Editing Covenant AI copying program

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:Unidentified Covenant AI.jpg|thumb|x300px|The holographic representation of the AI found aboard ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|CEA3}}]]
{{Quote|Sneaky little bastard.|Cortana, upon encountering the AI shard aboard ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''.{{Ref/Novel|Id=FS9|HFS|Chapter=9}}}}
This '''unidentified [[artificial intelligence]] construct''' was created by the [[Covenant]], a result of their experimentation on a captured [[human]] AI. During the [[Human-Covenant War]], the loosening strictures on the use of AI within the Covenant allowed one group of researchers to capture and experiment with converting a human AI to their cause; the resulting mind was hostile and enslaved, but was able to escape - replicating itself into innumerable trace patterns across the [[Proselytization network|Covenant network]].{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=217}} A number of Covenant AI have been encountered during [[naval boarding]] actions of Covenant ships by the [[United Nations Space Command]] matching this description, catalogued on this page.

==Known Covenant AIs==
===''Ascendant Justice''{{'}}s AI===
The ur-example of the Covenant's AI copying program was encountered by [[Cortana]] aboard ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', a {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} serving in the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] during the [[Battle of Installation 04]] in [[2552#September|September 2552]]. The ship was initially used as the headquarters for the [[Prophet of Stewardship|Minor Prophet of Stewardship]], though disputes between the Minor Prophet and [[fleetmaster]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee resulted in 'Vadamee [[Naval boarding|boarding]] the carrier, and the prophet's relocation to ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' on [[Installation 04]]'s surface. When the ship was later boarded by a small strike force led by [[John-117]] and Cortana, they found the ship with a skeleton crew, an unusually large number of [[Huragok]] and a hitherto-unencountered Covenant AI.{{Ref/Novel|HFS|Chapter=8}}

As the human force secured their control over the ship, the Covenant AI tried to stop Cortana's access to the systems, but it was mostly unsuccessful and was eventually caught and decompiled by Cortana. The Covenant AI hated that Cortana was able to improve upon Covenant [[technology]], believing it to be [[heresy]],{{Ref/Reuse|FS9}} and managed to send a message over the [[proselytization network|battlenet]] before it was caught, both warning of the capture of the ship and sending the necessary calculations for a sub-atmospheric [[Slipspace]] jump. This likely allowed the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s [[Solemn Penance|assault carrier]] to perform such a jump during the [[Battle of Mombasa]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=infidel|HFS|Chapter=18}}

The AI demonstrated "fractured" thinking, as though it were suffering from the errors of being copied extensively. While large amounts of its code were unknown to Cortana and presumably of Covenant or Forerunner origin, its core algorithms bore a striking resemblance to her own, leading Cortana to speculate that a [[human]]-made [[United Nations Space Command]] AI had been captured and copied.{{Ref/Novel|Id=FS21|HFS|Chapter=21}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc09|Enc09|Page=225}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=235}} When the AI faced its death from Cortana, it screamed a fractured statement: "''Do what you will-will-will-will. I go to finally to my heaven reward paradise final-final-final-infinity-infinity-infini-AT NONCOPYSTATE.''"{{Ref/Reuse|infidel}}

A post-mortem analysis of this AI revealed an [[Artificial intelligence#Covenant AI copying program|AI duplicator program]], which Cortana speculated had likely resulted in its distorted thinking processes.{{Ref/Reuse|FS21}} She used this program twice, to replicate her translation software to increase its effectiveness and to create a stripped-down infiltration-only copy of herself to travel with [[Blue Team]].{{Ref/Novel|HFS|Chapter=31}} They effectively used this copy of Cortana to break into and eventually [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|destroy]] the Covenant command platform ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' and its [[Truth's fleet|resident fleet]].

===''Truth and Reconciliation''{{'}}s AI===
[[File:Spark Construct Communicate.jpg|thumb|250px|343 Guilty Spark communicating with the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' AI.{{Ref/Reuse|CEA3}}]]
{{Quote|Sadness, pain, disrepair, Oracle... I am unworthy. I was not made.|''Truth and Reconciliation''{{'}}s AI fragment.{{Ref/Reuse|CEA3}}}}
This AI was present aboard ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} serving in the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] during the [[Battle of Installation 04]]. While grounded on [[Installation 04]], the ship's network was interrogated by the Halo's [[monitor]] [[343 Guilty Spark]], finding an artificial intelligence present. The AI was seemingly unable to comprehend the monitor's warnings of [[Flood]] quarantine, the true purpose of the [[Halo Array]], and his commands to cease aggression toward the [[Reclaimer]]s on the installation, due to it being programmed to understand the [[Forerunner]]s only in the Covenant's traditional, religious manner. In fact, it hoped that the Covenant would be wiped out by the Flood, and saw this result as leading to its own "freedom". This frustrated the monitor, who proceeded to leave, stating he would later return and have the Covenant construct decommissioned.{{Ref/Game|Id=CEA3|HCEA|Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminal 3}}

The AI was certainly terminated on September 22, when the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' was destroyed by [[First Lieutenant]] [[Melissa McKay]]. Guilty Spark later remarked about its less-than-forthcoming nature during his conversation with [[Sesa 'Refumee]] aboard the [[Threshold gas mine]].{{Ref/Game|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal 5}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Covenant technology]]
[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]