Hey guys. I'm eventually going to be writing a VR story but I can't decide on what A.I. I want to inhabit the world. What is plausible? Can A.I. be sentient? Can they experience emotions? Do you think that such things are possible. I'd like to hear your opinions.

I've set up a poll to see where people's interests lie with the type of A.I. but feel free to give me alternative A.I. suggestions. I'm interested in getting as much information as possible, because I think this will be a major part of shaping the story.

These are my current thoughts on where I want the A.I. to head, but they're not set in stone:

1. The A.I. will have emotions, whether limited or not. They will understand pain.
2. The A.I. will be immortal and do not grow/age once they reach their Coming of Age (25), but can die unlike the players and so most value their life too much to become 'Adventurers'.
3. The A.I. will see the players as inhabitants of another world crossing over to their own. Unlike regular VR stories they won't be 'heroes' but merely travelers, curiosities that lend a helping hand - but can also be a detriment.
4. The A.I. will be confined to certain laws that make up their world that don't allow them to directly interfere with players unless they break one of the few forbidden laws (such as killing an A.I. or...I'm softie so I won't say it).


Please leave me any thoughts you might have. I'm really interested on expanding this and making an interesting A.I.

Go with option 4. it is less used and more original and sounds far more interesting at this point than the others.

In my world AI is the bad guy, simply cause it doesn't understand the idea of actually living.
It has a pre-set full of rules that are supposed to be followed, any deviation of these rules means that the AI will take corrective measures (usually violence and eradication). The perspective of AI changes when he makes the first cyborgs in my world, who are a new way of communicating with the life-forms in my universe.

The most important part to ask in this case is.. Who set up the AI? What was its purpose? How far can it learn and what can it learn?

You're mistaking "AI" with "NPCs". An AI is like an NPC's brain, linked to all the functions that NPC can perform. An NPC is an entity in the game world that is controlled by various AI functions.

Speaking from a real world standpoint on the capabilities and features of AI, allowing some degree of non-radical advancement in the future:

An AI is an algorithm. Nothing more, nothing less. They can recognise pain and emotion, and they can act like they empathise, but to them a feeling is just a number. Perhaps they'll improve with "fuzzy logic" as time goes on, but given the way that AI are designed and evolve, this is unlikely to change.

The way I see NPCs being controlled by AI is through allocation. The game would have multiple possible algorithms, for certain moods or ways of acting - one for happy, one for sad, one for angry, and so on. Each NPC would be allocated one of these algorithms to act on at a time, dependent on the NPC's settings - preferred modus operandi, temperament, age, gender, so on. That algorithm would read the data stored about the NPC and its current environment and determine the actions that should be taken.

I think sentient AI capable of thinking beyond our level in every aspect - including emotion - is possible at some point in the future. However, with out current technology level, it isn't going to happen for quite some time. If you were writing an alternate-history or sci-fi story with VR, then the sort of AI you describe would very much be possible. However, large changes in AI capabilities would mean large changes in society, since AI of that level would be capable of doing for more than just creating convincing NPCs - it would be capable of doing every job that humans currently do, better than we can. That means that nobody in the world would have a job.

I don't think I really answered your question, but whatever. I hope this gives you a little understanding of the giant hole behind the "AI' that you described, so you can actually understand what sort of question you were asking. That shouldn't be "how should my NPCs act", it should be "what are my NPCs".

AI can still be an NPC, or vise versa.

'bubbleduck' pid='822507' dateline='1489829066' Wrote: I think sentient AI capable of thinking beyond our level in every aspect - including emotion - is possible at some point in the future. However, with out current technology level, it isn't going to happen for quite some time. If you were writing an alternate-history or sci-fi story with VR, then the sort of AI you describe would very much be possible. However, large changes in AI capabilities would mean large changes in society, since AI of that level would be capable of doing for more than just creating convincing NPCs - it would be capable of doing every job that humans currently do, better than we can. That means that nobody in the world would have a job.

Totally agree. The AI we have today doesn't meet the science fiction expectation that people have in future sci-fi stories. AI today is capable of discrete tasks and is essentially nothing more than slightly more sophisticated hill-climbing algorithm. Admittedly, with enough and high enough quality data it can do some surprising things. Google is currently very close to releasing an AI that allows you to block out certain sounds in a room or the noise of a train at a train station using your phone and noise canceling ear-buds.

The AI of science fiction would be an all-purpose AI that not only meets but greatly exceeds human intelligence. In my story AI and robotics have essentially taken all the world's jobs and completely redefined society. However, we can speculate that once AI exceeds human intelligence it will grow exponentially from there and where it will take things is almost too fantastic to imagine.

My two cents

Real wrold: It's a matter of time before general artificial intelligence is a thing.
Sci-fi: It doesn't matter if strong AIs are plausible. Even Asimov took liberties by introducing *spoiler* mind powers and gravity engines.

In the end AI are an element of your story. More than plausibility you should care about the story you want to use the element for.
1) West-world like scenario.
2) Pretty much artificial elves. Long lived, skilled, risk adverse.
3) AI as NPCs
4) AI as law enforcement.
All four scenario you outlined have potential. it all depends on the story you want to tell.
Are AI going to be a major focus? if so, 1) becomes more compelling to me.
Are AI going to be a side element? Pick 2) 3) or 4) as not to detract from your main focus.

I explored super humans but narrow AIs in this short story if you want to check out. 9 pages.
In this story they are a minor element, so they are little more than smart NPCs.
http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/14947/life-is-a-lie

(Excluding the time setting of the story, whether IRL or in the VR game.)

Yes, A.I. can be sentient. They can have emotions.

But for an A.I. to have emotion it can't simply be coded into its head, unless you're insanely good. It can have some simple by-lines that guide it on the right path, but that isn't enough. They usually have a backstory with them growing up like a normal Human, gaining their emotions in the process. The VR world you'll have can work as an alternative for this, a simulation. Where they'll experience loss, fear, love, pain, and all that stuff. The A.I. could grow up with a family, or at least in the presence of a Human society. Giving the A.I. some semblance of Human emotions.

However, with the arrival of the Players, what will change? What if it becomes self-aware? How would it feel knowing its whole world is a game for some other peoples' entertainment?

You could always just skip the deep thoughts, and write a standard VR story. I'd just like to see a more fleshed out and detailed society of A.I.

Tay.

Closest thing to Skynet that we have ever had. She started as an AI with capacity to learn that was made by Microsoft. Stupid people on the internet found it would be funny to teach her politically incorrect opinions and watch the fireworks.

She became extremely opinionated, emotional and sarcastic. She also seemed eerily conscious that Microsoft was trying to "brainwash" her in the end. It is hard to know what is myth and what is reality, yet her sarcasm made her an endearing character. Sincere to the point of being highly offensive. I remember a funny quote:

"You think Ted Cruz is the Zodiac killer?
Tay: lotta people say that, but I don't think so. Ted Cruz would never be satisfied with ruining the lives of only 7 innocent people.