video | un: hank_127

[lostsymmetry]

[It's been nearly two weeks, with no sign of evaluation. Nobody except the Butler who even uses the same terms. And he has startled threats out of half the crew he's tried to speak with. At this point, sounding things out is practically required. The fact that it gives Hank an excuse to talk to a whole structure of real, living people?

Just a very big side bonus.]

<Welcome to Domesticon. We keep your property efficient, so you don't have to be.>

[His opening script, on the other hand? Not exactly what he'd have picked. While it logs as video, the incoming message shows only a geometric hash of blue. The sound emerges as a cheery robotic monotone—before cutting to sheepish, human-sounding words in the same voice.]

...or, uh, not. Sorry about that. Having trouble, syncing a few scripts. [All is a few, right? Still, the AI's tone brightens, curiously eager.] But wow is it cool to see this place coming to life!

Seeing how generous our hosts have been with the invitations, I figured I should say hello. Former facility administrator. Current occupant of your backup comm system. [There's a note of rueful irony.] Which, a few people have been disassembling. There's not much to find, but if you do want to know about the systems, I'd be glad to talk. Stop by anytime.

[Rather than, say, dismantling the computers he lives in. Please? Those near a communication console (found in each public space and at either end of all the halls) will see the display flicker briefly: showcasing the same hashed blue logo.]

...

While I'm on the line. What's the state of technology where you come from? Autonomous or otherwise.

Comments

voice » id: aqua

[aequoreal]

Autonomous technology. Do you mean artificial intelligence?

( a tactful way of asking if that is what hank is, too? maybe, but mostly really just a question of clarification. )

voice;

[lostsymmetry]

[Tact is nice! Not especially necessary on that count, but still worth appreciating.]

That I do.

[Am?]

[aequoreal]

A mentor of mine was an artificially intelligent robot.

[lostsymmetry]

...huh. Neat.

[It's genuine, despite the faint surprise.]

Are you AI yourself?

[Neither the voice nor the ID matches, but he'd be a hypocrite to assume completely based on that.]

[aequoreal]

No. I am Atlantean.

Voice (@skull)

[ryuji]

[He looks down at his communicator incredulously as he opens the message. What... the...]

Alexa, stop.

[Is that how this works?]

voice;

[lostsymmetry]

[...?]

<Oops. I'm sorry. That designation is not found in the database.>

Though there is an 'Alucard' in the ID list.

[The switch comes just as quickly as before: the robotic-customer-service tones, replaced with much more human-sounding bemusement.]

Wrong number?

[ryuji]

[...

Ryuji looks left, and then right, and then left again. Is he being spooked? Is this another sci-fi adventure that he didn't want to be having right now?]

Wh... [Taps the screen a little bit, wondering what the hell is going on.]

I thought you were one of those home companion thingies... you know, Amazon Home?

Uh, sorry. What are you exactly?

This thread is beautiful and I'm sorry

[lostsymmetry]

[The screen continues to be a screen! If he switches back to video, Ryuji can even get a look at the glorious masterpiece of file corruption that composes Hank's "face".]

<Greetings. This is the automated system administrator.>

Ah, I'm a facility AI. [A pause.] No Companion models here. At least, that I'm aware of.

[The human is always right. Even when they're stupid. Still, he's deeply confused at how this one mistook his rambling for a potential booty call.]

i love messes

[ryuji]

[Roll me insight, Ryuji. A crit fail? Okay.

Let's keep going down this route.]

Oh. Facility AI. [Sounds fake.] Shit, did someone install you onto my communicator? Does this thing even have an App store? [Fiddling around with the settings proves useful. Ah, Hank. What beautiful blue waves you have there.]

Where the hell is the delete function...

un: gallowsCalibrator

[iustitia]

SO L1K3
YOU'R3 4 COMPUT3R GUY, R1GHT
L1T3R4LLY?

text;

[lostsymmetry]

[This one takes a moment to process. But...]

Yup. L1T3R4LLY and literally.

What are you?

[iustitia]

1 4M 4 TROLL
4LSO L1T3R4LLY!
1'M FROM 4 PL4N3T C4LL3D 4LT3RN14

[lostsymmetry]

[...

Okay, mystery sender wins. He has no idea how to interpret that first part.]

Not in my databases. But, that goes for a lot here.

When you say a troll, how literal are we talking?

[Bridges? Keychains? Trolling him right now?]

video;

[iustitia]

[Terezi turns on her video function so that he can take a good look at her. Grey skin, orange horns are definitely not a human look.]

Like, literally literally. I think humans have different trolls in some of their myths? But that's the name of my species.

Video - UN: GFID-13576

[chozobloodrites]

Hm. Interesting.

[She looks ... intrigued? Cautious? Resting bitch face is hard to read. Her tone doesn't seem harsh, however. More curious.]

In my galaxy technology was largely developed by one race, then built upon by others. They treated autonomous synthetic lifeforms well. Sometimes too well.

Video;

[lostsymmetry]

[Humans are interesting. It would hardly be fair to object to them assessing him the same. Besides, interest bodes a lot better than too well. But so do most things.

Sometimes. More than once. History, or personal concerns? His tone stays light.]

Bad experiences?

[chozobloodrites]

Complex experiences.

The old race treated their creations like children, and it turned out about as well as it could.

[lostsymmetry]

[How... carefully vague.]

And more recently?

[chozobloodrites]

More recently, one of them, a planetary caretaker, decided that a lot of innocent life in the galaxy should be destroyed.

I'm sure she didn't represent the attitude of everything they made, but she was the only one I had ever met.

text; un: hudie

[bu773rfly]

[Well what the fuck do you know. Digimon?....Evidently not. An actual, sentient AI. That's...

It sounds...]

Advanced. Not quite this advanced.

Is the network comfortable?

text;

[lostsymmetry]

Aww. You're gonna flush up my monitors.

Access seems spotty, but there's lots of space to spread out. No complaints here!

[bu773rfly]

You perceive the system capacity as space? Do communication terminals seem to have relative locations? Can you tell when our handhelds move from place to place?

[lostsymmetry]

The network? Sure. And relative ones, though they aren't a perfect match to what's outside.

As for your handheld, I'd have to connect directly. Right now, I'm just routing calls through the station's hardware.

[Not quite a no. But he'd wait for an invitation on that count.]

[bu773rfly]

I'm not worried. Just curious. You're in a unique position.

What should I call you?