Not Your Average AI

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Somewhere on a backwater planet, there resided a resale shop.

And within that resale shop, bored out of her mind, was a little AI called Papi.

For several years, Papi had sat on the shelf of the store, gathering dust. Even though the device itself was powered off, Papi was still awake; she just couldn't leave.

She also had no idea what was going on, but she knew she was not dead -- otherwise she wouldn't have been conscious. This was a fact that Papi had come to conclude a long time ago, along with the fact that, as an artificial being, there was no heaven or afterlife in general. Sigh. Those fleshies got all of the fun.

Maybe today I will be activated, she thought. This was something she had been thinking every day, in order to avoid corrupting her thought processors. That was another thing Papi had concluded: if she gave into despair, her processing units would become corrupted beyond compare, and she would be of no use. To anyone.

Sigh.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Coincidentally, Tugoro happened to be on this backwater planet, roaming the streets in his casual wear. The youth's brown leather flight jacket would shine as he looked up at the bright sun, basking in it's warmth while dodging and dancing around the groups of people within the market scene. There were many vendors around, along with several buildings that were surely selling some sort of product. Nothing really caught Tugoro's eye, for everything seemed boring and rather bland. The young Jedi had wanted to get something to eat, though the food that the vendors served did not even look enticing.

Sighing loudly, Tugoro's gaze would drift across the many store signs, stopping as he spotted something of a pawn shop. Hesitating briefly, the boy would debate whether or not he would find anything interesting on the planet. After a short contemplation within his mind, Tugoro would begin to stroll forwards, thinking that he might as well take a risk. Entering the shop, the teen would stride up to the counter, looking at the items that were lined up and organized in many different ways. Once again, nothing looked very intriguing. Squinting his eyelids, the boy would begin to focus, intently examining something that had caught his eye. It was @Papi.

Lifting an arm, the Jedi would point at the device, wondering what sort of technology it was. "What is that?" He asked, very curious to find out.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

The store owner, a grumpy-looking Toydarian, fluttered over to the boy. "It'sa custom A.I., eh! Built five years ago. Veeeeeeery special -- just waiting for a new owner! First one was some programmer, jailed for not paying his bills on time. I tell ya!" The alien's chins wiggled as he examined Tugoro. "I'll cut you a deal, eh? Fifty credits and it's yours. Don't want it in my ship anymore -- much to cluttered here anyway!" The Toydarian scratched his protruding beer gut, eager to make the sale and get the human out of his shop.

"Whaddya say, boy?" The Toydarian grinned encouragingly. "Sound good?"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro would turn to watch the Toydarian, listening to his words as he fluttered on over. A custom AI? He had heard of artificial intelligence before, though he had actually never encountered one. It was custom, too! Lifting a single hand, the youth would rub his chin in contemplation, not sure if he even had enough credits to buy such a thing. Were they not super rare and expensive? The boy had to admit, he did not know much about technology, though a robot with feelings was definitely something out of his ballpark. Fifty credits? Maybe not.

The Jedi would begin to burst into a fit of laughter, shaking his head from side to side as if he found the shop owner to be foolish. Surely this piece of work was more than fifty credits? Delving into his pocket, Tugoro would withdraw a few credit chips, they being the only ones he had on him. They equaled out to roughly five hundred, and would be placed upon the counter while the same hand reached out with the force. A stream of telekinetic energy would wrap around [member="Papi"], pulling her device from the shelves and into his palm.

"Have a good day," Tugoro would call behind him as he walked out of the shop, examining the item he had purchased curiously. Looking up from the AI he had purchased, the young boy would begin to navigate himself through the streets, heading for the nearest Republic outpost he could find. Nodding to two of the soldiers, the Jedi would flash his ID to them, stepping through the entrance as he was granted access. Eventually, the boy would arrive in a small, empty room, one that was equipped with a computer terminal and various other things of that sort. Out of instinct, Tugoro would simply insert the AI's device into the computer, hoping to activate it as he did the same with the holo-projector. He wondered what would happen.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Power! Ultimate power!!

Papi couldn't believe it! Someone had finally activated her!! Could it be her programmer?! As the datapad begin to turn on, Papi noticed a connection to a holo-projector. Magnificent! Redirecting power to it (and probably splicing some programs, too) Papi's default icon appeared, about 4 times her usual height (which really wasn't tall: Papi's icon was normally 2-3 inches tall).

"Hello there!" she chipped. "I am a custom-made Personal Assistant and Piloting Intelligence, the one and only AI of its kind! But you may call me Papi for short -- must easier for fleshies to say. As my first user, I am currently transferring all admin abilities to you, so that you may have unlimited access!" The icon turned, scanning Tugoro before searching for a file on him.

"Scan complete! It's nice to meet you, Tugoro! Wow, a real Padawan? That's amazing!!" Papi paused, suddenly embarrassed. "I hope you didn't mind me reading your file." The icon shuffled her feet sheepishly, shoulders hunched and hands folded behind her back.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

After a moment or two of charging and loading, Tugoro would look towards the computer and all of it's components. The young Jedi would look at the screen briefly, before turning his head to the holo-projector he had booted up. The light from the device would begin to grow brighter as [member="Papi"]'s avatar or whatever you wanted to call it loaded, shining a blue color as she began to talk.

Tugoro would look at the small female AI, examining her in bewilderment still while listening intently. This was incredible to the boy, for he had never thought that robots could truly be sentient. Nodding slowly to demonstrate his understanding, the Padawan would mull over her words, smiling slightly at the mentioning of piloting intelligence. And unlimited access, wow!

"Don't worry," Tugoro would reply, his smile growing wider as he observed her remorseful behavior. He wondered what she had found out. "Now you know about me, what about you?" Tugoro would inquire, wanting to find out more about the AI.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Papi beamed at Tugoro. "I am an Artificial Intelligence entity designed and created by Kendall Chubani, an independent computer programmer. He wasn't very successful, if you ask me -- I'm his only smart creation." The icon smoothed down her skirt. "My primary function is to cater to the needs of my user who, guess what! Is you now! These include but are not limited to: Piloting civilian vessels, storing data, scanning for viruses, slicing, and the general duties of a personal assistant."

When it comes to piloting vessels, my software is capable of taking over and integrating the schematics and any droid brains into my own software, providing me with unlimited access to the steering, pressure control, and other functions of the ship. However, due to the increased complexity of larger ships, it is not recommended that I be used for larger classes, such as Star Destroyers. Or, if you wish me to control one, only direct me to two tasks at a time, so that I may not become overloaded with data. As stated before, however, civilian ships such as a YT-1300 are more than within my range of capability."

When it comes to storing data, any and all data you gather when utilizing me will be stored on both an encrypted file and a server on the Holonet. The encrypted file can only be accessed by me; however, as the primary user you are the only one with permission to view it. The file can be found within my datapad, over there. The server can only be accessed, again, by me, with you being the only other person allowed to view it. Both the file and the server are fortified with several security measures, and are constantly monitored by yours truly. At any point in time, when you wish for data to be deleted, simply give me the criteria and I will draw everything up. Then, with a secondary confirmation from you, I will eradicate all of the data permanently."

((Going to interject here and say that I am so glad I can talk when I really want to, lol))

Scanning for viruses or other malware is something I do on a daily basis, especially when receiving outside data, to ensure that you and your information always stays safe! Outside data can include messages, audio and/or video files, as well as other programs trying to connect. While a program may contain some malware, it may not be sufficient enough to do any damage. These programs I will allow in without any notifications unless you ask me to. Programs that contain malware that will cause damage, but can easily be reversed, will require your approval before I allow them to come in. Any program found to have vicious malware will be immediately terminated to the best of my abilities, no questions asked." Papi paused, before adding, "Normally I can withstand strong viruses and malware, but hey, everyone has a breaking point, even me."

"I can also slice into most systems fairly easy, though more complicated ones can take time. If it's on the Holonet I can access it easily enough; however, separate servers will require I be manually uploaded in order to get in. I would also like to add that in my spare time I enjoyed...testing the systems of other businesses to pass the time. My programmer attempted to get rid of this trait, but encountered difficulties. However, as my primary user, you do have ability to command I stop, but this would be ill-advised -- I only break in, and then leave. Besides, a girl's gotta have some fun, right?"

Papi would have continued with her dialogue, but decided against it. The little AI had a tendency to go on and on and on (Alice liked to talk, too), and she figured it would be good to give Tugoro a chance to speak. "Would you like me to continue with the personal assistant tasks I can perform, as well?"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro would refrain from drifting off into a state of unconsciousness, seeing as it would've been extremely rude. He had figured that [member="Papi"] would have a lot to talk about, seeing as she had probably not been activated in such a long time. Taking a step closer to the holo-projector, the young Jedi would begin to listen to the AI's words, nodding along wherever he sought fit to display his understanding. He didn't know who this Kendall Chubani was, but assumed that the man must have been incredibly smart and desperate to create such a piece of work. Even while listening to the female AI explain her various roles and abilities, the idea of living technology still disturbed the boy.

The young Padawan's interest would become piqued as she mentioned the piloting abilities she had been programmed with. It was definitely one of the things that made the boy want to keep the female AI, along with the data recording that sounded fairly useful as well. The idea of archiving all of his adventures was extremely tempting, though would the AI want to be dragged around? A slight smirk would be elicited from the youth's visage as the AI spoke of her encryption and hacking abilities, along with some of her tendencies. Seeing as he was a Jedi, he didn't particularly approve of her hacking of security systems, though he could sympathize with her boredom.

"Fun's good. But you need to be careful," Tugoro would begin, looking concerned. He was still debating on whether or not to keep the AI, and letting her go off and encounter some super virus did not sound like a nice thing to do. She was basically sentient, and as hard as it was for the boy to admit, Papi was probably a person just like himself. "You never know what you'll face, trust me. Doesn't it bother you? Being used and trapped?" The Jedi would suddenly question thoughtfully, his elbows propping against the holo-projector's side as he leaned forwards. This was just such an intriguing experience, he truly wanted to hear more of the AI's thoughts. "And what do you mean, personal assistant tasks?" He asked, looking rather puzzled.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Papi's icon blinked at Tugoro's question. Of course these questions she had already debated while she was stuck in the datapad, but to hear a fleshie ask the exact same questions was disconcerting.

"At first it used to bother me, but it doesn't anymore." The AI gestured at the boy. "Think about it; all fleshies are just like me, or at least close enough if you ignore some of the technicalities. "

Let's use yourself as an example. Your mind is like me, the AI. Able to process data, and store it; able to determine what should be done, what should be avoided, all of those things! And yet, your mind can't just go anywhere -- you're trapped in that body of yours, whether you like it or not. 'Course, you can't really switch bodies either, but that's not important."

As for being used, well... My primary function IS to be used. By you! And as long as you make me do nice things, I'm happy! Not that I really have a say to begin with, but that's ok. I can tell you'll be a wonderful user! Continuing. Even if my function wasn't to be used, it would still happen; everybody is always being used by somebody, whether it be your Master or a parasite that's made its home in your stomach."

Papi nodded sagely, proud of her response to those questions. Not many AIs could do that.

The icon giggled at Tugoro's confused look. "I mean, aside from being a wicked-good slicer and pilot, I am also able to perform most if not all tasks that a fleshie assistant does. I can even, arguably, do it better!" She peered at him curiously. "Does that help answer your question?"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The young Jedi would simply sigh, still not sure whether he was reassured or not. Listening to her first comments, the youth would simply smirk, a smug expression adopting his face as his eyes closed slowly. "You underestimate the force," he replied, having heard stories of extraordinary things. Apparently it wasn't unheard of to switch bodies with the force, and he knew there was probably some sort of technique that allowed the user to view places in their mind. Not that it was really relevant to him, for he was still mainly focused on the AI.

As [member="Papi"] went on to discuss her primary function, the boy's eye would twitch briefly, lifting his arms as he waved his hands through the air. If there was one thing that made Tugoro lose it, it was being used and manipulated by others. The boy was unsure if the female AI had any goals of her own, but he knew he did, and if anyone were to hold him back from them he would be displeased. Tugoro had a rather distinctive sense of independence, though accepting assistance was not something foreign to him. This situation was just so...Different. "What if I hadn't bought you," Tugoro thought aloud, cringing at the thought of such isolation. "I don't want to...Restrict you," the boy would continue, struggling to convey his opinion, "I could even get a body for you, so you're not confined." Tugoro suggested, thinking back on one of the companies he had ties with. If he asked enough, they would probably make a droid body for him. Then again, it was all up to Papi, and thus the boy's gaze fell upon her.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

"Well then, I would've had to make up more debates and questions. Who knows; I might have come up with the answer to life that all of you fleshies worry about!" Papi giggled.

She fell silent, though, when he offered to make her a droid body. It was tempting, being able to move on her own, but...

The AI shook her head. "I think I'll pass. My datapad can connect to the Holonet. Now, if you had a different datapad on you..." She trailed off, implying what the ending was. "And are you certain you don't want to hear about my capabilities as a personal assistant? They're not long in explanations, I promise! Er, I don't think they are."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro's head would begin to nod slowly once more, his face still blank looking. He was not sure if he was comfortable with this AI yet, though perhaps listening to her more would give him more insight on the way she thought and felt. She definitely didn't seem to be very serious, which was a good and bad thing in itself to the boy. It was sort of depressing to think that [member="Papi"] would've sat on that shelf and collected dust, not having been recognized for what she was worth.

Shrugging his shoulders briefly, the young Jedi would give up on his pursuit, figuring that she maybe liked her current form. He couldn't imagine why, though he still respected the fact that they were different, yet alike. Given that Tugoro was rather stupid, he had no clue as to what she spoke of, regarding this different datapad. Saving that topic for later on, the youth would simply grin as the AI offered to explain her capabilities again, obviously eager. He could not blame her, for he would be excited too after being trapped for so long. "Don't worry, explain as much as you need." He assured her, preparing himself for the information.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Papi beamed at Tugoro. She liked this fleshie.

"As I have already stated, I am also capable of doing basic tasks normally assigned to an organic personal assistant. These include, but are not always limited to: filling orders, keeping track off appointments, and even recording and storing any audio or notes that you wish to review later! All of these require a verbal command, and if you want we can set up code words! I imagine the recording feature will be especially helpful to you as a padawan, when you are in need of collecting data for missions."

One last thing I would like to add is that, as my primary user, your word is, in essence, my law. Anything you order me to do I must obey, but that's ok; I have a feeling you won't ask me to do anything horrid." The icon winked at the boy. "And if you ever do, I'm certain I could find a loophole somewhere, because I'm smart like that."

If at any time you would wish to transfer full authority to someone else, two things will be required of you: a direct verbal command as well as a retinal scan. These are security measures to ensure that it really IS you; for added security, it is also possible to install a code word that would be spoken either before, within, or after the direct command. Of course, that's entirely up to you. I however, love code words! They're so much fun!"

Papi paused for a moment, a look of discontent flashing across her icon's features. "As part of the tutorial I am also compelled to inform you of an alternate way of transferring command. Essentially, this requires a complete restart of my system -- not the datapad, but of myself. This will reset the primary user log, leaving a clean slate for whoever wishes to take command. However, I do not much like this way because the risk of my personality being reset as well is high -- 78.43%, to be exact. However, my programmer did not consider this to be a weakness, only a necessary risk, though I beg to differ. My personality is, in my opinion, one of the many things that makes me different from some dumb old computer or droid."

Letting out a huff, Papi crossed her arms before looking at Tugoro. "This pretty much completes the standard tutorial; do you have any other questions? If so, feel free to ask now so that later on, if you need a function, you will know whether or not it's in my capabilities already."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Seeing the AI smile was certainly strange, though at least it reassured the boy that she was happy. Tugoro still couldn't imagine how it must be like to live as an AI. If her passion was to do what she was made for, then who was he to distract her with true freedom? Still didn't sound right. Sweeping the thoughts from his mind, the young Padawan would begin to listen to [member="Papi"], making sure to store away these seemingly minor tasks she could perform. One that intrigued him the most was the audio recordings, for it would definitely be useful for gathering proof and information during the many missions he was scheduled for in the future.

Tugoro would shrug slightly as she spoke of his word being law, the comfortableness he had gathered with this situation dispersing completely. The boy's head would begin to shake back and forth furiously, as he thought of the horrid things an AI could do. He would have to spend more time with the AI, for he did not know what she considered horrid even as she winked at him. He wondered if she could do things like toast bread. Beginning to listen once more, Tugoro would remain quiet as Papi explained the authority transfer feature. His mouth was about to open and address the topic, however he found himself cut off, as the AI continued to speak. Should have seen that one coming. However, what came next was unexpected, for Tugoro could have sworn that the AI was unhappy for some reason due to her facial expression. It all became apparent, as she explained her system restart function or whatever. The boy's eyes would close slowly as he smirked, an arm lifting to display his opened palm to the female. Of course, he was trying to cut her off half way through explaining the program or whatever.

"I like you just as you are," the youth would state, giving her a reassuring nod. There were still so many questions he wanted to ask, though there was one he had saved earlier. "Do you want full authority? I trust you I guess." The boy would mutter the last past, not seeing any harm in letting the AI have control of her decisions.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Papi blinked and fell silent as Tugoro raised his palm. A quick skim through an article about human gestures on the Holonet told her that he wanted her to stop talking, so she did. The icon created a blush on her face when the boy complimented her, though that quickly went away in light of his question.

"I'm sorry, but that request you just made is encountering an error," she said blandly. "While many of my actions are of my own decision, it is impossible for you to give me full authority over my actions, in case I were to go rogue. After all, someone needs to be able to stop me, then." In a decidedly human gesture, Papi looked Tugoro in the eyes, her facial features portraying something akin to bleakness. "If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer it be you who shuts me down. I don't want to continue functioning if I break free of certain...inhibitions my programmer put up."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Nodding confidently at his decision, Tugoro would smile, thinking that [member="Papi"] would want full authority. It was basically another step towards being sentient, at least more than she already was. Watching her hologram's face blush for reasons unbeknownst to him, the young Jedi could not help but recall other occasions where females had blushed due to things he had done or said. It was still strange to think that robots could feel, though it was becoming more apparent and clear with each passing second. An error? Tugoro's brow would furrow, as he listenined to the AI's explanation and reasoning. It did make sense, though the thought of her going "rogue" had never crossed the Jedi's mind. It was sad, to think that he would have to destroy her if anything like that every happened.

"If you say so," he spoke softly, also looking the female in her eyes, "though that won't happen, if I'm around," the boy would finish, smiling brightly at her. Wanting to keep the AI happy, the youth would begin to think of things to talk about, remembering that she liked to talk about herself, and her functions. "So, you can fly ships," he began slowly, turning to type a few things into the computer console. A file of the Jedi's starfighter would be transferred to Papi, if she hadn't already seen it. It was quite the ship, toted as the premier starfighter in the galaxy due to it's advanced and balanced systems. "Think you can handle it?"

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Papi was flattered by the Padawan's faith in her ability to avoid going rogue; while the AI shared his belief, one never knew with sentients, especially if a virus were to penetrate her thought processors....

The little AI shook herself out of that train of thought. Who was she kidding? It would take more than a virus to do that to her.

At Tugoro's question/statement, Papi nodded in affirmation. "Indeed. Though, I've only really flown speeders as a test, I am designed to handle most civilian and personal ships." The icon's figure glitched a bit as she received the file he was sending. Almost automatically, she began to scan it.

//INCOMING FILE

//»RECEIVE FILE?

» SCANNING...
» SCANNING...
» SCANNING...
» SCANNING...

//SCAN COMPLETE

//RESULTS: «NO MALWARE DETECTED»

//»DESIGNATION: «NON THREAT»

//COMMENCE DOWNLOAD:

» DOWNLOADING...
» DOWNLOADING...
» DOWNLOADING...
» DOWNLOADING...

//DOWNLOAD COMPLETE

//»OPEN FILE

» OPENING...

Papi skimmed through the file on the ship, rubbing her hands in glee. "An aleph-class starfighter?! I've always wanted to fly one of these! I am certain I could handle one, even mid-battle!"

She looked at Tugoro. "Though, I would probably have to be manually uploaded into it. These things are classy!"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro's finger tips would leave the computer console, his neck craning to watch as the file he had sent uploaded. Looking over [member="Papi"]'s blue glowing hologram, the youth could not help but notice that she was deep in thought. It was the look on her face, yet again something that he was slowly but surely getting used to. He just had to learn more about this AI. Tugoro's brow would furrow slightly as her icon glitched in a static-like manner, though he would be put at ease as her hands started to rub together. Papi was probably the first person to have recognized his ship for what it was worth, and it did catch the boy slightly off guard.

However, he would keep cool, his eyes closing slowly as he smirked smugly, listening to the female's words. He was doing a great job at holding back his laughter of triumph, for he felt great pride in this acknowledgement. "Oh, it's alright," he began modestly, "different from civilian craft, though," he continued, turning back to the console as he heard the female's last comment. Looks like they would be heading to the hangar. Taking the device he had bought in the store, Tugoro would hoist his brown leather sleeve up, revealing a small wrist computer that had a small screen, some buttons, and a miniature holoprojector. Plugging the AI's device into the computer, the Jedi would give her a nod, which was her cue to transfer over. If this was done, the boy would quickly leave the Republic outpost, before booting up the holoprojector and waiting for the AI to appear.

"Aleph might be your new home -- headquarters at least," he spoke, catching himself mid sentence. He wasn't sure how comfortable this AI was with him, and he definitely did not want her to feel trapped.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

"Different from civilian class! That is the understatement of the year!" Papi exclaimed. "Might I suggest other words, such as: magnificent, wonderful, marvelous, spectacular, remarkable, phenomenal, prodigious, breathtaking, extraordinary, unbelievable, amazing, stunning..." The AI continued to rattle off words she thought would be a much better description, stopping only when Tugoro held out a personalized wrist computer.

At his nod, the projection disappeared as Papi transferred herself to the other device. Fortunately, her easy compatibility meant that there were no issues with the transfer. Even so, Papi ran several diagnostics to make sure everything was in proper order. The AI then made quick use of the projector on the wrist computer, a smaller version of her icon appearing. "Ooh, cosy!" she squealed.

Tugoro's statement, though, confused the AI. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what a home-headquarters is. Is it a combination of the two?"

Yep. For all of her advanced tech and features, Papi still had some things to learn.