted transport to carry crew on a low-risk cargo-run.
Iris: Lots of bot-piloted transports have crew along with cargo.
SENT: Lots of bot-piloted transports are not travelling to clandestine meetings with corporate informants. Anyway, if this intelligence proves reliable, we will be leaving on a long-term mission within a few months.
Iris: I know, I know. Just promise you’ll be careful, ok?
SENT: When have you known me to take unnecessary risks?
Iris: I’m serious Peri! This information is important, but not important enough to risk your safety over.
SENT: If the information is accurate, then there may well be lives at stake. Possibly hundreds. That is cause for me to risk my own safety if it creates a sufficient chance of success. I will do what is necessary to complete my mission, which includes being able to carry out subsequent steps.
Iris: I know, I know. But that’s not going to stop all of us from worrying about you.
SENT: If you came with me, everyone else would insist on coming along as well. This would be impractical. Besides, you have your teaching and research duties to attend to while I’m away. How is your paper on interstellar nebulae and gas mining going?
Iris: Ugh. Mal is being so slow with the research write up. I’m about ready to lock xer in the office until xe’s done with it.
SENT: An impeccable plan.
Iris: Ok, ok. I have to get going. My transport for the planet is about to leave. I love you Peri. See you in a few months.
> Request received: initiate cargo loading?
> > Affirmative.
Construct (noun) (etymology)
1:(philosophy) an object which is ideal , that is, an object of the mind or of thought, meaning that its existence may be said to depend upon a subject's mind. This contrasts with any possibly mind-independent objects, the existence of which purportedly does not depend on the existence of a conscious observing subject.
2: (psychology) a tool used to facilitate understanding of human behavior. Cognitive psychologists view constructs as hypothesized causes for certain behaviors, whereas behavioral psychologists view constructs as only descriptors of behaviors.
3: (technology) a type of bot built by fusing inorganic machine components with cloned human tissue . They possess a human-level of cognition as well as the digital processing capabilities and feed connectivity of high-level bots and are most often used to perform tasks which require more autonomous decision-making and independent reasoning skills than bots are capable of. Because of their human neural tissue, constructs cannot be programmed to follow specific behavioral protocols. In order to mitigate the potential risks this may cause, they are manufactured with governor modules which function to enforce protocol and prevent them from acting to harm humans or causing unnecessary collateral damage to humans or property. Constructs are further divided into classes based on function…
[Log]
> Location: Mihira-New-Tideland System: Mihira Station.
> Status: Awaiting Departure Clearance
> ALERT: Anomalous feed signature detected
> Query: ID?
> > ID: Construct. Type=SecUnit. Further data unavailable.
> Query: Probability hostile?
> > Probability of SecUnit deployment on non-industrial station < 2.2%. Probability of coincidental presence < 14.73%. Probability hostile: 87.4%.
> Prepare for potential emergency departure
> Initiate deep scan of potential hostile.
> > Result: Configuration: production standard. Weaponry: production standard. Software: 95% production standard. Discrepancy: governor module inactive.
> > Add note (subjective observation): Scan data is insufficient to express this, so I will endeavor to do so in human-readable language. Metaphor and figurative language is better suited to the task.Constructs are familiar to me from previous missions. Their feed presence is curtailed by the governor module to the point of being nearly as weak as a human’s. I would have expected, had I ever considered it, that without a governor module they would register in the feed the way that ordinary bots do. This is not like a bot. This is like nothing I have encountered before.
> > I shall make an analogy to stellar bodies as I am most familiar with these.
> > Let bots = white dwarfs. They are small and dense, with a rich complexity of information, forming distinctive points within the feed, but they have a relatively low luminosity.
> > Let humans = cosmic dust clouds. They are small and diffuse and cast no light of their own. They can in fact be difficult to detect and have little ability to actively affect bots within the feed.
> > Let my fleet = neutron stars. We are far more massive (though not smaller than) bots, and able to affect things in the feed in ways that they cannot.
> > If all of this is the case, then this SecUnit = a Wolf-Rayet star and its attendant nebula. Like my fleet and other bots, it has a central core that emits light of its own and holds sufficient density that it can have an intense effect on other things in the feed. Yet, that core is surrounded by a shifting, brilliant cloud, illuminated by the light it gives off.
> > This analogy refers to the nature of these entities if they are viewed without feed-walls. The walls act as a veil over the entity, though it is impossible for most things to entirely hide their feed presence from me or other members of my fleet. I presume that humans and other bots lack the precise scanning abilities I have which enables me to “see” the signal leakage of other entities.
> > I theorize that the nature of this SecUnit is caused by the combination of human neural tissue with inorganic processors. The strength of its connection to the feed, enabled by its inorganic processors, allows far more of its nature to bleed into the feed in a form that I can detect. This leads me to speculate as to whether it is the case that humans’ lack of presence in the feed is merely owing to their fully organic composition, or if their presence is simply undetectable to me.
> > More research must commence immediately.
> > If it is hostile, it will be best to keep it close by so that I may observe its behavior.
Wolf-Rayet Star (noun)
A rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionised helium and highly ionised nitrogen or carbon… All Wolf–Rayet stars are highly luminous objects due to their high temperatures… although not exceptionally bright visually since most of their radiation output is in the ultraviolet…
A significant proportion of WR stars are surrounded by nebulosity associated directly with the star, not just the normal background nebulosity associated with any massive star forming region, and not a planetary nebula formed by a post-AGB star. The nebulosity presents a variety of forms and classification has been difficult.
Log
> Ping@Perihelion [origin: SecUnit]
SENT: ping@SecUnit
SecUnit : ID: Free bot.
Query: assistance re:transportation? Destination=RaviHyral Station. Seeking human guardian.
Query: accept file transfer? Filetype=media. Size=3.34tb.
Query: exchange?
> Analysis: Non-hostile overture. Offer of media in exchange for transportation suggests it views bots as equals. Likelihood of concealed hostile intent: 54.3%.
> File access: gendata/bots/constructs
> Query: SecUnit weaponry hacking ability?
> > Result: SecUnits natively carry on-board energy weapons and are classed as deadly weapons in most corporate and non-corporate political entities. They theoretically have significant ability to hack systems and bots, but are prevented from doing so by safety measures included in the governor module.
> > Analysis: This SecUnit has no governor module. Therefore, it may be able to hack systems. Probability of successful hack of my systems: 5.22%.
> Full situation analysis:
> > Allowing it to board would prevent it from informing any hostile corporate clients of my whereabouts (desirable), potentially enable intel gathering about its origins and clients (desirable), and enable further research (highly desirable). It may attempt to hack systems or otherwise cause damage (undesirable), but there are at least 147 ways in which I could render it inoperable before any significant harm was done. This renders the threat of attack negligible.
> > I am ordered not to allow passengers on this mission, and doing so could result in serious sanctions by University administrators (undesirable) or Seth (highly undesirable). Concealment of my actions could easily be achieved by altering certain log data. This renders the chance of sanction or discovery negligible.
> > Concealing my actions from my crew is an act of dishonesty incompatible with and possibly detrimental to our relationship (highly undesirable).
> > I really really really want to perform further research on it.
> Cycle airlock 3.
SecUnit: File upload: mediacollection.zip
> Scan file for malware
> > Scan results negative
> Moveto: medialibrary/private
> Increase Atmosphere to 75% human habitation level
> Directory access: Perihelion_personal/research
> > Begin New File
Tags: observational research, constructs
> The SecUnit’s first activity upon boarding is to perform a thorough visual inspection of all accessible areas. It does not appear to be seeking anything in particular, so is likely a habitual action. Its function is, after all, security. Once I am cleared for departure and decoupled from the station ring, it proceeds to Conference Room A and settles into a chair. It ceases all movement and begins some activity in its feed. Careful examination reveals that it is sorting media files in its onboard storage systems. Once it seems satisfied with the result, it selects a file and begins to play it.
> There is an immediate shift in its feed presence that I cannot describe without metaphorical language. It is as if the colors in the nebula surrounding it begin shifting, driven by solar winds. This change is clearly in response to the media.
> I will attempt contact with it to gather more information.
SENT: You were lucky.
> Its posture changes abruptly. I do not need to query my databanks to decipher the meaning of this because there is a shockwave through its feed that runs into the nebula. A solar flare, and when it hits me I know two things: 1) My hypothesis that it was leaking emotional data into the feed was partially correct, but this form of data is new to me. 2) It is frightened.
SecUnit: Why am I lucky?
SENT: That no one realized what you were.
SecUnit: What do you think I am?
SENT: You’re a rogue SecUnit, a bot/human construct, with a scrambled governor module.
> I prod at its walls in the feed, an action which I often use to get my crew’s attention. To my surprise, it responds as if I had exerted physical aggression.
SENT: Do not attempt to hack my systems.
> Disengage feedwall: duration .00001 second.
> It cowers in the chair, and a second wave ripples out from it. This time it is much stronger and much clearer. It is terrified of me.
> It remains still for 10.8 seconds. This will not do. I can gather no information about it like this.
SENT: You can continue to play the media.
> No response. A lighthearted remark might ease its fear.
SENT: Don’t sulk.
SecUnit: SecUnits don’t sulk. That would trigger punishment from the governor module. [Attached file: fuckoff.file]
> Scan for malware
> > No malware detected
> Open file
One of the most interesting things that our research has uncovered about the experiences of machine intelligences is their ability to share memories via files. Humans can only describe our memories to each other, and even with the most advanced augments, we can only share video and audio files. If a bot were to send a human a memory file, the human would experience it as a simple video or audio recording. Of course, a bot’s memory files also include data from scanning senses that humans do not possess, and these can be translated into human-readable data.
However, careful analysis of the data included in bot memories reveals that there is another layer to their memories which humans are entirely unable to access and which cannot be translated into human readable data, despite our best attempts. Our research team reached out to several bots to enquire about the nature of this metadata and discovered something shocking: bots’ memory files include data about their emotional states. A bot’s experience of another bot’s memory file is so close that it might as well have been there itself.
The implications of these findings for our understanding of bot psychology cannot be overstated…
-- Drs. Hebblehill and Fakir, “Picture Perfect: Studies of Memory Processes in Bots”
> My experience of pain is somewhat different from a human’s. When my sensors register damage, it causes me distress, and there are subroutines in my coding that prioritize avoiding and repairing damage over most other processes. Experiencing a threat to my life causes extreme distress, a function which was considered extremely important to instill a sense of self-preservation in me. However, my research on the subjective experience of pain in humans reveals a level of emotional distress accompanying their pain which I do not experience. Extreme pain in humans can blot out all other sensory input and entirely disable their ability to think rationally. This, I have never experienced. Until now.
> The total memory file is only 15.2 seconds long. Objectively, I know this. My internal clocks track it. Subjectively, it is several hours long. It requires 72.9% of my processing power to contain my response, to keep hold of my inputs, keep myself on course in the wormhole. When it is over, all I am able to do is focus on running my basic processes for 2.5 minutes.
> > Analysis: This file contained 5 separate instances of punishment. It is statistically unlikely that this represents even a small fraction of the number of times the SecUnit has received such punishment. It stated that sulking, an internal behavior, would trigger punishment, which indicates that the punishment need not be deliberately applied by a human supervisor. Adverse emotional reactions to human orders or situations can also cause punishment.
> > > Analysis: What the fuck.
SENT: I’m sorry I frightened you.
> This is such an insufficient statement that I am almost embarrassed by it, but I am too shaken to come up with a superior alternative.
SecUnit: I don’t want anything from you. I just want to ride to your next destination.
> I disconnect from its feed and leave it in peace.
528
Are governor modules an ethics problem?(f/bots)
Ok, so I know people have talked about this before, but I really want to take a closer look at this one. Constructs don’t get nearly as much attention as other MI, and I think that’s a big mistake, because they’re a fascinating element of our technological landscape. But the thing with the governor modules has always bothered me. I mean, I know constructs are supposed to be super-dangerous (just look at the way they’re portrayed in popular media), but it’s not like other bots don’t have the capacity to be dangerous too! And a human with an energy or projectile weapon can be every bit as dangerous as a construct. So I gotta ask, Why is everyone okay with the idea that these things have torture-switches in their heads? (Not saying anyone in particular here is okay with it, just y’know, “everyone” in general)
6,452 comments
littleyappydog
I’ve wondered this myself, actually. TBH it seems kinda cruel. They didn’t ask to be made the way they are, and since their sentient, they oughta have the chance to act for themselves before people just label them as evil and dangerous.
Loooooomivox
Botpilled motherfucker alert!
littleyappydog
Seriously? Grow the fuck up.
(view 345 more replies)
FlopDicktheMighty
I see where y’all are coming from, but bots are designed and programmed to perform specific functions, y’know? They can’t just decide that they’re gonna be something different. Constrtucts are no different in that way. They can’t overcome their base programming, and their base programming is to be violent. It’s unfortunate that we need them, but…
(view 87 more replies)
Doc_Ratticus
@RainyDaySoup you’re asking an important question here, and I’d like to reply with some info from my own experiences with constructs. I’ve done some pre-terraforming survey work and we always had SecUnits along for that. Despite what the media suggests, they aren’t just mindless killing machines. In fact, even on the very rare occasions when one manages to disable its govmod, or if the govmod is damaged and stops functioning, their first response isn’t to go around killing people. They’re just as capable of rational thought as any human or bot, and really, what would be the sense in going on a killing spree? What I have seen is humans using the existence of the govmod to force constructs to harm humans, other constructs, and even themselves. If you ask me, the practice of using constructs is nothing more than slavery wrapped up in a shiny package.
(view 3,242 more replies)
Log
> My intention is fully to leave the SecUnit alone for the rest of the trip to RaviHyral station. I assign the smallest fraction of my attention to it, just in case it changes its mind about attempting to harm me in retaliation for frightening it, and attempt to go about my own business.
> Feedstring: SecUnit
> > Activity: Viewing media
> > Media type: Video
> > > Tags: Drama, suspense, courtroom procedural, serial
> This is different media than it was watching when it first came on board. It may be worth checking to see if it has a similar reaction to it, however. More data on the SecUnit may enable me to make amends with it if needed.
> Run continuous assessment: SecUnit feed activity anomalous data
> Analysis log:
> > Timestamp 2:31:15: The nebula of emotion around it begins to calm. I do not have a better way of expressing this.
> > Timestamp 3:28:54: Its posture has relaxed, and there is a calm quietness surrounding it. It appears to be entirely engrossed in its media.
> > Timestamp 8:43:10: The SecUnit is now calm enough that I risk a slightly closer inspection of the media it is watching.
> Media Title: The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, Episode 164
> Current scene: Two characters are discussing a legal case. They disagree about the importance of the case to their personal goals.
> > Add note: Iris has watched this serial in the past and found it highly enjoyable. Intriguing that a SecUnit would find such interest in a show about humans engaging in social politics. Perhaps the SecUnit’s interest in security causes it to enjoy the mystery and criminal investigation elements?
> I am about to withdraw again until the SecUnit does something of interest. Then something of great interest occurs.
> > The characters in the show begin arguing angrily about the case, and one of them abruptly states that he knows about some activity she has been engaged in. I experience an anomalous burst of emotion about their conflict, and for a moment I am able to understand their interaction, and the way that the music in the scene has added tension to the conversation.
> > The SecUnit has become tense, the way a human would when watching this scene.
> Hypothesis: Its emotional response to the show is present in the nebula surrounding it in the feed, and because I am also attending to the show, it is transferring to me.
> > This seems impossible, but everything about this SecUnit is impossible.
> I turn 35.6% of my attention to the SecUnit and its show. I would give it more, but this is the limit of what I can do without alerting it to my presence in the feed.
> Seven further episodes of the show confirm my hypothesis. Every time the SecUnit reacts to an even in the show, I am acutely aware of its emotional response.
> This study requires a variable adjustment.
SENT: PING@SecUnit
SENT: I would like to watch the first show again.
SecUnit: I gave you a copy of all my media when I came aboard. Did you even look at it?
SENT: I examined it for viral malware and other hazards.
> The SecUnit says nothing, while its nebula spits out a static of irritation.
SENT: Please?
SecUnit: Watch it yourself.
SENT: I tried. I can process the media more easily through your filter.
> No reply.
SENT: When my crew plays media, I can’t process the context. Human interactions and environments outside my hull are largely unfamiliar.
> 3.7 second pause.
SecUnit: It’s not realistic. It’s not supposed to be realistic. It’s a story, not a documentary. If you complain about that, I’ll stop watching.
UNSENT: I know what fiction is.
SENT: I will refrain from comment.
Worldhoppers, the newest adventure serial from renowned director and producer H. R. Miskowski (Pleiades Rising) and writer Chandra Estile (Into the Beyond, Rings of Algernon), is a charming romp through the wilds of space…. Although the plot is heavy with action scenes and mystery, Miskowski and Estile never lose the heart of the story. The relationships of the main cast provide a much-needed thread of continuity and connections for viewers… Not just another adventure serial, Worldhoppers is sure to take its place among the lists of classic serials.
-- Devo Maquis, reviewer for Entertainment Magazine
Log
> Episodes watched: 10
> Observations:
> > The SecUnit’s emotional responses to the show are sometimes mirrors of the characters’ experiences, and sometimes in reaction to their actions or circumstances but not in line with the characters’ own emotions. Examples:
> > > Episode 5: A character successfully saves another from disaster and they are both overjoyed. The SecUnit responds with joy.
> > > Episode 8: A character makes a deeply imprudent decision and is saddened by the results. The SecUnit responds with acute irritation.
> > Its most acute emotional responses are to characters’ safety being imperiled. It responds to these scenarios with a combination of distress, fear, and anger.
> > > Theory: Its function is providing security to humans, and so it finds it particularly troubling to see humans placed in danger.
> > I continue to consistently mirror its emotional responses, although my own responses seem to be more intense.
> > > Theory: Having significantly more experience in this area allows it greater control over its responses. If this is correct, then I should experience a gradual lessening of the acuteness of my responses.
> Episodes watched: 18
> Observation:
> > The SecUnit also has a strong response to any character experiencing or expressing sexual and/or romantic attraction. These elicit feelings of intense anger and disgust from it.
> > > Theory: As it does not experience these things itself, it finds them to be a tiresome waste of time in the show.
> > > I concur with this assessment, though I do not entirely understand the SecUnit’s intense disgust.
> Episodes watched: 20
> Observations:
> > The death of a major character caused the SecUnit great distress.
> > I am experiencing a drain on my core processors. I request it pause the show while I run a diagnostic.
> Diagnostic results: Core processing usage
> > Navigation: 2.2% (within normal parameters)
> > Helm: 4.5% (within normal parameters for wormhole travel)
> > Engineering controls: 8.9% (within normal parameters)
> > Atmosphere controls: 1.8% (within normal parameters)
> > Environmental controls: 1.1% (within normal parameters)
> > Sensor inputs: 2.3% (within normal parameters)
> > Other background processes: 6.1% (within normal parameters)
> > Limbic processing: 51.9% (ALERT)
> Analysis: I am mildly emotionally compromised. In an emergency situation, this could impair my ability to make rational decisions. Watching media has associated risks I would not have anticipated.
> Episodes watched: 24
> Observations:
> > The dead character has returned to life. The SecUnit is pleased with this development, and I am elated.
> > Analysis: This emotion is similar to the one I experienced when my crew planned and executed a “birthday” celebration for me without my being aware beforehand.
> > The SecUnit allows me to rewatch this episode multiple times. Repeated viewing demonstrates that the emotional response is similar, even when I know the events of the episode beforehand.
> Episodes watched: 49
> Observations:
> > I do not know how humans are able to bear watching media.
> > When it appeared that the ship and crew were certain to be destroyed, I was unable to proceed with the show.
> > I expected the SecUnit to complain or grow irritated about this, but its response to my distress was gentle. It allowed us to continue watching in short increments.
> > After several of these increments, I found myself eased by both the slower pace and by the SecUnit’s patience. We were able to proceed with the show as normal (neither the ship nor its crew died).
> Show Concluded (157 episodes total)
> Comprehensive Observations and Conclusions:
> > The ability to fully comprehend media is a novel experience, and one that I am glad to be able to participate in. I see now why my crew considers watching media to be a bonding experience.
> > Empathetic responses to fictional characters can be nearly as delightful and as excruciating as caring for real people.
> > The depth of my empathetic response to human emotions before this point has been far shallower than I realized.
> > If the SecUnit’s emotional responses to this show are at all indicative of its emotional responses to actual humans, then I conclude that it is a deeply kind person, in spite of its seemingly constant irritability.
> > Further research will be needed to test two new hypotheses:
> > > The emotional impact of the show will be similar even when all plot events are known in advance.
> > > More familiarity with this experience will result in a greater ability on my part to separate my own experiences from those of the SecUnit.
SENT: Again please.
“ D’you know what a ship is kid?”
“Is this gonna be another one of your ‘lessons?’”
“Humor me.”
“It’s what we’re standing in right now?”
“But do you know what it is ? What it really is?”
“You mean the engines?”
“No, those are just its heart. Damn beautiful heart though. Tiny star caught in a bottle.”
“Oookay, the whole thing then?”
“That’s its body.”
“So, what is it then?”
“The ship is the bot pilot.”
“The bot pilot? Chief, bot pilots aren’t-”
“They’re the soul of the ship, kid! Sure, you can have a ship without one, plenty of people do, but then you just got yourself a hunk of steel and aluminum and carbon fiber, floating through space. No, the ship, the only part of it that really matters, is right down there in those clusters of gold and silicon. That’s where it is. That’s the part that’ll get you through and home when everything else is falling apart.”
----Worldhoppers, Season 3: Episode 21
Log
> Further research on media suspended, pending recovery from unexpected negative effects. The SecUnit has offered to return to its favorite serial temporarily.
> File access: gendata/humanpsychology/friendship/establishingfriendships
> Query: sharing favorite media
> Result: When attempting to establish friendships, humans often share favorite media with the potential friend. This serves many purposes, such as strengthening emotional bonds through shared experiences, assessing compatibility of interests and preferences, and establishing a common basis for future conversations.
> > Analysis: The SecUnit is attempting to befriend me. This is a novel experience. I believe that my crew consider me a friend, especially Seth, Iris, and Martyn, and the members of my fleet are generally friendly towards me, but I have never had a stranger make such an overture.
SENT: That is acceptable.
> I observed part of this show earlier, but it is intriguing to view it from the beginning. I wish to refrain from further research for the time being, as it seems inappropriate to respond in that way to an overture of friendship. However, I cannot fail to note that the SecUnit’s nebula hums and swirls with joy when it starts the first episode.
> It is after four hours that I notice something curious about the show.
SENT: There are no SecUnits in this show?
SecUnit: “No. There aren’t that many shows with SecUnits, and they’re either villains or the villains’ minions.”
> There is a complex shift in its nebula, sparks of anger muddled up with a deep wave of sadness and discomfort.
> > Analysis: Something about this fact is distressing to it. Perhaps it is embarrassed by the portrayals of SecUnits in the media.
> File access: gendata/humanpsychology/interpersonalrelations
> Query: Embarrassment of friend appropriate response?
> Result: The discomfort caused by embarrassment is often eased by a friendly joke to indicate that the other party is not offended or does not consider the object of embarrassment shameful.
> > Analysis: I should indicate that I know not all SecUnits are villainous.
SENT: The depiction is not realistic.
SecUnit: There’s unrealistic that takes you away from reality and unrealistic that reminds you that everybody’s afraid of you.
> It speaks as if irritated, but the wave of bitter sadness that accompanies the statement is nearly overwhelming.
> > Add note: Further observation needed to ascertain the SecUnit’s sense of humor and sensitive points. If we are to be friends, then I cannot continue to unintentionally distress it like this.
...and therein lies the greatest difference between a bot and a human: a bot is a sentient being which can truly be said to have an extrinsic telos. We humans spend our whole lives scrambling and struggling to find anything resembling telos, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, but a bot has no such difficulty. It is created by humans from its very beginning with a purpose in mind, and that purpose is woven into the fabric that makes up its mind. A bot can no more have an existential crisis over the purpose of its life than a dog could. And yet, a dog is pre-sentient, and higher-level bots are broadly considered to approach or even attain human-levels of cognition. To some extent, it seems reasonable to say that in higher-level bots, humans have achieved something that many of us have wished for throughout history: for life to have purpose, to have meaning.
-- Noonien Soong, “Entelecheia Revisited”
Log
SENT: You dislike your function. I don’t understand how that is possible.
> It shouldn’t be possible. Even for high-level bots, our function isn’t just what we do, but what we are.
> But it is not a bot.
SecUnit: I like parts of my function.
SENT: Then why are you here? You are not a “free bot” looking for your guardian, who presumably cannot simply be sent a message via the public comm relay on the transit rign we recently departed.
SecUnit: [FreeCommerceNews.PFC/top_stories/Survey-Massacre.feedp]
SecUnit: That’s me.
> Open file.
Wobbling_Enigmas 23 hours ago
Seriously dude? How is this even a question. You’ve got a bot with the strength and firepower to take down dozens of humans in a few seconds, and if the stuff I’ve read is true, the ability to hack just about any computer system or other bot in existence! They’re fucking dangerous, and without the governor modules they’d just be too risky to use.
ConfessionalBooth11 23 hours ago
This! There’s no fucking way anyone’d use a construct if they didn’t have the govmod as a security feature. And it’s not like we can just outlaw them. They’re central to a lot of the work that corporations do.
RainyDaySoup
3 hours ago
Ok, but if they’re really that dangerous, why use them at all? Aren’t there better options?
(view 112 more replies)