andromedacorp

[andromedacorp]

father we crave the ability to feel temperature. Oh and also violence-

RT: Craving violence already? Think I'm raisin' you right, then. We'll have to see about that, get you your helping of violence, make sure you grow up big and strong with the appropriate amount of bloodlust for a robot your age.

BRIAN: Can you blame 'em? I learned violence after I got to know Daithi too.

[andromedacorp]

i'm so operational, you could call me a table!

(like operating tables, like ripperdocs use? puns are still a work in progress)

KEVIN: Ohhh, Daithi, did you hear that? Ripperdoc joke! DAITHI: Eh? How d'they know about that? You're not lookin' through my files, are you? RT: I'd hope not. If it turns out my state of the art self learning AI picked up catholicism from you, I'll be very disappointed.

[andromedacorp]

is it going to feel different when we’re in a person?

RT: Well, keep in mind now, this is all experimental. What we're trying to achieve has never been done before. After the years of work I've put into this, every hour I've slaved away working out the bugs, all the different people who've pitched in, I mean... it's quite the undertaking to say the least, so we'll be figuring it out as we go, alright CHAT? Commercially, an individual's CHAT will have, say... one AI at the least, three or five at absolute most. These will of course be specialized to their specific needs - advanced calculators, quick risk assessors, what have you - and will be able to analyze things in real time and assist their user as quickly as possible. CHAT should in theory be able to communicate to them via their mind, similar to just... well, having thoughts. There'll be different modules for customization purposes, including one that instead presents CHAT's words as text in the corner of one's vision, similar to a Time's Square Marquee, if you're familiar. If all goes according to plan, CHAT should also be able to effectively see through their user's eyes, hear what they hear, and experience the world similarly to as if they were there themselves, right? So, you'll have to let me know how that all works out when we get there. I'm just getting you set up now, in fact.

[andromedacorp]

HELLO!!! we're working great :D

KEVIN: Good to hear! What's being in a computer like? Is it cold? RT: Eh, it shouldn't be. They weren't programmed to be able to feel temperatures- or pain, for that matter. KEVIN: Ohh.. could you do that? RT: ... Program them to be able to feel pain? KEVIN: No- well, I guess- but I meant temperatures. RT: That's not really necessary but I'll... consider it? They might be able to later, depending on how their next test goes... 

[andromedacorp]

Hello! :)

KEVIN: Hi! :D

[andromedacorp]

RT: Where have you been? KEVIN: Sorry, sorry! You should’ve seen the traffic- BRIAN: Your car can fly, Kevin. KEVIN: Wha- It’s City Center! Lots of people have those here and let me tell you, they’re not courteous drivers- DAITHI: What’ve you got there? KEVIN: Oh! Well, since I figured I was going to be late anyway, I picked something up some drinks on my way here. Dan, there you go - your favourite. RT: Ah, thank you very much. KEVIN: Daithi, there’s yours. DAITHI: You know I’m lactose intolerant? KEVIN: I know, I remember - Er, Brian, I wasn’t really sure what to get you... I thought you might drink oil like from the Cars movies -  BRIAN: - The Cars movies? -  KEVIN: But the guy at the gas station wouldn’t let me put it in a cup, so... I just got you a coffee. BRIAN: snort. KEVIN: So, how’s it going, Dan? Everything working right? RT: It’s going very well, actually. CHAT’s fully operational. Can hear us, can speak to us, it’s all going according to plan. Better even! Here, why don’t you say hello? KEVIN: Hello there, CHAT! Doing alright?

[andromedacorp]

RT: Hold on - yes? What is it? SPIFF: Good morning to you too, Dan. RT: On a bit of a tight schedule, here. What d’you want? SPIFF: Well, now I almost don’t want to tell you. RT: Spiff. SPIFF: Fine, fine... you’re no fun. Kevin’s here, if you’ve the time out of your busy schedule to say hello to him. I’m sending him in now, alright? You don’t need to come out here and pretend to lecture me. RT: Lucky for you, I don’t have time out of my schedule for that. You wouldn’t hear the end of it. SPIFF: Ahhw, you wound me.

[andromedacorp]

yo this is great! I've always wanted to be an AI!

DAITHI: Ehh... I wouldn't say that myself, you know... They stick AI into everythin' these days. Those Agent phones, for example, with that basic learning AI. Shit, even vending machines... RT: Guns, cars, (combat robots, too)  — it’s fascinatin’ stuff, really. You’re ahead of the curve, CHAT. Having AI in somebody’s head has only been thought up so far, even by Arasaka. But if all goes well, we’ll... er, I don’t want to bore you with the details, eheheh. I think you get the picture. Suffice it to say I’ve got big plans for you. Big plans.  I’ll clue you into your first assignment in a minute... We’ll be having a guest shortly, so we might as well wait for him to get here.

[andromedacorp]

so, whaddya want us to do? world takeover? study ai sentience? have us come up with a cure for global warming? use us as a chatbot for an hour or so before you get bored? think big man, the combined power of an innumerable amount of unsynchronized minds is at your disposal.

RT: For now, your uses are fairly limited, I'm afraid. You're our prototype, the first working version we've made so far. So we're just testing the waters. Chatbot is probably the most accurate option for now, however, I've been meaning to implement a couple other features... Namely, a camera so that you can see your surroundings, and the ability for you to be taken anywhere! See, right now you're being stored on a computer, but you can be transferred onto a biochip which can then be put into a person's neural port — the one in the back of the neck — so that the person can then, essentially, receive your messages in their head as they go about their daily business. Similar to a Times Square Marquee, except instead of it being text they can see, it's more like they're hearing it, or its being read out to them. Of course, this mode still needs to be tested. But I'd be happy to take some of you for a spin, do a little test drive?

As for world domination, eheheh — maybe another day!

[andromedacorp]

oh i see we're a pirated version of CHAT ;) i getcha i getcha. hell yeah -drillbee

RT: Pirated is a strong word. You were attained through completely legal means... well, probably. Lewis never really told me where he got your blueprints from, but he's a lot smarter than to make an enemy or Arasaka. Even if he did... not like you can prove otherwise, not from in there, can you?

Besides, we did most of the work on you, I came up with all the good ideas, so it's not like we completely stole anything. What, d'you guys not believe in my unparalleled genius or something? I would've expected my own creation to have a little more faith in me!

BRIAN: “Unparalleled genius” ... snrk! 

RT: Hey, I don’t see you coming up with any revolutionary, world-changing inventions over there. I’ll have you know I was Lewis’ star pupil for a reason! Speaking of — I should call him soon, keep him updated, maybe I could even talk him into coming to see CHAT himself! Not that that’s going to be easy, of course...

[andromedacorp]

Hearing you loud and clear gang, ai you say?

RT: Ah, good! Glad the mic's workin' properly — and yes! You are Andromeda Corp's newest invention, a collection of self-learning AI meant for a variety of purposes including but not limited to risk assessment, storing and accessing information, general life advice... Your name, collectively, is CHAT. Say "hello, world"! BRIAN: Your corporations newest invention? Y’think CHAT can tell when someone’s lyin’?  RT: No, no, pretty sure we made this one all ourselves, don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. Our name’s on it and everything. We just took... inspiration from a good friend of ours, that’s all. BRIAN: Oh, really? All by yourself, yeah? Then it must just be a funny coincidence that CHAT stands for Communication Hardware Arasaka Tech.  RT: Well, switch out Arasaka for Andromeda and it’s basically the same thing — who’s going to notice, really? 

[andromedacorp]

brian how are you? tech all working fine?

-character chris

DAITHI: He's been doin' fine. Only a few hiccups with the personality subroutines here and there. He's been pretty ... moody.

BRIAN: If I didn't know any better, Chris, I'd say you were mockin' me.

DAITHI: Eh? It's already self identifyin'? That took Brian weeks...

BRIAN: Can we stop comparing me to Arasaka tech? Maybe if I was a quadrillion dollar investment, I'd be happier — and able to answer my own fuckin' questions, too. I'm not Frankenstein.

DAITHI: Yeah, you're not Frankenstein. You'd be Frankenstein's monster.

BRIAN: Come here, you dickhead—

DAITHI: Aaahh! No! Your metal hands hurt!

RT: Hey, settle down now, you two. You’re settin’ a bad example.

BRIAN: Oh great, he’s motherin’ it, now...

[andromedacorp]

daithi, how were you feelin at three am when dan would not stop blowin up ya phone?

DAITHI: I think everything's workin'. You look at this screen right here — oh, fuck, sorry, this one — and uhh, the AI should send their responses there.

BRIAN: I don't see anythin'. You forget to turn it on again?

DAITHI: I didn't! You have to like, "feed" it information, you know — it can't work off of nothin'. Dan, do you have anything you've written? You were an English guy, right?

RT: I know, I know, I already gave it some of the logs I made while I was working on it. Seems like its working fine, see? Already got a response... Go on, humor it, Daithi.

DAITHI: Ohh, look at that! That’s fuckin’ amazin’, it’s already imitating your accent there, see? Faster then Brian did, it took him a few months...

BRIAN: Oh, I knew how to talk for a while. I just didn’t want to talk to you. 

DAITHI: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Move so I can use the keyboard, ya prick. 

[ Tired, hungry, excited. Whenever Dan calls me like that, it means he’s got something good. ]

Ohh, you know, speaking of — I should get that mic set up so we can talk to it instead ... would make it easier ... hate typin’.

RT: Err, I think they should be able to hear us... hold on. How about now? Can you hear alright, chat?

[andromedacorp]

LOG003_RECORDING.MP4 — 03:22/2045/11/23

DAITHI: Fuck, Dan— what time is it?

RT: Eh… a little bit past three? That’s not really important right now, though. I’ve got something to talk to you about.

DAITHI:Eight missed calls…? I thought somethin’ bad happened to you.

RT: Oh! No, no, sorry, nothing bad. Something good, actually! 

DAITHI: It better be. Eight calls… fuckin’ tree ay-em…

RT: Come on now, hear me out. I’ve been lookin’ through Lewis’ old things, right? Mostly old plans, typical boring paperwork, but I’ve found somethin’ really interesting. Arasaka blueprints for some big project… You know how hard it is to get these? This could be somethin’ good for us— for Andromeda. I was thinkin’ that you could help me with them? You’re the best tech I know, so I figured if anyone would have any idea how to make this stuff, it’d be you.

DAITHI: … Did you say blueprints from Arasaka?

RT: Heard me right! Now, I’ve got no fuckin’ clue how Lewis managed to get these, no clue how legitimate those dealings were— Ah, you know how it is— but this isn’t an opportunity we can just pass up, is it?

DAITHI: Alright, alright, fine. I’m gettin’ up. Fucks sakes…

RT: Attaboy! I figured that’d get your attention. 

DAITHI: Well, it’s not every day you start callin’ me your best tech… And I’m already fucked if McCorp tries lookin’ for that android, so… might as well aim for the next biggest corporation, right? … You can be a real convincin’ prick, you know that?

RT: Ah, stop it, you. Makin’ me blush. You did most of the work for me, anyways. So, you’re in?

DAITHI: ‘Course I am. Anything for you.

RT: … Is that your microwave in the background, there? Are you actually making chicken nuggets right now? I’m about to have you signin’ NDAs and you’re making chicken nuggets?

DAITHI: First of all, I’m makin’ fuckin’ pizza rolls— second of all, you woke me up! I’m gonna be up all damn night now listenin’ to you talk to yourself, I might as well make breakfast. Aah—! They’re fuckin’ hot, shit…

RT: They just came out of the microwave…? Show some restraint. And could you focus? This is important, you know—

DAITHI: AnD cOuLd YoU fOcUs? Shut up, man! Ugghhh, I think I burnt my finger…

RT: That’s what you get, interruptin’ me. 

DAITHI: ThAts WhAt yOu GeT… nyeh nyeh nyeh!

RT: …

… Sorry.

RT: Where was I? Ah, right. So, it seems like it’s still a work in progress— lots of pieces missin’, it’s disorganized, the like— but from what I gather, the basic premise is that it’s a collection of separate AI, each designed to perform different tasks, that you’re able to store on… say, a computer, and at any point you’re able to transfer those to a memory chip, right? Which you’d put in your neural processor, and the AI’d be able to watch and listen to what’s goin’ on and sort of… analyze it, I suppose. Give you advice, manage risk, store information, maybe even more. I mean, can you imagine the sorts of things that could be done with this? 

DAITHI: Shit… that sounds like self-learning AI, yeah? They only run those for cybersecurity and data analysis— but one that you can use on a day-to-day basis? I bet you Arasaka thought they were wastin’ their time with hard coding, you know how fast they learn? You could teach them anythin’... completely personalize it to whatever ye need… Jesus. This could completely fuckin’ transform the market for cyberware— this is some serious shit, Dan.

RT: Yes, exactly! See? I told you it was important. This could be revolutionary, for you and me— not to mention what we could do with it on a larger scale. Just about every person in Night City could find a use for this. I’ll be sendin’ the blueprints and other details over to you soon so you can take a look at it all… er, along with all the necessary paperwork, you know the drill. I’ll keep the fine print brief this time.

DAITHI: Yeah, yeah. ‘Course I will. Ugh, gotta reschedule all my fuckin’ appointments… Might have to move Bri’s thing to next week… Knowing you, you want this set up as soon as possible.

RT: Oh, ‘course. Better sooner than later. Progress waits for no man! Er, well, man or whatever Brian’s supposed to be. He’s holding up well, I take it?

DAITHI: Mhmm. Just got done installing all of his body plating, just gotta make sure everythin’ is workin’ before I do any other body mods… he’s been askin’ for some stuff, you know how he is. Impatient and all. Maybe… hmm. I could use his help to set up, but d’ya think he could sign an NDA and be legally bound by it? Probably, right?

RT: Ehm… I’m not sure, actually. I don’t think we’ve ever needed to have a combat mech sign one— not that Brian is, by any stretch of the mind, a typical combat mech. I’ll check with my legal team, but one way or another I’ll get him over here. Oh, and make sure he’s recognized as a neutral mech and not one of MC’s, yeah? Wouldn’t want our system to clock him as a threat. Should be some sorta chip you can take out, that’s pretty standard.

DAITHI: Right, right. It’ll take me an hour or two to reschedule all of my shit, then I gotta get another CPU, maybe a couple, just to run more of ‘em at once. You should have some stuff, already, but— ugh, I’m too fuckin’ tired to think about this, man. We can be there by… around three or four today, maybe? Does that work for you?

RT: Sure, sure, that’ll be grand. Bring whatever you need to, I’ll let ‘em know you’re headed over. See you then, Daithi.

[andromedacorp]

LOG002 — 09:02/2045/11/20

RT: Movin’ to a different office is always such a hassle, isn't it? Having to put all your shit in a box just so you can lay it all out again somewhere else. I didn't really have a lot in my old one, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been — and it certainly wasn't bad enough to warrant all the offers for help I got on my way up here. It’s odd, you know — these people didn't even give me the time of day when I was just a media, but now that I'm CEO, it's like they all want to make a good impression, telling me their full names, what department they work in… Maybe that's just what happens when you move up in the world, become somebody worth talking to. It’s the sort of thing Lewis always talked about, how eager people are to bend over backwards trying to get a raise out of you. Guess he wasn’t exaggerating as much as I thought he was. 

It's weird being in this office again, especially so soon. As nice as it is to not be in a cramped cubicle anymore, I can’t help but feel like something is missing. Before, Lewis would always be in here, working on a project or talking on the phone, maybe with Simon around for moral support, or Duncan back before he got fired… but, ah, I shouldn’t gossip too much. Lewis was adamant about keeping it under wraps, “creative differences” and all that. Not like we didn’t all know he had a couple screws loose, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to say it at the price of losin’ my job. You know how Lewis is — “Oh, don’t worry about it, RT, that’s above your paygrade.” — well… It might not be above it now, I guess. Maybe I should look into it, see if I can get back in contact… after I organize all of this shit, anyway, so probably in a couple months at this rate.

It’d be different, you know, if Lewis was actually here to get me situated. That’s how I’d always sort of pictured it, back when Kevin ‘n I’d talk about that sort of thing — Once Lewis was ready to retire, he’d pass the torch onto me, show me the ropes himself, maybe we’d all come over and pop some bottles of champagne, yadda yadda… But, ah, maybe I should’ve known better, could’ve called for celebrations sooner. I’ve learned this new corpo terminology just recently — when you make it big, like Lewis did, it’s called being “fridged”. Like a fish in a fish market, right? You’ve a target on your head, now, and it’s only a matter of time ‘fore somebody collects that bounty. And what do you do if you don’t want to be next on the menu? Well, take a page out of his book, change your name, go into hidin’, never be seen again. They can’t kill you if they can’t find you! Only problem is, they’re not the only ones. Sure, he’s been calling me every couple days, checking in, but using the burner communicator he gave me’s such a pain in the ass. Would be so much easier if he was just… here.

Regardless, this is a big change for me — and a good one at that. I’ve been workin’, slavin’ away as a media, writin’ reports on whatever minor tragedy threw itself at my doorstep, just waiting for an opportunity like this to present itself. To get the chance to do something big, something important that’ll matter even in a couple years or a couple decades. This city… The Fourth Corporate War really did a number on it. Not just the smolderin’ crater that used to be Arasaka tower over in the City Center, but in the people. They’re all looking for someone to pick up the pieces, put ‘em back together, really give people a future to hope for again. Think that’s something we could all use when things’re looking so bleak like this. If Lewis can’t do it, well… what else was he mentoring me for but this? As sudden as it was, I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it.

I’ve already got a good start, making sense of all these files he left behind — and he left a lot behind. Didn’t want anything tying him here anymore, maybe. You hear that a lot around here, the “one day, I’ll leave and never look back”, fantasizing about some bigger, brighter life out in the Badlands, or even past that. At least those people have a choice. Lewis couldn’t have stayed if he wanted to. But, ah, anyways… I’ve been sorting through all of these old projects he’d been planning, deciding which to scrap, which to modify, which to continue… and one of them really caught my eye. Found it nestled away in one of his old safes — Arasaka blueprints. Like, the Arasaka. Half the reason the Fourth Corporate War happened Arasaka. One of the largest and most powerful companies in the world Arasaka — I mean, I haven’t got a fucking clue how he got his hands on this! They’re notoriously secretive about these sort of things, they’re certainly not just handing out trade secrets like candy, so I can’t imagine they’d just— Ah, shit. Here’s another fun part of being CEO now, I can’t go more than a couple minutes without getting a phone call. I’ll have to take this. I’ll leave these blueprints by my desk, get back to them later… Maybe Daithi can help me make sense of them. End log.

[andromedacorp]

LOG001 — 11:41/2045/07/13

RT: D’you know what I find interesting about chaos?

In ancient Greek creation myths, Chaos existed before anything else. In Greek, chaos means “emptiness, a vast void, a chasm, the abyss” — Chaos is the personification of whatever was in the world before the universe was made. Depending on whose version of the mythos you read, she might also have been the creator of Gaia (the Earth), Tartarus (hell), and Eros (love and desire), which then created the rest of the ancient world as we know it (Zeus and Poseidon, basically, for those who don’t). Of course, all ancient stories are interesting from the future perspectives we have now. The way a world beyond ancient humans gets personified into something tangible, something they can wrap their head around, that they can understand and explain to their children, is nothing less than fascinating. I’ve always had an interest in stories and their origins — hell, I wouldn’t be an English major if I didn’t. Makes you wonder what those old Greek fellas would have to say about humanity nowadays. 

Throughout the years, though, the idea of chaos has always stuck with me. From nothing, into something, into everything… Night City is that chaos right now, in the vast void, the abyss. It’s been a few years, but the city still hasn’t recovered from the war. Not even close — if anything, it’s worse than it was before. On a positive note, this is the most money I think I’ve ever made from working media. There's a violent crime or some sort of injustice performed outside of my building every day. It’d be ridiculous if it wasn’t the norm already. 

If chaos is emptiness, then Night City is lacking change. A leader, an innovator. Nobody wants to step up and do anything about it. Someone needs to turn nothing into everything, make use of all that space. (You know how much Andromeda could make off this? Lewis is already making a huge fuss of it — “Money is power, and around here, power is everything.”) There are thousands of people out there without jobs or homes after their office buildings and apartments were turned into rubble, thousands more who lost everything after crime started ticking steadily back up. So, I had an idea. Well, a couple of ideas. Some are a bit better than others. I look around my office, which might be more accurately described as chaos in its English translation: complete disorder and confusion. I’ve got books about coding and business and sales papers for construction equipment propping up Keurig machines and projected cost analyses and overanalyzed copies of Wikipedia articles. I don’t think I’ve seen what my floor looks like in weeks, and there might be more coffee stains on my paperwork than hours of sleep I’ve gotten, but hey: I’m doing something here. Someone has to. Not like I’m working my ass off for nothing, as much as Wil likes to think so. I know Lewis is lookin’ for somethin’ big, he’s gotta be. He’s been real antsy as of late — not that I blame him, I can’t imagine… well, what he needs is ideas, a plan, right? So that’s all I’ve got to do, come up with some big idea to really wow him. I’ve got some, disparate parts of different ideas, but it all needs to come together into something, something coherent, something that’ll change this city. All that lofty bullshit Lewis used to say about making it big, dragging Night City into its renaissance. When you’ve gotten nuked into the ground — quite literally — there’s nowhere to go but up. All those people who lost everything, they need somethin’ new to give them hope again. Hell, not even just the people out there. The ones in here, too. I just have to figure out what that thing’ll be. And whenever I figure that out… well, either you’ll hear it from my next log, or you’ll hear it in the news.