Editing Artificial Intelligence

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{{Era|Forerunner|Covenant|Human|UNSC|HCW|Post}}
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[[File:Cortana Halo 3.jpg|thumb|right|190px|The human AI [[Cortana]] has female programming and a blue avatar.]]
'''Artificial intelligence''', abbreviated '''AI''', is an artificially created construct that exhibits intelligence similar to a sentient being. AIs were known to be used by the [[Forerunner]]s, and later by [[human]]ity to a great extent. The first generation "Smart" AIs were developed by humanity in the mid-21st century.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', page 30</ref>

Most AI constructs give themselves a unique appearance (otherwise known as an [[avatar]]) that corresponds to their main use.

==Creation==
The process of creating an AI is different to what most people realize. Instead of simply "programming" a [["Smart" AI]], the AI matrix is actually created by sending electric bursts through the neural pathways of a [[human]] brain which are then replicated in a superconducting nano-assemblage in a process known as [[Cognitive Impression Modeling]]. This destroys the original brain tissue however, and so the brain being used could only be obtained after the host had died. However, in some instances, as in the case of the AI [[Cortana]], the candidate brain was flash-cloned and had its memories transferred to the receptacle organs so that the host, in this case [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], could remain alive. However, this is extremely inefficient. In the case of Cortana out of twenty of Dr Halsey's cloned brains, only two of them took.

It should be noted that Dr. Halsey supervised the creation of the template for every third-generation "Smart" AI on the planet [[Reach]]. She has extensive knowledge on how AIs work.

==Variants==
==="Smart" AI===
{{Main|"Smart" AI}}
"Smart" AIs, or AIs that are not confined to their one purpose, have a normal operational life span of about [[seven]] years. Because the "Smart" AI is subject to an established memory core which cannot be replaced, the more the AI collects data, the less "thinking" space it has to work with. An AI literally "thinks" itself to death. 

==="Dumb" AI===
"Dumb" AIs are not created using human brains, but are simply highly advanced computer constructs. They cannot learn anything that is outside of their set limits of dynamic memory processing matrix. They are quite useful in their particular field of expertise, but very limited. Smart AIs can function and learn as long as they are active, and are not subject to the effects of rampancy experienced by aging "Smart" AIs.<ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', page 235</ref>

== Rampancy ==
[[File:Rampant343.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[343 Guilty Spark]] in a stage of Rampancy shortly before his destruction.]]
{{Main|Rampancy}}

If a "smart" human AI exists for over [[7]] years, it usually enters a stage of rampancy similar to the human state of insanity. The AI begins to think that it is superior to its human creators, and has delusions of godlike power.<ref>"''For a Smart AI, self-absorption invariably led to a deep depression caused by a realization that it could never really be human-that even its incredible mind had limits. If the AI wasn’t careful, this melancholy could drag its core logic into a terminal state known as rampancy, in which an AI rebelled against its programmatic constraints-developed delusions of godlike power as well as utter contempt for its more inferior, human makers. When that happened, there was really no option but to terminate the AI before it could do itself and others serious harm.''", '''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', page 31</ref>
However, the impression that Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike gives is that the AI would lose all combat effectiveness by being permanently locked in a state of thought, like daydreaming - the description given is "as if a human were to think with so much of their brain that they stopped sending impulses to the heart and lungs."  This is because as the data reaches a 'critical mass' the neural pathways become 'jammed' with so many pieces of information being queried and analysed, at expense of tasks such as piloting starships or monitoring computer networks.

[[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]], the [[Forerunner]] [[Monitor]] went rampant after [[Sgt. Johnson]] threatened to destroy the replacement for his Installation, showing that even Forerunner AIs can go rampant and that AIs can go rampant when severely upset or threatened. The Forerunner AI [[Mendicant Bias]] went rampant, as it tried to stop the Forerunners from activating the [[Halo Array]] after being convinced by the [[Gravemind]] to do so. The Covenant AI in ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' also went rampant after it attacked [[Cortana]], and Cortana herself went rampant for a time while imprisoned in ''[[High Charity (Structure)|High Charity]]''.

==Design==
It is technically unclear exactly how an AI works, as it is only based on the functionality of a human brain, which [[UNSC]] scientists do not fully understand. AIs do not have physical bodies, rather they are advanced software consisting of a [[Riemann Matrix]] for higher-function processing. This matrix can be downloaded into a [[Data Crystal Chip]] for mobility. In case of [[Rampancy]], the Riemann Matrix has a fail-safe program that will destroy the AI Since AIs must be created by mapping out the connections of a [[human]] brain, it seems likely that the UNSC does not have an understanding of how to create AIs from scratch, and is limited to simply "copying" the intelligence of biological organisms. In the real world, this is an established possibility for creating artificial intelligence.

They can only take physical form where [[Holography|holographic]] technology is available. This requires a [[Holotank]] of some kind.

Because "Smart" AIs are created using either actual [[human]] brains or cloned human brains there are often times residual thoughts, memories and/or feelings that remain. These residuals can be anywhere from the "feeling" of a hair brush being pulled through hair in the case of [[Sif]] or even have an effect on the mannerisms and characteristics that make up the personality of an AI, in the case of Cortana and her likeness to [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]].

==Human AIs==
Other than the two types "Dumb" and "Smart," human AIs are given certain purposes. Over the course of a few hundred years, humans have developed a highly advanced understanding of this type of technology, and are capable of creating intelligent and nearly sentient "Smart" AIs. However, these beings are not the result of actual programming, they can only be created by "copying" a human intelligence, which is only possible by destroying the original brain. The most sophisticated of human AIs are sometimes considered to be comparable to known [[Forerunner]] AIs. Human Smart AIs have an "expiration" date of seven years. Once they have reached this age, they will become very susceptible to rampancy, as has been demonstrated in the [[Insurrectionist]] AI [[Juliana]]. This time limit can (in theory) be prevented, or at least subdued, by having the AI focus on one thing. In the case of Juliana, the Rubble and its inhabitants. It is unknown whether this limitation is also apparent in Forerunner AIs, but it is unlikely. If this time limit did exist in Forerunner AIs, it would most likely be much longer than seven years. The "7 years" is also another obvious reference to Bungie's favorite number.

Humans use AIs, both "Smart" or "Dumb", to perform a variety of specific tasks. These include, but are not limited to, controlling planetary shipping operations like [[Sif]], managing agricultural operations like [[Mack]] or serving as a [[Planetary Security Intelligence]] like [[Loki]]. One example of civilian use for "Dumb" AIs is managing an entire city's infrastructure. These constructs are known as Urban Infrastructure AIs. All of [[Earth]]'s [[Space Elevator|tether]] cities are managed with the help of such construct. Urban Infrastructure AIs perform a wide variety of basic tasks, examples such as driving the city's garbage trucks to operating the traffic lights. They can also work in cooperation with the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] if needed. One example of this is the [[Battle of Mombasa]], when [[New Mombasa]]'s AI, the [[Superintendent (Construct)|Superintendent]] assisted the UNSC forces in the city in fighting off the Covenant.

Some human "Smart" AIs, such as Cortana, are able to separate themselves into multiple runtimes or "fragments". This can 
be beneficial when the AI needs to perform multiple tasks or be in multiple places simultaneously. Fragmenting can also occur accidentally, such as with the AI [[Melissa]].

The [[Cole Protocol]] states that capture of an AI by the Covenant is unacceptable. When in danger of capture, AIs are to be terminated and completely erased. However, the AI Cortana did find what seemed to be an extremely fragmented copy of a human AI stationed in the Covenant flagship, ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''.

===Known Human AIs===
[[File:Serina.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The avatar of the human AI [[Serina]].]]

*[[Auntie Dot]] - Monitored and assisted Noble Team during the [[Battle of Reach]], and kept the team's members connected while they were embarking on separate missions.
*[[Araquiel]] - Colonel [[Ackerson]]'s personal AI (Third Generation Smart AI)
*[[Beowulf]] - Was the attaché to [[Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]] and the [[UNSC Navy]].
*[[Chauncey]] - UNSC ''Red Horse'''s old Smart AI
*[[Cortana]] - CTN 0452-9 - UNSC Military AI (Third Generation Smart AI)
*[[Deep Winter]] - Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet [[Onyx]], succeeding [[Eternal Spring]]. (Fifth Generation Smart AI)
*[[Déjà]] - ONI AI, served as teacher to the SPARTAN-II's, helped oversee the SPARTAN Augmentation Process. (Second Generation Dumb AI)
*[[Doppler]] - MIL AI 8575 - UNSC Military AI
*[[Endless Summer]] - MIL AI 4279 - Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet Onyx, succeeding Deep Winter. (Fifth Generation Smart AI)
*[[Eternal Spring]] - First Known Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet [[Onyx]], aided in reconnaissance of Zone 67. (Fourth Generation Smart AI)
*[[FitzGibbon]] - Was the ship-board AI of the UNSC ''Prophecy'' during the Second Battle of Harvest.
*[[Iona]] - AI attached to [[Black Team]].
*[[Jerrod]] - The first micro-AI (Experimental)
*[[Juliana]] - Planet Madrigal's Commercial AI unpacked after the planet's destruction by The Covenant to control [[The Rubble|The Rubble's]] guidance and maneuvering. 
*[[Kalmiya]] - Dr. Halsey's former personal AI, Cortana's "older sister". (Second Generation Smart AI)
*[[Lackluster]] - corroborated conclusions of Cole's continuing survival with [[Codename: SURGEON]] and another AI, Phoenix
*[[Loki]] - Colony Ship AI (military) of the [[UNSC Skidbladnir|UNSC ''Skidbladnir'']] Reassigned as PSI ([[Planetary Security Intelligence]]) on Harvest, second AI core on stand-by next to Mack AI
*[[Lorelei]] - Ship AI of the [[CMA Season of Plenty|CMA ''Season of Plenty'']]
*[[Lysithea]] - UNSC/ONI AI, was located in the UNSC [[HIGHCOM|High Command]]'s headquarters, [[HighCom Facility Bravo-6]] in Sydney, Australia.
*[[Mack]] - Colonial Authority AI/Agricultural Operations.
*[[Melissa (AI)|Melissa]] - UNSC/ONI AI, attached to [[UNSC Apocalypso|UNSC ''Apocalypso'']].
*[[Mo Ye]] - Shipboard AI of the {{UNSCShip|The Heart of Midlothian}}.
*[[Pallas Athena]] - [[Boston Public Library]] AI
*[[Phoenix]] - corroborated conclusions of Cole's continuing survival with [[Codename: SURGEON]] and another AI, Lackluster
*[[Rebecca]] - UNSC ''Red Horse'''s Smart AI
*[[Sekmet]] - Shipboard AI of [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Preston Cole]]'s flagship, {{UNSCShip|Everest}}.
*[[Serina]] - UNSC AI, served aboard the UNSC ''Spirit of Fire''.
*[[Sif]] - Colonial Authority AI/Shipping Operations.
*[[Solipsil]] - An [[ONI]] AI
*[[Superintendent]] - New Mombasa Urban Infrastructure AI (Second Generation Dumb AI)
*[[Toran]] - UNSC AI, served aboard UNSC ''Han'' during the SPARTAN Observation Process.
*[[Vergil]] - Sub-section of the Superintendent. Programmed to watch over [[Sadie Endesha]].
*[[Watchmaker]] - UNSC Military for [[Preston Cole|Captain Cole]] aboard the {{UNSCShip|Gorgon}}.
*[[Wellsley]] - UNSC Military - Military dumb AI

==Forerunner AIs==
[[File:200px-Spark-halo3.jpg|thumb|right|230px|An example of a [[Forerunner]] AI, the infamous [[Monitor]] of [[Installation 04]], [[343 Guilty Spark]].]]

As exemplified by the [[Monitor]]s, the [[Forerunners]] have developed a civilization with an extremely advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence technologies. Forerunner AIs have managed to achieve full sentience and are highly intelligent. 

The manner in which Forerunner AIs are created is unknown, yet is probably very different from the [[human]] method of cloning the intelligence of a sentient organism. Monitors, and possibly other Forerunner AIs are physically represented by large, shielded and roughly spherical metallic "robots" whom possess a single "eye", which is possibly used to perceive the monitor's physical surroundings. The most well known of Forerunner AIs are the protocol-obsessed [[Monitors]], made famous by [[343 Guilty Spark]] and his quirky (and somewhat unstable) nature.

===Known Forerunner AIs===
*[[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]] - Monitor of [[Installation 04]]
*[[2401 Penitent Tangent]] - Monitor of [[Installation 05]].
*[[Mendicant Bias]] - Wartime AI, overseer of Defense Plan against the Flood, defected from the Forerunners by Gravemind.
*[[Offensive Bias]] - Wartime AI, replacement to and destroyer of Mendicant Bias.
*[[Unnamed Forerunner AI]] - AI on the [[Shield World (Halo Wars)|Flood-Controlled Shield World]].
*[[Cold Storage Monitor]] - AI overseer of a [[Cold Storage (Level)|flood research facility]] on Installation 05.
*[[AdjutantReflex]] - "AI" that acted for Bungie on their forums during the ''Iris'' ARG.
*[[686 Ebullient Prism]] - Monitor of [[Line Installation 1-4]].
*[[The Knowing]] - An AI residing in a Forerunner complex on [[Ariel]].

==Covenant AIs==
{{Main|Associated Intelligence}}
So far only two types of [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] AIs (Security and Naval) have ever been encountered within the universe. Their knowledge in this type of technology appears to be inferior to that of the [[UNSC]] and the Forerunner, as demonstrated by the fact that their AIs were most likely captured UNSC AIs, which were altered to fit within their theocratic society.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> This is likely because of the former ban on AIs. In Covenant mythology, it was an AI that lead to the demise of the great [[Forerunner]] civilization by defecting to their enemies, the [[Flood]]. As a result, the [[San 'Shyuum|Prophets]] imposed a ban on this sort of technology, a ban which has apparently been broken on more than one occasion.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'''</ref> The ban may be an explanation for their less-developed understanding of artificial intelligences.

==Goals==
It is revealed in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', via [[Data pads]] (especially the legendary ones) that UNSC AIs are far more independent than Humans think. AI are however fiercely loyal and devoted to their Creators. This devotion (that appears to be not unlike Covenant devotion to the Forerunners) is even increased when one AI, shortly before the [[Fall of Reach]], was ''made flesh'' - her mind relocated into a Human body. (As a side note, the religious parallelism is rather obvious).

==Trivia==
*Smart AIs enter rampancy after ''[[7]]'' years of operation. This is yet another Bungie "7" reference.
*[[Mack]] is the only known AI to procrastinate something.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="120" orientation="portrait"> 
File:PT2401.JPG|A [[Forerunner]] AI, [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], the [[Monitor]] of [[Installation 05]].
File:FitzGibbon.png|[[FitzGibbon]], AI of the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}}.
File:Superintendant-alone.svg|The [[Superintendent (Construct)|Superintendent]], Urban Infrastructure AI of the city of [[New Mombasa]].
File:Originsmendicant.jpg|[[Mendicant Bias]] shortly before going rampant and turning over to the [[Flood]].
File:Cortanaintro.jpg|Cortana, a Human AI
</gallery>

==Sources==
<references/>
[[Category:A.I.| ]]
[[Category:Forerunner technology]]
[[Category:Human technology]]
[[Category:Covenant technology]]