# MAchine Spirits in 'Endeavour of Will by Ben Counter'



## nestersan (Apr 3, 2010)

Started reading "Endeavour of Will', and have a question.

Usually, as far as I can tell Machine Spirits in Titans, Space Craft and to a lesser extent smaller vehicles are usually described as primal things, with very powerful emotions like animal spirits.

The machine spirit was mad, eager, raged, resisted etc.

This limiting as far as I can tell is due to the "No A.I" ban, though as far as 2012 tech is concerned that is A.I :wink:


In Endeavour of Will, the Machine Spirit in the Star Fortresses has conversation like a real A.I (Data, CP30) would as if it were a full persona.

It is said that the Machine Spirit was archeotech "a biomechanical mass, woven together from dozens of human forms, swathed in cabling and steel casings, the rhythms of a hundred human bodies regulating its functions and a hundred human brains containing the architecture of it's mind."

It then also says that the bodies belonged to the tech-adapts and magi who maintained it over millennia, and their own minds mingled with it, their wisdom adding to it's memory banks.


Assuming it is archeotech as the books states, then this is not a normal thing to be found anywhere else, would it be then considered to be a true A.I ?

It says the bodies and minds of the deceased tech-priests comprised its housing and memory banks, but it does not say that it was ever human, just that the human components complimented and supplemented its knowledge base.

Does the human components allow them to turn a blind eye ?

Do they realise it is an "Evil" A.I, but because of the importance of it turn a blind eye ?

What comprised the housing before the first tech priest died during their work on it, considering it is archeotech ?


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## TheReverend (Dec 2, 2007)

The mechanicus get round the AI ban by incorporating living tissue in their machines. As long as the tech is based on human bio-mass (i.e. the brain) then they are complying with the laws set down my the Emporer. 

I can't remember which book details this, I'm sure it's Mechanicum. 

The way I read it, the way they percieve it is that as long as the tech is based on human bio-mass then it will have human morals/principles/limitations and therefore not be able to turn against mankind. 

There was a story in the HH series where they came across a human society that had been enslaved by it's AI machines and the laws are intended to counter this posibility.

Rev


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## nestersan (Apr 3, 2010)

I thought the laws dated back to when the A.I fought against humanity (Dark Age of Technology).

They did say it was archeotech, so they never built it, which I take to mean they found it and newly found it would have no human components.

Also I have never heard it mentioned that the less sentient machine spirits have human tissue. I remember them saying a Titan in a novel had a bear or something as a template for its machine spirit.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

The ban on AI comes from the Golden Men in the Dark Age of Technology, where the Humans WERE enslaved by their A.I.s.


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

You mean the _Iron Men_, sentient machines who rebelled against man. 

@op, TheReverend has it, the Mechanicus avoids 'Abominable Intelligences' by using organic components (not necessarily human tissue) to create machine spirits and their more powerful computers. They build them like synthetic brains, though do seem to avoid giving them high levels of intelligence. 

This star-fortress intelligence sounds like a unique (or very rare) case.


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

A Tech-Marine has an outright conversation with a ship's machine spirit in the Soul Drinkers Omnibus.


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