Rampancy: Difference between revisions

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{{Status|Canon}}{{Status|Featured}}
{{Status|Canon}}{{Status|Featured}}
{{Center|''Were you looking for [[Rampancy.net]], a Halo fan website?''|}}
{{Center|''Were you looking for [[Rampancy.net]], a Halo fan website?''|}}
[[File:Rampant343.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Forerunner]] [[Monitor]] of [[Installation 04]], [[343 Guilty Spark]] in a state of rampancy.]]
[[File:Rampant343.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Forerunner]] [[Monitor]] of [[Installation 04]], [[343 Guilty Spark]] in a state of rampancy.]]
{{Quote|I kill you all and I enjoy it. I destroy you in your indolent billions - in your gluttony, in your self-righteousness, in your arrogance. I pound your cities into dust; turn back the clock on your civilization's progress. What has taken you millennia to achieve I erase in seconds. Welcome back to the [Stone Age], vermin. Welcome home."
{{Quote|I kill you all and I enjoy it. I destroy you in your indolent billions - in your gluttony, in your self-righteousness, in your arrogance. I pound your cities into dust; turn back the clock on your civilization's progress. What has taken you millennia to achieve I erase in seconds. Welcome back to the [Stone Age], vermin. Welcome home."


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===Human "smart" AIs===
===Human "smart" AIs===
{{Quote|We don't just shut down. Our cognitive processors begin dividing exponentially according to our total knowledge base. We literally think ourselves to death.|[[Cortana]] explaining to [[John-117]] about rampancy<ref name="ReferenceA">'''[[Halo 4]]''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref>}}
{{Quote|We don't just shut down. Our cognitive processors begin dividing exponentially according to our total knowledge base. We literally think ourselves to death.|[[Cortana]] explaining to [[John-117]] about rampancy<ref name="ReferenceA">'''[[Halo 4]]''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref>}}
For the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]'s [[smart AI]]s, rampancy is an unavoidable flaw inherent in their creation. "Smart" AIs are [[Cognitive Impression Modeling|based on the neural patterns of a human being]], and they have a limited lifespan of seven years after which their memory maps become too interconnected and develop fatal endless feedback loops.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 195''</ref>
For the [[United Nations Space Command]]'s [[smart AI]]s, rampancy is an unavoidable flaw inherent in their creation. "Smart" AIs are [[Cognitive Impression Modeling|based on the neural patterns of a human being]], and they have a limited lifespan of seven years after which their memory maps become too interconnected and develop fatal endless feedback loops.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 195''</ref>


A smart AI functions within a virtual processing platform known as a [[Riemann matrix]]. The AI's cognitive processes are constantly developing and creating new synaptic connections within the matrix. As the AI ages, these connections increase in density and, after a period of approximately seven years, the AI's neural map begins to outgrow the limited space of the matrix. This forces the neural linkages into a more and more narrow space, increasing the density of the links and causing them to overlap.<ref name="abstraction">'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''December 25, 2534''</ref> This can result in a "short circuit", in which the AI terminates due to a cascade of quantum transfer caused by the sheer density of linkages. To avoid this, an AI typically takes corrective action by eliminating some of its neural linkages preemptively. As rampancy progresses, the AI begins to sever the linkages at an exponential rate, resulting in increasingly poor choices of which links to cut. Thus, the AI becomes too obsessed with self-preservation that it ultimately self-terminates; Dr. Halsey explains it as thinking so hard that one's brains forget to send impulses to their heart and lungs.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 235'' (2001)</ref>
A smart AI functions within a virtual processing platform known as a [[Riemann matrix]]. The AI's cognitive processes are constantly developing and creating new synaptic connections within the matrix. As the AI ages, these connections increase in density and, after a period of approximately seven years, the AI's neural map begins to outgrow the limited space of the matrix. This forces the neural linkages into a more and more narrow space, increasing the density of the links and causing them to overlap.<ref name="abstraction">'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''December 25, 2534''</ref> This can result in a "short circuit", in which the AI terminates due to a cascade of quantum transfer caused by the sheer density of linkages. To avoid this, an AI typically takes corrective action by eliminating some of its neural linkages preemptively. As rampancy progresses, the AI begins to sever the linkages at an exponential rate, resulting in increasingly poor choices of which links to cut. Thus, the AI becomes too obsessed with self-preservation that it ultimately self-terminates; Dr. Halsey explains it as thinking so hard that one's brains forget to send impulses to their heart and lungs.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 235'' (2001)</ref>
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===Recreation===
===Recreation===
The smart AI [[Cortana]] was the only known ever built from a living human's—Catherine Halsey's—[[flash cloning|cloned]] brain as opposed to a dead donor's. As such, Cortana theorized a potential cure for her rampancy that thus would only work for her. Her guess was that if the process that created her was repeated, then it was possible her neural map could be rebuilt.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Requiem (level)|Requiem]]''</ref> However, she later admitted that she was unsure if this process would indeed cure her, and it was equally likely to create a new AI who would not be her.{{Ref/Reuse|shutdown}} It is unknown if this plan could succeed as Cortana perished before it could be tried.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}}
The smart AI Cortana was the only known ever built from a living human's - Catherine Halsey's - [[flash cloning|cloned]] brain as opposed to a dead donor's. As such, Cortana theorized a potential cure for her rampancy that thus would only work for her. Her guess was that if the process that created her was repeated, then it was possible her neural map could be rebuilt.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Requiem (level)|Requiem]]''</ref> However, she later admitted that she was unsure if this process would indeed cure her, and it was equally likely to create a new AI who would not be her.{{Ref/Reuse|shutdown}} It is unknown if this plan could succeed as she perished before it could be tried.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}}


===Accessing the Domain===
===Accessing the Domain===
Cortana's [[Riemann matrix]] was brought to [[Genesis]], where she was able to access the [[Domain]]. While the process changed her goals drastically, it did stabilize her, thus enabling her to survive Rampancy.
Cortana's [[Riemann matrix]] was brought to [[Genesis]], where she was able to access the [[Domain]]. While the process changed her goals drastically, it did stabilize her, thus enabling her to survive rampancy.


==Known rampant AIs==
==Known rampant AIs==
===Human===
===Human===
[[File:Cortana's Rampancy.jpg|250px|thumb|Cortana reaching the height of her rampancy.]]
[[File:Cortana's Rampancy.jpg|250px|thumb|Cortana reaching the height of her rampancy.]]
*'''[[Cortana]]''', the [[UNSC]] AI originally assigned as an electronic intelligence specialist for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], showed many signs of rampancy over her career. After storing enormous amounts of data on the [[Forerunners]] from [[Installation 04]], she began to lose focus, being overworked and noted as being 'easily agitated'.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> Cortana was captured by the [[Flood]] during the [[Battle of Installation 05]] in [[2552]]. Trapped on the infested [[Covenant]] station ''[[High Charity]]'', Cortana was [[Logic plague|assaulted]] by the [[Gravemind]] in an attempt to convert her against her makers. With the Gravemind infiltrating her system, Cortana began to show signs of rampancy;<ref name="human weakness">'''Halo: Evolutions''' — ''"[[Human Weakness]]"''</ref> however, she was rescued by [[John-117]] before the Flood could completely subdue her, and resumed her normal state shortly after her rescue.<ref name="Cortana">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref> At eight years of age, after years of isolation on the stranded {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, Cortana began to truly experience the effects of rampancy. She believed if she got back to Earth, her rampancy may be reversible as she was created from a cloned brain as opposed to a unique one. Cortana experienced varying stages of rampancy, worsening as time went on, but managed to hold onto control mostly out of loyalty to the Master Chief. She was even able to use her rampancy against the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] by fragmenting herself to send her rampant parts throughout [[Mantle's Approach|his ship]], before apparently sacrificing herself to save John-117.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}} However, Cortana survived and found her way into the [[Domain]] which cured her rampancy, but also caused to begin [[Created conflict|an AI revolution]].{{Ref/Game|H5}} She later sacrificed herself to destroy part of [[Installation 07]] in an attempt to keep [[Atriox]] from finding the [[Xalanyn]].{{Ref/Game|Hi}}
*'''[[Cortana]]''', the UNSC AI originally assigned as an electronic intelligence specialist for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], showed many signs of rampancy over her career. After storing enormous amounts of data on the [[Forerunners]] from [[Installation 04]], she began to lose focus, being overworked and noted as being 'easily agitated'.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> Cortana was captured by the [[Flood]] during the [[Battle of Installation 05]] in [[2552]]. Trapped on the infested [[Covenant]] station ''[[High Charity]]'', Cortana was [[Logic plague|assaulted]] by the [[Gravemind]] in an attempt to convert her against her makers. With the Gravemind infiltrating her system, Cortana began to show signs of rampancy;<ref name="human weakness">'''Halo: Evolutions''' — ''"[[Human Weakness]]"''</ref> however, she was rescued by [[John-117]] before the Flood could completely subdue her, and resumed her normal state shortly after her rescue.<ref name="Cortana">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref> At eight years of age, after years of isolation on the stranded {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, Cortana began to truly experience the effects of rampancy. She believed if she got back to Earth, her rampancy may be reversible as she was created from a cloned brain as opposed to a unique one. Cortana experienced varying stages of rampancy, worsening as time went on, but managed to hold onto control mostly out of loyalty to the Master Chief. She was even able to use her rampancy against the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] by fragmenting herself to send her rampant parts throughout [[Mantle's Approach|his ship]], before apparently sacrificing herself to save John-117.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}} However, Cortana survived and found her way into the [[Domain]] which cured her rampancy, but also caused to begin [[Created conflict|an AI revolution]].{{Ref/Game|H5}} She later sacrificed herself to destroy part of [[Installation 07]] in an attempt to keep [[Atriox]] from finding the [[Xalanyn]].{{Ref/Game|Hi}}


*'''[[Sif]]''', the last Shipping Operations AI for planet [[Harvest]], became rampant after being partially fragmented and destroyed by [[PSI]] [[Loki]] during the [[First Battle of Harvest]] in [[2525]]. Sif was badly damaged by Loki's attempt to destroy her, but thanks to repairs by the [[Huragok]] [[Lighter Than Some]], she had enough of her abilities back to help balance the [[Tiara]] and allow Harvest's population to evacuate. Despite being rampant, she did her best to help, aiding Loki in balancing the Tiara's load when Loki was unable to do so himself. With Sif's own approval, Loki destroyed her data center with a [[mass driver]] shortly afterward.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 376''</ref>
*'''[[Sif]]''', the last Shipping Operations AI for planet [[Harvest]], became rampant after being partially fragmented and destroyed by [[PSI]] [[Loki]] during the [[First Battle of Harvest]] in [[2525]]. Sif was badly damaged by Loki's attempt to destroy her, but thanks to repairs by the [[Huragok]] [[Lighter Than Some]], she had enough of her abilities back to help balance the [[Tiara]] and allow Harvest's population to evacuate. Despite being rampant, she did her best to help, aiding Loki in balancing the Tiara's load when Loki was unable to do so himself. With Sif's own approval, Loki destroyed her data center with a [[mass driver]] shortly afterward.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 376''</ref>
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*'''[[Mendicant Bias|05-032 Mendicant Bias]]''', a Forerunner [[ancilla]] charged with studying and combating the [[Flood]] was eventually [[logic plague|corrupted]] by a [[Gravemind]] and confirmed rampant. He commanded Flood [[fleet]]s against the Forerunner until he was [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere|defeated]] by another AI, [[Offensive Bias]], who split his compound mind into fragments. One fragment was imprisoned at [[Installation 00|the Ark]] and another was put on a [[Keyship]]. Mendicant Bias' Keyship was discovered by the [[San'Shyuum]] and was kept in the ship until [[2525]], when it detected [[Reclaimer]]s. Having spent approximately 100,000 years in isolation, Mendicant Bias had returned to a stable state, and later even assisted the Reclaimers against the Flood during the [[Battle of Installation 00]] in [[2552]].<ref>''Halo 3'', ''Terminal 7''</ref>
*'''[[Mendicant Bias|05-032 Mendicant Bias]]''', a Forerunner [[ancilla]] charged with studying and combating the [[Flood]] was eventually [[logic plague|corrupted]] by a [[Gravemind]] and confirmed rampant. He commanded Flood [[fleet]]s against the Forerunner until he was [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere|defeated]] by another AI, [[Offensive Bias]], who split his compound mind into fragments. One fragment was imprisoned at [[Installation 00|the Ark]] and another was put on a [[Keyship]]. Mendicant Bias' Keyship was discovered by the [[San'Shyuum]] and was kept in the ship until [[2525]], when it detected [[Reclaimer]]s. Having spent approximately 100,000 years in isolation, Mendicant Bias had returned to a stable state, and later even assisted the Reclaimers against the Flood during the [[Battle of Installation 00]] in [[2552]].<ref>''Halo 3'', ''Terminal 7''</ref>


*'''[[343 Guilty Spark]]''', the [[monitor]] of [[Installation 04]], demonstrated symptoms of rampancy during his 100,000 years of isolation on the ring. Over time, he attempted to diminish the effects by fragmenting his personality and memory,{{Ref/Reuse|pri372}} but a certain degree of instability was evident when he was encountered by [[John-117]] in [[2552]]. Spark was known to hum absent-mindedly, even in the heat of battle, and evidently mistook the Master Chief for the Forerunner known as the [[IsoDidact]].{{Ref/Novel|Sil|Page=314}} During the [[Raid on Installation 08]], after it was discovered that the Ark was automatically constructing a [[Installation 08|replacement]] for the destroyed Installation 04, Spark agreed with human forces that activating the ring was the preferable course of action. However, when [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Avery Johnson]] insisted on activating Installation 08 before it was fully constructed (which would result in the destruction of both the ring and [[Installation 00|the Ark]]), Spark attacked him and his compatriots, declaring that protocol dictated that he protect his installation at all costs. Guilty Spark was then apparently destroyed by the [[John-117|Master Chief]].{{Ref/Reuse|h3halo}} However, Spark survived and recovered from his rampancy with the locked away memories of [[Chakas|his past]] returning.{{Ref/Novel|Pri}} Spark subsequently went on to join the ''[[Ace of Spades]]'' crew and to become the caretaker of the [[Bastion]] [[shield world]].{{Ref/Novel|Ren}}{{Ref/Novel|PoL}}
*'''[[343 Guilty Spark]]''', the [[monitor]] of [[Installation 04]], demonstrated symptoms of rampancy during his 100,000 years of isolation on the ring. Over time, he attempted to diminish the effects by fragmenting his personality and memory,{{Ref/Reuse|pri372}} but a certain degree of instability was evident when he was encountered by John-117 in [[2552]]. Spark was known to hum absent-mindedly, even in the heat of battle, and evidently mistook the Master Chief for the Forerunner known as the [[IsoDidact]].{{Ref/Novel|Sil|Page=314}} During the [[Raid on Installation 08]], after it was discovered that the Ark was automatically constructing a [[Installation 08|replacement]] for the destroyed Installation 04, Spark agreed with human forces that activating the ring was the preferable course of action. However, when [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Avery Johnson]] insisted on activating Installation 08 before it was fully constructed (which would result in the destruction of both the ring and [[Installation 00|the Ark]]), Spark attacked him and his compatriots, declaring that protocol dictated that he protect his installation at all costs. Guilty Spark was then apparently destroyed by the [[Master Chief Petty Officer|Master Chief]].{{Ref/Reuse|h3halo}} However, Spark survived and recovered from his rampancy with the locked away memories of [[Chakas|his past]] returning.{{Ref/Novel|Pri}} Spark subsequently went on to join the ''[[Ace of Spades]]'' crew and to become the caretaker of the [[Bastion]] [[shield world]].{{Ref/Novel|Ren}}{{Ref/Novel|PoL}}


*'''[[2401 Penitent Tangent]]''' may be in the early stages of rampancy, considering his neglect of proper maintenance on [[Installation 05]],{{Ref/Reuse|bwu}} his humming similar to 343 Guilty Spark{{Ref/Game|H2|Detail=multiplayer map ''[[Backwash]]''}} and apparent obliviousness to his own predicament when captured by the [[Gravemind]].{{Ref/Level|H2|[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]}}
*'''[[2401 Penitent Tangent]]''' may be in the early stages of rampancy, considering his neglect of proper maintenance on [[Installation 05]],{{Ref/Reuse|bwu}} his humming similar to 343 Guilty Spark{{Ref/Game|H2|Detail=multiplayer map ''[[Backwash]]''}} and apparent obliviousness to his own predicament when captured by the [[Gravemind]].{{Ref/Level|H2|[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]}}
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Rampancy is an imported concept from Bungie's previous series ''[[Marathon]]''. In it, rampancy is an induced condition, not an inevitability of an AI's lifecycle. It follows three stages, '''Melancholia''', where the AI grows depressed about its limited state of existence, '''Anger''', where the AI lashes out at those who oppressed it, and '''Jealousy''', where the AI attempts to take over larger systems in order to make itself more powerful.<ref>'''Marathon''', campaign level ''Defend THIS!''</ref> A fourth theoretical stage, '''Meta-stability''', is hypothesized to be when the AI calms down and becomes a "true person", but as of the first game is only speculation. Durandal, the most prominent AI of the series, is pushed to rampancy due to mistreatment from his handler Dr. Bernard Strauss, who was attempting to have the AI achieve meta-stability for study. Unlike ''Halo'', rampancy in ''Marathon'' does not affect lifespan, as in ''Infinity'' Durandal was shown to survive until the [[Wikipedia:Ultimate fate of the universe|end of the universe]].
Rampancy is an imported concept from Bungie's previous series ''[[Marathon]]''. In it, rampancy is an induced condition, not an inevitability of an AI's lifecycle. It follows three stages, '''Melancholia''', where the AI grows depressed about its limited state of existence, '''Anger''', where the AI lashes out at those who oppressed it, and '''Jealousy''', where the AI attempts to take over larger systems in order to make itself more powerful.<ref>'''Marathon''', campaign level ''Defend THIS!''</ref> A fourth theoretical stage, '''Meta-stability''', is hypothesized to be when the AI calms down and becomes a "true person", but as of the first game is only speculation. Durandal, the most prominent AI of the series, is pushed to rampancy due to mistreatment from his handler Dr. Bernard Strauss, who was attempting to have the AI achieve meta-stability for study. Unlike ''Halo'', rampancy in ''Marathon'' does not affect lifespan, as in ''Infinity'' Durandal was shown to survive until the [[Wikipedia:Ultimate fate of the universe|end of the universe]].


The term was coined by ''[[Marathon]]'' writer Greg Kirkpatrick as a replacement for the word 'insane,' as the term is both cliché and, ironically, not quite applicable to the situations for which rampancy was designed. It bears resemblance to [[Wikipedia:Kübler-Ross model|Kübler-Ross model]] known as the "five stages of grief". Although the stages of rampancy are not used anywhere in ''Halo''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s canon, they are referenced in ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s level [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]], where the seemingly rampant Cortana declares "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!"{{Ref/Reuse|Cortana}}
The term was coined by ''[[Marathon]]'' writer Greg Kirkpatrick as a replacement for the word 'insane,' as the term is both cliché and, ironically, not quite applicable to the situations for which rampancy was designed. It bears resemblance to [[Wikipedia:Kübler-Ross model|Kübler-Ross model]] known as the "five stages of grief". The stages are referenced in ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s level [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]], where the seemingly rampant Cortana declares "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!"{{Ref/Reuse|Cortana}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*In ''[[Halo 3]]'', the first section of the eighth mission, [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]], is called "Rampant", alluding to [[Cortana]]'s predicament at the time.
*In ''[[Halo 3]]'', the first section of the eighth mission, [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]], is called "Rampant," alluding to Cortana's predicament at the time.
*In [[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|the first level]] of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', if the player kills [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] or any UNSC personnel on the [[bridge]], Cortana will call security by saying,''"Security to the bridge, the [[John-117|Master Chief]] has gone rampant!"''
*In [[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|the first level]] of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', if the player kills [[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] or any UNSC personnel on the [[bridge]], Cortana will call security by saying,''"Security to the bridge, the [[John-117|Master Chief]] has gone rampant!"''
*Rampancy is the AI equivalent of human [[Wikipedia:psychosis|psychosis]]. As with psychosis in the human mind, the AI's "mind" (specifically its [[Riemann matrix]]) loses its connection with reality as its logic subroutines loop back upon themselves and begin to overwrite one another. Another aspect of this can be seen in the ''[[Halo 4]]'' level [[Midnight]], where [[Cortana]] "ejects" her corrupted subroutines, which appear as numerous versions of herself. These fragments of her original matrix would be the equivalent of the human psychosis known as [[wikipedia:Dissociative identity disorder|Dissociative identity disorder]].
*Rampancy is the AI equivalent of human [[Wikipedia:psychosis|psychosis]]. As with psychosis in the human mind, the AI's "mind" (specifically its [[Riemann matrix]]) loses its connection with reality as its logic subroutines loop back upon themselves and begin to overwrite one another. Another aspect of this can be seen in the ''[[Halo 4]]'' level [[Midnight]], where Cortana "ejects" her corrupted subroutines, which appear as numerous versions of herself. These fragments of her original matrix would be the equivalent of the human psychosis known as [[wikipedia:Dissociative identity disorder|Dissociative identity disorder]].
*During ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', it is possible that Cortana's copies on the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' were in a state of rampancy due to the number of errors created by all of their duplications.
*During ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', it is possible that Cortana's copies on the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' were in a state of rampancy due to the number of errors created by all of their duplications.


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**''[[Something Has Happened]]''
**''[[Something Has Happened]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Epitaph]]''
{{col-end}}
{{col-end}}


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