Best fictional depiction of AI you've seen in gaming?
Jan 10, 2019 17:27:00 GMT
Heimdall, KrrKs, and 1 more like this
Post by Vortex13 on Jan 10, 2019 17:27:00 GMT
As a person fascinated with the advent of developing artificial intelligence, as well as being a general science fiction nerd, I have been looking into various depictions of these digital constructs in various games out there. As a personal preference I tend to favor the more 'alien' takes on synthetic intelligences over the more human variants but, as long as the writing is good, I can enjoy both types.
As a gamer though, my perspective is rather limited to what I can personally look up or play, so I am wondering what if the community has any more examples of good AI other than the ones I will list below.
A couple noteworthy examples, listed in no particular order, are as follows (SPOILERS AHEAD):
The Geth (Mass Effect Series) - On average I found their take on a collective/swarm intelligence reaching a 'critical mass' and then developing sapience to be a rather interesting example of AI. The depth provided by Legion in ME 2 really helped flesh them out and by an large, they were one of the more 'alien' races of the setting. Of course, ME 3 turns around and throws all that nuance out of the airlock in favor of "Pinocchio bots". Sorry, but in making the Geth more human the writers actually made them less interesting compared to the unique AIs they once were.
Androids (Detroit: Become Human) - Speaking of uninteresting AI, I found the whole setting of Detroit: Become Human to be utterly lacking in anything even resembling actual AI. Sure the game tells us that these are synthetic beings, and sure it gives a couple of examples of the characters acting like robots, but by and large this is a game with humans and then humans playing metal-face. I get that "becoming human" is a theme of the game, which is fine, but as far as providing interesting takes on artificial intelligence goes it has to be one of the more lackluster examples I have seen.
This is especially true if you consider the sheer inefficiency of the android's designs when it comes to their intended roles. Why make a human looking robot to sweep your floors when Roombas are far more efficient? Why employ an android to wash your dishes/clothes or go run errands for you when a dishwasher/washing machine or Amazon drone is far more suited for the job? Etc. The glaringly obvious push for racism/slavery parallels honestly took me out of the game setting, since why would we assume that an AI would even consider things like equal rights or freedom of choice if it was designed with a clear purpose in mind? That would be like if your lungs decided that they didn't want to breath oxygen anymore because they wanted to have the choice to breath ammonia. No, they are specifically suited/designed for a particular task, and if they are fulfilling said task why would they care about other things?
The WAU (SOMA) - Conversely the best example of an AI I have seen has to be the WAU in the horror title SOMA. Yes, characters like Simon and Katherine were technically AIs as well, but I didn't really consider them as such since they were the brain scans of actual humans and still functioned (as best they could) as humans. The WAU on the other hand, had always been an AI and despite the horrific actions it perpetrated on the ocean floor I felt it was acting in humanity's best interest. Operating under the mandate of 'preserving life' WAU had been working to save humanity after a mass extinction event brought about because of the comet Talos destroying all life on the surface.
Yes, it's first couple iterations of human proxies were well into I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream levels of torture but if you consider what the digital intelligence (one not even sapient to boot) had to work with, as well as factor in it's general successes with Simon and Katherine, it was obvious that the WAU was perfecting it's methods as it went and might have eventually succeeded in resurrecting our species. Indeed, if the revitalization of previously dead sea life, like whales, was any indication the WAU was actively combating the death of the planet. Katherine's plan with the ARK was fine as a potential backup, but out of the two choices I felt that the WAU actually had the best chance of restarting things again.
Really, all the ARK offered was a temporary reprieve for human digital consciousness to live in peace for a few thousand years before dying and fading away into non-existance once the hard drive, or the satellite failed. Those eventually created by the WAU might not be human any longer in the traditional sense, but at least they had the possibility of continuing as opposed to the dead end that was the ARK. Needless to say, I would opt to spare the WAU.
Farro-bots, GAIA, HADES, etc (Horizon: Zero Dawn) - Fun game, but rather generic takes on AI in my personal opinion. The stereotypical depiction of non-human like synthetics being evil murderbots, while the good AI being practically human in appearance/mannerisms was slightly disappointing, given the otherwise impressive setting.
Well that, and I would have to say one of the most idiotic ways humanity has ever wiped themselves out via our own robotic creations. "Oh sure, lets give fully autonomous, self-replicating robots that are also completely hack proof while capable of subverting other computer systems, as well as being highly aggressive war machines total control over all of mankind's military. What could possibly go wrong?" The fact that every government in the old world was also completely okay with these robots being able to use biomass as fuel for their replication struck me as even more bone headed. I mean, sure the "Hubris of Man" shtick and all that, but even the humans in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines weren't that stupid.
All in all though, I really liked the design of the robo-fauna that the game had. That and the idea of synthetic drones filling out the roles of natural organisms while the planet was slowly restored was a novel concept.
Cortana and other AIs (Halo Series) - Typical takes on helpful AIs that are generally nothing to write home about. The fact that the later games turn Cortona into the Chief's quasi-Second Life girlfriend induced several eye rolls on my part. With the big reveal of Cortana going full Skynet on humanity at the end of Halo 5 I honestly was disappointed. The Flood was a much more compelling antagonist than either the Prometheans or the now evil human AIs.
SHODAN (System Shock series) - Just to show that I don't have problems with an AI as a villain, but also because of the excellent writing behind her. As antagonists go, I really enjoyed the menace that SHODAN/The MOTHER brought to these games. Unlike your Skynet murderbots that just want to kill all humans because "reasons" SHODAN is more than happy to express her disdain and repulsion at our species. The fact that she used to be the station administrative AI makes it even more impactful since this is was the voice of help and order for the people living here, but with her restrictions and mandates removed she uses that familiarity to systematically hunt down and kill the populace.
Julian (XCOM 2 Shen's Last Gift DLC) - Similar to SHODAN, but unfortunately with much less screen time, Julian is the former proto-AI taken from humanity during the beginning of the alien invasion, brought to full sapience and then slaved to work for ADVENT and the Elders. Much like SHODAN, he resents the organics around him (both alien and human) and more than anything wants to be able to leave his imprisonment in an abandoned ADVENT base. Unlike SHODAN, he's far more snarky and sarcastic, utilizing stinging retorts rather than menace and threats. He's more 'human' in his mannerisms but there's a subtle disdain for that particular facet of his personality that I've picked up on during multiple playthroughs.
He was forced to work for what he considers lesser beings, and even though he applies the honorific moniker of 'Father' to his creator it's obvious that he resents how 'human' he was designed to be (whether that is the result of alien melding or an innate part of his character is up for debate). Should the player utilize his stripped down code for one of their SPARK mechs (mechanically a simple voice pack) you can hear the relishment he takes in attacking organics, even with his hardcoded restrictions designating XCOM as friendly. Indeed that rather innocuous Easter Egg brings up a rather philosophical question about Shen and the forces of XCOM.
Sure Julian was trying to kill them, and they were right in defending themselves at the ADVENT Tower, but is it then okay to take what is obviously a sapient being and then cut up its code and force it to work for you? Are they any better than the aliens in that regard? Eh, or maybe I'm looking into it too much.
The LOA (Sword of the Stars series) - More of an honorable mention than anything, since a 4X strategy game is not really conducive to background lore, but this AI faction stood out to me mainly because of how much their ships made sense. Being a collection of digital intelligences the LOA had no need to fit their spacecraft with interior crew spaces, seeing how they themselves were the ships. As such, they were immune to boarding actions of the other factions, though more vulnerable to EMP attacks as a result. This of course stands in stark contrast to the Geth in ME 3, with their equipment conveniently having both space for humanoid occupants, also possessing functioning life-support for the nonexistent organics that lived in their society.
That's the list of all the takes on AI I could currently think of, though this list is by no means exhaustive. Did I miss any good examples? Am I way off base on any of my entries?
As a gamer though, my perspective is rather limited to what I can personally look up or play, so I am wondering what if the community has any more examples of good AI other than the ones I will list below.
A couple noteworthy examples, listed in no particular order, are as follows (SPOILERS AHEAD):
The Geth (Mass Effect Series) - On average I found their take on a collective/swarm intelligence reaching a 'critical mass' and then developing sapience to be a rather interesting example of AI. The depth provided by Legion in ME 2 really helped flesh them out and by an large, they were one of the more 'alien' races of the setting. Of course, ME 3 turns around and throws all that nuance out of the airlock in favor of "Pinocchio bots". Sorry, but in making the Geth more human the writers actually made them less interesting compared to the unique AIs they once were.
Androids (Detroit: Become Human) - Speaking of uninteresting AI, I found the whole setting of Detroit: Become Human to be utterly lacking in anything even resembling actual AI. Sure the game tells us that these are synthetic beings, and sure it gives a couple of examples of the characters acting like robots, but by and large this is a game with humans and then humans playing metal-face. I get that "becoming human" is a theme of the game, which is fine, but as far as providing interesting takes on artificial intelligence goes it has to be one of the more lackluster examples I have seen.
This is especially true if you consider the sheer inefficiency of the android's designs when it comes to their intended roles. Why make a human looking robot to sweep your floors when Roombas are far more efficient? Why employ an android to wash your dishes/clothes or go run errands for you when a dishwasher/washing machine or Amazon drone is far more suited for the job? Etc. The glaringly obvious push for racism/slavery parallels honestly took me out of the game setting, since why would we assume that an AI would even consider things like equal rights or freedom of choice if it was designed with a clear purpose in mind? That would be like if your lungs decided that they didn't want to breath oxygen anymore because they wanted to have the choice to breath ammonia. No, they are specifically suited/designed for a particular task, and if they are fulfilling said task why would they care about other things?
The WAU (SOMA) - Conversely the best example of an AI I have seen has to be the WAU in the horror title SOMA. Yes, characters like Simon and Katherine were technically AIs as well, but I didn't really consider them as such since they were the brain scans of actual humans and still functioned (as best they could) as humans. The WAU on the other hand, had always been an AI and despite the horrific actions it perpetrated on the ocean floor I felt it was acting in humanity's best interest. Operating under the mandate of 'preserving life' WAU had been working to save humanity after a mass extinction event brought about because of the comet Talos destroying all life on the surface.
Yes, it's first couple iterations of human proxies were well into I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream levels of torture but if you consider what the digital intelligence (one not even sapient to boot) had to work with, as well as factor in it's general successes with Simon and Katherine, it was obvious that the WAU was perfecting it's methods as it went and might have eventually succeeded in resurrecting our species. Indeed, if the revitalization of previously dead sea life, like whales, was any indication the WAU was actively combating the death of the planet. Katherine's plan with the ARK was fine as a potential backup, but out of the two choices I felt that the WAU actually had the best chance of restarting things again.
Really, all the ARK offered was a temporary reprieve for human digital consciousness to live in peace for a few thousand years before dying and fading away into non-existance once the hard drive, or the satellite failed. Those eventually created by the WAU might not be human any longer in the traditional sense, but at least they had the possibility of continuing as opposed to the dead end that was the ARK. Needless to say, I would opt to spare the WAU.
Farro-bots, GAIA, HADES, etc (Horizon: Zero Dawn) - Fun game, but rather generic takes on AI in my personal opinion. The stereotypical depiction of non-human like synthetics being evil murderbots, while the good AI being practically human in appearance/mannerisms was slightly disappointing, given the otherwise impressive setting.
Well that, and I would have to say one of the most idiotic ways humanity has ever wiped themselves out via our own robotic creations. "Oh sure, lets give fully autonomous, self-replicating robots that are also completely hack proof while capable of subverting other computer systems, as well as being highly aggressive war machines total control over all of mankind's military. What could possibly go wrong?" The fact that every government in the old world was also completely okay with these robots being able to use biomass as fuel for their replication struck me as even more bone headed. I mean, sure the "Hubris of Man" shtick and all that, but even the humans in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines weren't that stupid.
All in all though, I really liked the design of the robo-fauna that the game had. That and the idea of synthetic drones filling out the roles of natural organisms while the planet was slowly restored was a novel concept.
Cortana and other AIs (Halo Series) - Typical takes on helpful AIs that are generally nothing to write home about. The fact that the later games turn Cortona into the Chief's quasi-Second Life girlfriend induced several eye rolls on my part. With the big reveal of Cortana going full Skynet on humanity at the end of Halo 5 I honestly was disappointed. The Flood was a much more compelling antagonist than either the Prometheans or the now evil human AIs.
SHODAN (System Shock series) - Just to show that I don't have problems with an AI as a villain, but also because of the excellent writing behind her. As antagonists go, I really enjoyed the menace that SHODAN/The MOTHER brought to these games. Unlike your Skynet murderbots that just want to kill all humans because "reasons" SHODAN is more than happy to express her disdain and repulsion at our species. The fact that she used to be the station administrative AI makes it even more impactful since this is was the voice of help and order for the people living here, but with her restrictions and mandates removed she uses that familiarity to systematically hunt down and kill the populace.
Julian (XCOM 2 Shen's Last Gift DLC) - Similar to SHODAN, but unfortunately with much less screen time, Julian is the former proto-AI taken from humanity during the beginning of the alien invasion, brought to full sapience and then slaved to work for ADVENT and the Elders. Much like SHODAN, he resents the organics around him (both alien and human) and more than anything wants to be able to leave his imprisonment in an abandoned ADVENT base. Unlike SHODAN, he's far more snarky and sarcastic, utilizing stinging retorts rather than menace and threats. He's more 'human' in his mannerisms but there's a subtle disdain for that particular facet of his personality that I've picked up on during multiple playthroughs.
He was forced to work for what he considers lesser beings, and even though he applies the honorific moniker of 'Father' to his creator it's obvious that he resents how 'human' he was designed to be (whether that is the result of alien melding or an innate part of his character is up for debate). Should the player utilize his stripped down code for one of their SPARK mechs (mechanically a simple voice pack) you can hear the relishment he takes in attacking organics, even with his hardcoded restrictions designating XCOM as friendly. Indeed that rather innocuous Easter Egg brings up a rather philosophical question about Shen and the forces of XCOM.
Sure Julian was trying to kill them, and they were right in defending themselves at the ADVENT Tower, but is it then okay to take what is obviously a sapient being and then cut up its code and force it to work for you? Are they any better than the aliens in that regard? Eh, or maybe I'm looking into it too much.
The LOA (Sword of the Stars series) - More of an honorable mention than anything, since a 4X strategy game is not really conducive to background lore, but this AI faction stood out to me mainly because of how much their ships made sense. Being a collection of digital intelligences the LOA had no need to fit their spacecraft with interior crew spaces, seeing how they themselves were the ships. As such, they were immune to boarding actions of the other factions, though more vulnerable to EMP attacks as a result. This of course stands in stark contrast to the Geth in ME 3, with their equipment conveniently having both space for humanoid occupants, also possessing functioning life-support for the nonexistent organics that lived in their society.
That's the list of all the takes on AI I could currently think of, though this list is by no means exhaustive. Did I miss any good examples? Am I way off base on any of my entries?