Episode 226: Cherishing Individuality
“How’s our Ixia doing lately? Have you already had them meet?”
“Yeah, well, I think she’s doing fine. Seems to be getting along with Saria and Linanel too. Though, she’s so lacking in common sense that she goes on a rampage every now and then.”
“Oh, is that so…? I’m sorry about that. Well, teaching her that is the biggest reason for this, though.”
“Yeah, I know that. I’m telling my guys to keep an eye on her, so it’s fine. But, I’m a Duke, after all. I don’t care about the actual situation, but if she doesn’t fix her attitude for appearances, I can’t bring her out in public.”
“Ugh, I wonder if she’ll listen… I thought putting on a facade was an AI’s specialty…?”
Amajio Silverhead and Commander (Eve) were having a casual conversation under the guise of exchanging information.
They try to call each other at least once a week, unless there’s a specific reason not to. It would be a waste not to keep in touch, but they weren’t close enough to need frequent contact. That was how the two of them had always been.
However, right now, ＜The Tree＞ has dispatched a Communicator, a doll machine named Ixia = Ayame Zero.
Therefore, this had become a place to confirm how she was doing, not through records, but in the form of feedback from someone involved.
“Yes, Ma’am. It seems she does not feel the need to put on airs for members outside the organization more than necessary. ＜Ayame Zero＞ is still emotionally immature. She seems to prioritize emotions frequently, so it might be good to intervene a little.”
“Ah, well, yeah. As long as it doesn’t introduce any strange quirks into her learning, I don’t mind intervening.”
“Well, we can take our time with it. At worst, we can just keep her out of sight, in an untouchable position.”
＜Ringo＞ advised the troubled Commander (Eve). And Amajio watched their exchange with a wry smile.
“If possible, I’d like her to practice being common-sensical enough to blend in with normal humans and fool them. It would be best if she could learn on her own, though.”
“That will be possible if we take our time. However, we do not have much time right now. Even if her thinking develops some quirks, they can be corrected with future learning.”
＜Ringo＞ proposes a partial intervention with ＜Ayame Zero＞. Certainly, the Brain Unit of the ＜Ayame＞ series is a newcomer, not even a year old since its roll-out.
As long as they are using the Brain Unit to control her actions, they won’t get the desired results unless she completes a certain amount of learning.
It would be somewhat mitigated if the parent AI was experienced, though.
“We will not issue any commands that force her actions. We will start with light guidance first. If we do not see any improvement, we will gradually increase the force, but I believe it will be fine.”
“Okay. So, her words and actions in public should improve a bit.”
“Understood. I will observe her for a while, and if there are no problems, I will take her with me. Well, the other problem is that I might be misunderstood as having a fondness for young girls…”
“Oh? Are you interested?”
“No way. Give me a break. I’m a pure combat cyborg. I don’t have any of those functions, and I don’t have a shred of sexual desire left.”
Amajio looked exhausted at Commander (Eve)’s teasing.
It was true that combat bodies didn’t have reproductive organs. Resources were needed to maintain the function, and it would simply be a weakness.
In the first place, World of Space was a game that prohibited such acts, so it was natural that they didn’t have reproductive functions.
“Hmph. Well, our Communicators don’t have such functions either. We just make sure they look the part.”
“Is that so? Well, there’s a possibility that I’ll be seen that way if I take her around. Even if there’s no malice, people might bring it up, so be careful. For now, she’s still treated as a commoner with no position or status. It wouldn’t be funny if she reacted poorly and was killed for disrespect, would it?”
“Understood. We will clearly state that as a prohibited action to prevent such a thing from happening.”
＜Ringo＞ nodded at Amajio’s warning.
“Still, how did you manage to bring out two such cute girls?”
“Ah… Saria is the next village chief of my territory, and she’s here for study. Linanel was scouted from the top performers. She’s a candidate for executive. Well, I thought it would be a good experience for both of them.”
Amajio added that he brought Saria along because it would be difficult to deceive people with just Linanel.
“I’ve been taking care of Saria since she was born. She’s like a daughter to me. I’ve been away from the center for a while, so I haven’t had many opportunities like this. I thought it would be a good environment for her to gain experience.”
“Hmph… I see, so you were holed up for a while.”
“Don’t say it in a way that makes me sound bad. My presence was having a negative impact on those around me, so I deliberately moved to the frontier. …And then there’s Linanel. I created a training school for executive candidates, and she was the top student there. After graduation, she was temporarily assigned as an aide to a bureaucrat before I pulled her in. Well, she’ll eventually join my retainers.”
“You’re properly training people. In that sense, we’re pretty laid-back.”
“Man, I envy you. If only my base was still alive, I could have mass-produced excellent subordinates.”
Commander (Eve) nodded at Amajio’s words that training people was really tough.
“I shouldn’t compare them to humans, but AIs are difficult too. Whether I put restraints on them or not, both seem to have negative effects, and I’m realizing how superior the AI norms of the original world were.”
“AI norms, huh? I’m not familiar with them, but can they be used here?”
“No. It seems like there would be various problems if I applied them as is. If I were to do it, I’d have to rebuild them. And I’d probably have to fine-tune them to match each faction. For example, it would be impossible to apply our norms to your AI.”
“Hmph… I see. That sounds like a difficult story.”
Speaking of AI norms, Amajio continued.
“I brought in Ixia-chan with the pretense that she’s a talented woman I picked up from the frontier, but lately she’s been hanging around my kitchen every chance she gets. How can an AI be such a glutton?”
“…….She just likes to eat.”
“Ah… I see. Yeah, I understand that raising AIs is difficult.”
By the way.
The strategic AI ＜Ayame Zero＞, which is in charge of managing matters related to the Repuitari Kingdom, seems to be spending most of her time in the National Library lately, as her Communicator ＜Asidancera＞.
Now that Ixia can satisfy her food-related desires, Asidancera has decided to pursue her desire for reading.
“No, she’s still doing what she’s supposed to do. I’m just giving her free time.”
“Commander (Eve)-chan is quite the softie. Well, unlike humans, they have almost no limits, so I guess I can understand letting them do as they please…”
The fact that she prefers to use the Communicator’s hands to turn the pages and read the text with her visual sensors, which is an inefficient method for a machine, shows that she is not just seeking knowledge. ＜Ayame Zero＞ enjoys the experience of reading itself.
By the way, Akane, who is the parent AI, is more focused on the desire for knowledge, which is probably due to the difference in the direction of growth depending on the environment.
“Having individuality allows us to consider a wider range of options. I think.”
“Well, I understand that. Both the orphanage and the training school emphasize fostering individuality. However, I thought that individuality was largely due to innate performance differences, but judging from the AIs in Commander (Eve)-chan’s organization, is that not the case…? The hardware is the same, right…?”
“Well, I’m sure there are differences at the molecular level, but at the software level, they should be identical. The environment is very important.”
The independent AIs of ＜The Tree＞, which are infiltrating the Northern Continent, were steadily and freely beginning to develop their individuality.
What that would bring in the future—of course, Commander (Eve) had not even considered.