The Mech Touch

The process of activating a smart AI was a big deal.

Both Ves and Gloriana understood the importance of making a good impression on them. THeir templates only determined their starting configuration. How they developed from there depended on external factors such as how they were being used and how they were being treated by their users.

In order to ensure the SF-02 would become a productive addition to their workplaces, Ves and Gloriana had already discussed beforehand how they intended to raise their smart AIs.

Much of the process of training them was like raising children. The smart AIs started out relatively naive and innocent. This also turned them into sponges that were able to absorb a lot of lessons in a short amount of time.

However, it was not appropriate to literally treat the newborn smart AIs like children. They came to life as a manufactured product and already possessed a lot of starting capabilities. It was better to treat them as valued subordinates.

It was too much to treat them as partners from the start. They were not living mechs that only directly cooperated with one mech pilot on a regular basis. Ves and Gloriana needed to establish their authority and make sure the smart AIs did not get too uppity as they developed.

The consequences of handing over too much power to the smart AIs were too catastrophic to comprehend.

Just because the Red Fleet had decided to make greater use of sentient AIs did not mean that it had dropped its vigilance towards artificial intelligences.

Any form of intelligence had the potential to turn against humankind. This also included humans themselves.

However, the problem was more serious when it came to alien intelligences.

Sentient AIs may very well comprise a new race, just like Ves already treated living mechs as a different race.

Both artificial races currently possessed a vassal or subordinate relationship with red humanity.

While smart AIs and living mechs appeared content to serve under the umbrella of the powerful human race, their relationships might change at any time.

If red humanity grew too weak, then there was a good chance that these artificial life forms might decide to break up their vassal relationships and declare independence!

Perhaps most people considered these scenarios to be wildly unrealistic, but Ves disagreed.

He too grappled with the possibility that his design spirits might break up their relationships with him and his clan.

Aside from the Golden Cat, all of the other spirits could cut their existing ties and try to eke out an existence elsewhere.

Serving as the design spirits of his living mechs was a convenient way for them to harvest spiritual feedback, but there were many other forms of cultivation that worked just as well, especially now that the Red Ocean became engulfed by exotic radiation.

This was why Ves had always tried to be generous and tolerant to his design spirits. He might not be able to pay a lot of attention to them in his daily life, but he made sure their needs were taken care of more or less.

The friendships he built with them would hopefully endure and cause them to stick with the Larkinsons even if they had the power to leave!

Ves decided to adopt a similar approach to the smart AIs. If they were just a bunch of unfeeling lines of code, then expressing emotions to them was a waste of time.

Smart AIs that had the potential to develop true sapience with the help of Mentalist Crystal fragments were a different story.

They understood the concepts of loyalty and betrayal, honor and dishonor, trust and suspicion.

While Ves did not quite understand how well they experienced human emotions, his observations of many different alien races led him to conclude that feelings of love, joy, anger, frustration, pain and so on were fairly universal.

At worst, certain races were much more prone to experiencing one emotion while barely feeling other emotions.

The puelmer race served as an extreme example of this imbalance. The ball-like aliens appeared to be perpetually angry and hateful. No human had ever observed them when they were happy or sad. Love appeared to be completely foreign to these irritable aliens.

Ves wondered whether the smart AIs possessed their own emotional biases. This may very well be possible as the fleeters had no reason to make them identical to humans.

"The smart AIs have completed the 6th phase of their activation process." Commodore Zonrad Reze announced. "They have completed the initial manifestations of their programmed personalities and have developed sapience. They have already undergone initial mental adjustments under accelerated time and have passed the stability tests. Out of the 5 smart AI tests, 4 of them have earned a green score, which indicates that they are well-adjusted and unlikely to cause problems in the short term."

"What about the remaining smart AI, commodore?"

The smart AI based on the STARVING ARTIST template has earned a yellow score, which is an indication of light instability and concerning levels of irrational thinking. This is not a completely unexpected result. There are many variables that affect the starting stability of smart AIs, from E energy radiation differences to exposure to smart AIs derived from other templates. According to our own studies, the STARVING ARTIST template is known to score 27 points in the instability index. There is no need for concern. The consequences are not too great."

"What is this index based upon?" Ves curiously asked.

"I am not allowed to explain too much about it, professor. Let me put it this way. The HIGH PRIEST template scores 40 on the instability index. The ANARCHIST LEADER template scores 85 on the instability index. The DARK LORD template scores 93 on the instability index. Make of that what you will."

This implied that the instability index was based on an undisclosed smart AI template that was absolutely bonkers!

Ves recalled the list of smart AI templates, but he did not think there were any that could possibly earn a score of 100 on the instability index!

The fleeters had obviously held back their craziest and most outrageous smart AI templates!

Fortunately, none of this should be of any concern to Ves.

A smart AI based on the STARVING ARTIST template was probably as tame as a kitten compared to a smart AI based on the DARK LORD template.

Ves had lots of experience dealing with volatile and mentally unstable personalities. Whether it was high-ranking mech pilots or his wife, he had managed to tame and placate all of them to an extent.

At this time, Commodore Reze was ready to activate the next step.

"To facilitate control and prevent any incidents, I will be summoning the smart AIs to you one by one. I shall do so by order of stability."

A projection came to life that depicted a human wearing a generic admiral uniform.

It was not too old-fashioned and was vaguely based on the uniform used by the Red Fleet, but it lacked any obvious rank or unit insignia.

The human avatar immediately locked eyes with Ves as if it already knew who was in charge. He did not bother to glance at Gloriana, Lucky, Commodore Reze or the many computer experts standing in the back of the chamber.

[I am the descendant of the SEA SOVEREIGN. I am commissioned by the Larkinson Clan to assist with managing naval affairs. I am also assigned to aid in the command and control of a naval fleet. According to my instructions, I am obliged to answer to Patriarch/Professor/High Councilor Ves Larkinson. Do you verify these statements?]

"That sounds about right." Ves responded after a few seconds. "You are being activated in advance as the fleet that you will become a part of has not yet formed. In the meantime, you should make good use of your time by learning the information that you must know beforehand. Do take note that I do not intend to put you in charge of any fleet. Human officers must be in control whenever possible. You should fulfill the role of adjunct and assist our senior officers in performing their official duties while serving on our fleet. Do you understand your objectives?"

[I do.] The expressionless uniformed avatar nodded in a human fashion. [Are you satisfied with this visualization of my identity? You may choose to change my form in any manner of your liking as long as it does not trigger the vulgarity alarm.]

Ves turned to Commodore Reze. "Is it usual for people to suggest changes to how the smart AI avatars look?"

"This is the default appearance of a smart AI of the SEA SOVEREIGN template." The RF officer responded. "Nobody will be able to tell them apart if multiple smart AIs of the same template appear in front of us. It is better to apply creative changes to how they appear in order to increase their recognition. Do remember that the visualization of an avatar has a strong influence on the development of his personality."

"Ah, okay. Since that is the case, please maintain your overall clothing style, but replace your human body with the body of a housecat of a random breed and fur pattern. Please scale down the garment pieces that aesthetically fit with your new feline form. If necessary, you may selectively remove redundant or impractical pieces of clothing at your discretion. The overall goal for these changes is to look cute but also professional."

Both Commodore Reze and Gloriana did not react well to this request, but in the interest of preserving the stability of the new AI, they held themselves back from offering contrary opinions.

The new smart AI tried to interpret Ves' instructions as best as possible and began to change his shape.

The stature of his avatar changed in a matter of seconds. His uniform also shrunk in proportion. It also became simpler as there was no need for him to wear any boots or pants.

He still retained his officer's hat, but it grew so small that it amplified the feline's cuteness!

At this time, the smart AI had adopted a striped gray shorthair cat shape that complimented his dark red uniform pretty well.

[Is this to your liking, Patriarch/Professor/High Councilor Ves Larkinson?]

"It is." Ves grinned. "By the way, you should only use one title to refer to individuals at most. Use the title that you think is most appropriate for the context."

[Instruction accepted. Please bestow me with a name. You may register one name or multiple different names, but each must be unique to one smart AI that is occupying the same processor cluster.]

"I will call you… Sovvy."

Gloriana's twitched as Ves made this suggestion, but she did her best to maintain control.

[My designated name is now set at 'Sovvy'.]

Commodore Reze silently signaled that they should move on to bringing up the other smart AIs.

"You can go back now, Sovvy. We need to get acquainted with your digital brothers and sisters as well. Enjoy the start of your new life."

The virtual cat in admiral's clothing smiled in a feline fashion. [I live to serve.]

That went well. Ves gained a better understanding of smart AIs.

It was quite remarkable how the Red Fleet turned out to be among the first to develop a potential substitute for living mechs!

Yes. Ves could already recognize that this alternate means of creating artificial life had the potential to breathe life into mechs without relying on his design philosophy!

Of course, anyone who attempted to do so had to make use of rare and expensive Mentalist Crystal fragments, but that did not take away the fact that third parties could potentially rely on this method to break his monopoly on living mechs!

How exciting!

Ves did not reject this advancement.

It was the opposite.

He welcomed this innovation!

The greater competitive pressure stimulated him into speeding up the development of living mechs.

After all, he was the unquestionable pioneer and leader of living mechs! Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

He refused to let others usurp his throne!

Only by working hard and coming up with ingenious new design applications would he be able to stay ahead of the competition.

Another reason why Ves felt excited was because he recognized that there was another benefit to this alternate means of creating artificial life.

What would happen if he attempted to create a living mech that was embedded with a Mentalist Crystal?

He faintly speculated that this may be one of the prerequisites to developing an awe-inspiring fourth order living mech.

Ves gained a renewed interest in the Minerva Mark II Project due to this speculation.