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Programs and copying

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Mon, 2010-03-01 22:30

Scottbert

Programs and copying

So I'm playing a hacker and it occurs to me that it would be helpful to have AIs helping me hack -- and if I had multiple AIs, there's all sorts of useful tasks I could set them to! Is there a reason I have to get multiple AIs, or can I freely copy my muse and any other AIs I have?

Mon, 2010-03-01 23:23

nick012000 nick012000's picture

Re: Programs and copying

Well, AIs and AGIs from the inner system might have DRM that'd stop you from forking them freely (unless you hack them to bypass it), but other than that, you'd likely be able to fork them freely just like any other character.

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Tue, 2010-03-02 01:42

Decivre

Re: Programs and copying

Scottbert wrote:
So I'm playing a hacker and it occurs to me that it would be helpful to have AIs helping me hack -- and if I had multiple AIs, there's all sorts of useful tasks I could set them to! Is there a reason I have to get multiple AIs, or can I freely copy my muse and any other AIs I have?

Yes there is a reason. AIs are incapable of self-improvement. They gain no Rez, nor can their skills ever raise. If you want an AI with a different skillset than the one your muse has, you have to buy a new one. You can still freely copy the AIs you own, though.

nick012000 wrote:
Well, AIs and AGIs from the inner system might have DRM that'd stop you from forking them freely (unless you hack them to bypass it), but other than that, you'd likely be able to fork them freely just like any other character.

Doubful. The mind of an AI/AGI has to be capable of being uploaded into a brain emulator. Any sort of DRM that would prevent forking would likely also prevent mental backup and transfer to another morph. There probably is no form of encryption for any ego or AI, yet, outside of perhaps encrypting a backup for safety purposes. They have to be unencrypted while running.

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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-03-02 02:30

nick012000 nick012000's picture

Re: Programs and copying

Decivre wrote:
nick012000 wrote:
Well, AIs and AGIs from the inner system might have DRM that'd stop you from forking them freely (unless you hack them to bypass it), but other than that, you'd likely be able to fork them freely just like any other character.
Doubful. The mind of an AI/AGI has to be capable of being uploaded into a brain emulator. Any sort of DRM that would prevent forking would likely also prevent mental backup and transfer to another morph. There probably is no form of encryption for any ego or AI, yet, outside of perhaps encrypting a backup for safety purposes. They have to be unencrypted while running.

Mesh authentication, reinstallation limits...

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Tue, 2010-03-02 02:51

Decivre

Re: Programs and copying

nick012000 wrote:
Mesh authentication, reinstallation limits...

A brain emulator isn't like normal software. It runs mental data in a very specific way. Putting scrambled mental data in a brain emulator results in a scrambled brain. You'd only have one real option for how you could make it work: scrambling the emulator in an identical way (essentially making the mind unreadable in any standard body, and forcing the user to purchase custom-built morphs with properly encrypted brain emulators). This would definitely be bad for business. Mesh authentication would limit a character's travel capability, due to the fact that they could not leave that particular mesh's region (if you have a hypercorp AI, you wouldn't be able to get mesh authentication in the outer systems). Now these sorts of things might happen for software and later-purchased AI (while it would force you to leave your software behind with your body, it would also encourage you to buy more copies... and that's good profit), it would definitely not be something that happens to a muse (which is designed to follow an ego from body to body for the rest of its life), which is what he was asking about copying. It would NEVER happen with AGI.

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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-03-02 10:55

Scottbert

Re: Programs and copying

Well, the specific situation I'm thinking of, is buying a security AI with starting CP and then making a copy of it, so that on hacking tasks I can have my Muse and two sec AIs aiding me. Security AIs have other uses too of course, I can have them monitor our tactical network, or help my Muse do research. I might get a vehicle AI to remote control drones for me, although I guess appropriate piloting skillsoft added to an existing AI would work too. I'm Scum so it seems like getting a non-DRM'd AI would be easy -- maybe it was even programmed by me! (programming skill 60). Whether they can be copied with my Ego is a good question too -- it seems to me that given the storage capacity available it should be easy to store them along with my muse and beam them with my ego,but I'll need hardware to run them on (ghostrider module, ectos) when I get there.

Tue, 2010-03-02 23:43

Decivre

Re: Programs and copying

Scottbert wrote:
Well, the specific situation I'm thinking of, is buying a security AI with starting CP and then making a copy of it, so that on hacking tasks I can have my Muse and two sec AIs aiding me. Security AIs have other uses too of course, I can have them monitor our tactical network, or help my Muse do research. I might get a vehicle AI to remote control drones for me, although I guess appropriate piloting skillsoft added to an existing AI would work too. I'm Scum so it seems like getting a non-DRM'd AI would be easy -- maybe it was even programmed by me! (programming skill 60). Whether they can be copied with my Ego is a good question too -- it seems to me that given the storage capacity available it should be easy to store them along with my muse and beam them with my ego,but I'll need hardware to run them on (ghostrider module, ectos) when I get there.

Totally fine and good. Most of the time, I justify all software my hacker owns at creation as being self-programmed (unless some of their skills are higher than mine, in which case I may have borrowed work from other hackers), so you should likely do the same. That said, i often recommend running as many AI as you can make handy. I might even recommend getting a few ectos to plug copies into, so you can have them all running alongside you at the same exact time. Just remember that a wily hacker can take control of them (and you can do the same to other AI, if you play your cards right) and quickly outnumber you by moving your own against you. If someone does, then be sure to restart the one that was taken over as quick as you can. But yes, you can easily transfer your software along any egocast you take, so long as you aren't jumping into a flat. Do note who is doing the transfer. Anarchist states will respect your privacy, but the Jovians will have no qualms with browsing through the software coming their way and finding out what they consider to be legal. Be cautious whenever you 'cast, as a universal rule.

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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]