Data Recording 013: It's like a dream come true! Well, if AIs could dream...

[genkibot]

Action A | 1450 Mitchell Road | Saturday morning

[Tachikoma spent most of yesterday doing what it usually does, poking it's cannon port in anything and everything that looks new and interesting! In fact, there's a bunch of new flowers everywhere! And clearly flowers can not be harmful to Tachikoma. Well, again anyway. Though it would be a good idea to confirm that by experimenting with these flowers, so there's no reason NOT to pick and analyze them! Unfortunately it couldn't really find anything odd about the flowers, other than it has no record of them. Then again, Tachikoma doesn't really have a very comprehensive database of flowers as it doesn't come up much at its job. Still it went to its recharge station feeling that it gained some new information that day!

And then it woke up today. Woke up with a yawn and a stretch.

...Wait, woke up? Stretched? YAWNED?!]

Oh wow!! I'm human!! This is great!!

[Yep. Tachikoma is human and is jumping for joy at this fact. Jumping for joy without any clothes on. Someone might want to point that out to the new human.]

Action B | Anywhere | Later that day

[There is an extremely hyper (and clothed) girl running around town with the biggest smile on her face. Sometimes running around in circles. She is going up to people, shaking hands, hugging people, and just reveling in the fact that not only is she human, but this presents a whole bunch of NEW EXPERIENCES for her.]

This is so great! I can feel things with my skin! And smell things! Oh! I bet I can eat things too! Being human is so different!!

((OOC Note: I'll be using my usual icons, but for reference sake, here and here are what Tachikoma probably looks like right now.))

Comments

[beetlemania]

No, my superpower is NOT to talk! I'm not even SUPPOSED to be a chipmunk! I just invent things, alright?

[Ted continues squirming. At least he's a nice enough guy not to try to bite Tachikoma.]

[genkibot]

Oh, you're a chipmunk? I'm sorry, I thought you were a squirrel. What kind of things do you invent? Are they chipmunk size! I would love to see them!

[beetlemania]

No, they're not chipmunk size! They're human sized--I'm usually a human!

[Ted becomes a little wistful when the thought of his inventions is brought up, though.]

And I invent vehicles and weapons and things, but unfortunately, I've only been here a week and haven't had much chance to try to reconstruct anything.

[Sad chipmunk sigh...]

[genkibot]

Oh, you turned into a chipmunk somehow? What a strange coincidence, I woke up as a human!

I'm usually a multiped think tank! This is my first time being human, so I've been trying out new things!

[beetlemania]

...a think tank? What's that? Like a tank tank? Some sort of machine?

[Ted is interested, to say the least. He likes machines!]

[genkibot]

Think tanks is a term from where I'm from that usually refers to tanks that can be independently controlled by an AI such as myself!

We can be controlled by an operator too, and provide processing support to them if necessary, but sometimes we're left to control the tank ourselves like another member of a team.

[beetlemania]

So you're an AI?

[Interested chipmunk is interested. So interested.]

That's something...you sound somewhat like some of the things I've tinkered with, but I haven't really done too much with AIs.

[genkibot]

Yep! Well, not today, apparently, but normally I am! An AI that controls a combat tank! Though AIs in general are highly regulated where I come from. We're probably allowed so much freedom because of the importance of our agency, but even then, sometimes we get the feeling the Major might be worried about our development...

[beetlemania]

That's too bad. You seem really...uh...well, I wouldn't have known you were an AI if you hadn't told me. You seemed like a pretty genuine human kid to me.

[genkibot]

You think so? Maybe it's because I've been interacting with them all my life? Which actually has only been about 2 or 3 years. There's still quite a few things I don't get though.

[beetlemania]

Yeah, you seem pretty human-like to me! The whole enthusiasm for catching small woodland creatures thing? That really helped.

What is it about being human you don't get?

I had to look up this conversation between Batou and Tachikoma again...

[genkibot]

Well, one of the most recent examples was back home when I tried to explain to Mr. Batou about how I think I figured out the concept of the 'existence of God,' an important idea to many humans!

See, the way I saw it, it is a concept that's similar to a zero in mathematics. In other words, it's a symbol that denies the abscence of meaning, the meaning that's necessitated by the delineation of one system from another. In analog, that's God. In digital, it's zero!

But when I told Mr. Batou that, he just said there was something wrong with our AIs after all...

Re: I had to look up this conversation between Batou and Tachikoma again...

[beetlemania]

...that is...that's more than I'd expect an AI to come up with. Or even think about.

[Surprised-looking chipmunk is surprised!]

[genkibot]

Well during our down time, we're allowed to discuss things and some of us read. And then every night, our memories are synchronized, so whatever one of us learns, we all learn!

I don't think the Major liked us being overly curious, but at the same time, she seemed to think it was important that we had some to remain an effective support squad member and not a simple vehicle or tool.

[beetlemania]

Ah, I think she was totally missing the point there--you know you've done well with an AI when it starts surprising you.

[genkibot]

Oh, I don't think the Major wants us to surprise her too much at all! She might not think we can be reliable in combat situations then, and then we might end up getting dismantled instead of having our AIs examined.

...Kind of like what I last remember happening back home before I found myself here.

Oh no! Do you think she had us dismantled! Is that why she sent us back to the factory that made our AIs?! Mr. Batou looked pretty sad that day, he must have known what was really happening!!

[Oh no, Tachikoma is starting to shake in panic. Hope you don't get motion sick, Mr. Chipmunk.]

[beetlemania]

H-h-hey!

[EARTHQUAAAAAAAAKE! Ted's got to calm Tachikoma down so fast...]

If she had you dismantled, you wouldn't be here, right?

[He's just hoping Tachikoma hasn't run into anyone who's claimed to be dead upon arriving in Mayfield...]

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma is calming down a little. At least not shaking as much.]

...I guess so, but they might have separated our AIs from the tank itself and installed new ones using a previous backup as a template. And then placed our AIs in a closed virtual world that was isolated from the net and other machines except for the ones they use to monitor us to see what our abnormalities are!

[And now paranoia is starting to set in...]

[beetlemania]

[Think fast, Ted!]

But if that were the case, would you have talking superhero chipmunks? Or any of the other stuff that was here? That can't be right!

[genkibot]

That's true, it is strange that they would put such things in the virtual environment...

Unless they're manifestations of problems with my AI...

[beetlemania]

No, no, I don't think they're manifestations of problems with your AI! Your AI is just fine!

[Pause.]

I know these things! I'm a scientist!

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma seems to have calm down now.]

You really think so?

...Have you had practice with advanced computational AIs? Do you think you could help me with a diagnostic when I'm back in my normal body?

[beetlemania]

Sure, I think so!

[Ted pauses to think for a bit.]

Well, I've helped the Red Tornado out with his diagnostics a few times, I don't see why I couldn't help you!

[genkibot]

Thanks, I'd feel a lot better if I had a second person take a look at those readouts!

...Who's Red Tornado?

[beetlemania]

He's the Justice League's resident android. You'd probably like him. He usually handles most of his diagnostics on his own; I didn't have to do much.