Editing Avatar

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}
{{Center|''Were you looking for the [[Avatar (Xbox 360)|Xbox 360 Avatars]] or the [[Avatars|Halo: The Master Chief Collection avatars]]?''}}
[[File:Reach Naval Academy.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Déjà]]'s avatar projected in human-size form]]
{{Quote|An avatar is for the benefit of humans. Not for the AI. Well in my case, anyway. Some of my kind have issues about identity.|[[Black-Box]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 111''</ref>}}

An '''avatar''' is the visual representation of an [[artificial intelligence]] or "AI", used as a way to better interact with [[human]]s. Avatars often appear as human-sized wherever sufficient projection equipment is available.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 38''</ref><ref name="genesis">'''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp]]'''</ref> With more limited projection systems such as a starship's [[holotank|holo-pedestal]], they appear considerably smaller.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Cairo Station]]''</ref>

==Description==
[[File:HalseyJournal-AI triad.png|thumb|right|200px|Three AIs modeled after the mythological [[Wikipedia:Moirai|Moirai (Fates)]].]]
While not used by all AIs, every [[Smart artificial intelligence|"smart" AI]] uses an avatar,<ref name="clarity and grace">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-clarity-grace '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Clarity and Grace'']</ref> as do many [[Dumb artificial intelligence|"dumb" AIs]]. This visual representation is chosen by the AI upon their creation and can be whatever they desire it to be. The creation of an AI's avatar occurs very early in the system's birthing process, and unless an AI is programmed to have multiple avatars, it does not usually alter its appearance after its initial creation.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> Smart AIs find it extremely difficult to substantially alter their original avatar,<ref name="clarity and grace"/> and attempts to do so have resulted in catastrophic AI system crashes.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> The reason for this is not well understood to scientists, and attempts to eliminate this behavior have resulted in AI failures and personality aberrations.<ref name="clarity and grace"/>

The duty which the AI is to perform, combined with the human brain that was used to create it, have a great deal to do with what avatar they chose to appear as.<ref name="for">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 28''</ref><ref name="ch">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 30''</ref> The avatar is created by the AI to represent itself and appear to be drawn from the emotive responses at the base of human behavior. AIs almost universally represent themselves as male or female humans in various form of costume, though some AIs do take on more abstract forms; some avatars are simple geometric objects or silhouettes with perhaps a handful of key human features, such as a mouth or pair of eyes.<ref name="clarity and grace"/> Without exception, AI systems identify themselves as male or female based on the gender of their brain donor.<ref name="Encyclopedia">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 220''</ref> In addition to their visual representation, AIs are also able to choose their preferred accent or style of speech.<ref name="ch"/>

==List of known UNSC AIs and their avatars==
*[[Aine]]: A "thirty-something" yellow woman with variable clothing and a resigned expression.<ref name="avatar">'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''page 234''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Initiation''', ''Issue # 3''</ref>

*[[Araqiel]]: An elongated skull with curling, demon-like horns, fire-filled eyes and jagged teeth.<ref name="fs">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 127''</ref>

*[[Auntie Dot]]: A grid of blue-glowing, constantly changing symmetrical patterns.

*[[Beowulf]]: A man wearing a hooded cloak that obscures his facial features and most of his body.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 95''</ref>

*[[Black-Box]]: A featureless blue cube.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 45''</ref> Has been known to alter his avatar on occasion; he once appeared with a bright red bow tied around him in recognition of Captain Serin Osman's birthday. Uses a battered, worn version of his avatar to represent his "dumb" processes.

*[[Captain Teach]]: Appearance and mannerisms of an archetypal pirate captain, with gold teeth and black hair, carrying multiple pistols.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[Pariah]]", ''page 50''</ref>

*[[Cortana]]: Tall and slender woman, nude but censored by scrolling calculations and symbols across her body, with short-cut hair, then longer hair following the [[Battle of Installation 04|events]] at [[Installation 04]]. She strongly resembles her brain donor, [[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Catherine Halsey]]. She glows bright blue.

*[[Deep Winter]]: An old man with a snowy cape, often accompanied by holographic ice and snow.<ref name="goo">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 106''</ref>

*[[Déjà]]: The appearance of a Greek goddess: barefoot, wrapped in a toga, motes of light dancing about her hair and holding a clay tablet in her left hand.<ref name="for"/>

*[[Doppler]]: A smartly dressed man wearing a jacket, bowtie, and a pair of scholarly round spectacles.<ref>'''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]'''</ref>

*[[Endless Summer]]: A tall, red Cherokee Indian chief, bare-chested, wearing buckskins, and holding a feathered spear.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 178''</ref>

*[[FitzGibbon]]: An elderly 18th century British Army officer with a teal glow.<ref name="genesis"/>

*[[Iona]]: One of several known AI with more than one appearance, her default appearance is that of a slender woman with short, curly hair with angular shapes across her body, reminiscent of a skin-tight suit. She also appears to wear boots and knee pads. She has an additional appearance resembling a child version of her default avatar for her more simplistic "ghost" interface to deceive remote scanners. She glows dark red.<ref>'''[[Halo: Blood Line]]''' - ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 1|Issue 1]]''</ref>

*[[Isabel]]: A red pixie haired woman wearing a muscle top shirt tucked into cargo trousers and a bracelet on her right wrist. She illuminates with an orange glow.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars 2]]'''</ref>

*[[Jerrod]]: A tiny spark of light with a formal butler voice.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 147''</ref>

*[[Lysithea]]: A sweet feminine voice with a laugh that sounds like "fine bone china clinking together."<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 100''</ref>

*[[Lorelei]]: A woman wearing a toga, a sickle in her belt, and a wreath of wheat crowning her head.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''page 422''</ref>

*[[Mack]]: Appearance and mannerisms of an American cowboy from the 20th century.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 28-29''</ref>

*[[Mo Ye]]: An elderly Asian woman in a pink gown.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian]]", ''page 83''</ref>

*[[Rebecca]]: She is one of the few known AI to have two appearances. Her first appearance is described as "half-Athena, half-Ares" with a feathered Greek headdress and armor. She can change her appearance to a flabby, middle-aged Mediterranean woman in a flower dress.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[The Mona Lisa]]", ''pages 231 and 233''</ref>

*[[Roland (AI)|Roland]]: A yellow man wearing an aviator outfit. More specifically the [[World War II|WWII]] British fighter/test pilot [[wikipedia:Roland Beamont|Roland Beamont]].

*[[Sekmet]]: Lion-headed woman dressed in Egyptian robes.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 463-465''</ref>

*[[Serina]]: A tall and slender woman with long brown hair, wearing black boots, tight pants or leggings and a white shirt. She glows bright blue.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]'''</ref>

*[[Sif]]: A slender woman with a long neck, elevated chin, and long blonde hair, wearing a multicolored, ankle-length sleeveless gown. <ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 68''</ref>

*[[Sloan]]: A blue humanoid man with a strong sculpted mesomorphic body. Parts of himself appear fragmented and lost.<ref>'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'''</ref>

*[[Superintendent]]: A series of emotion icons.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref>

*[[Watchmaker]]: An old man holding a large pocket watch with a dozen dials.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 448-252''</ref>

*[[Wellsley]]: Stern-looking man with mildly long hair, prominent nose, and a collared coat; supposed to look like an 18th century British officer.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page 209''</ref> Is said to resemble his namesake, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.

*[[Wendell]]: A weary-looking gentleman sporting a gray goatee and wearing a fedora hat.<ref>'''[[Halo: Last Light]]''', ''page 93''</ref>

===Unidentified AIs===
There were also at least three AIs at the [[Damascus Testing Facility]] on [[Chi Ceti IV]] that were have not been specifically identified, with the avatars of a samurai, a mermaid, and a figure made entirely of bright light with comets trailing in her wake.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 114''</ref> In addition, there were two unidentified AIs on the {{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}}, one of which was a wraith-like gray-robed figure without a body, and the other a collection of disembodied eyes, mouths, and gesturing hands, noted by [[Kurt-051]] as resembling [[Wikipedia:Cubism|cubist art]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 60''</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Aine3.PNG|Aine's avatar.
File:Auntie Dot.jpg|Auntie Dot's avatar.
File:Beowulf.jpg|Beowulf's avatar
File:Waypoint - Black-Box.jpg|Black-Box's avatar.
File:H4-Cortana-FullBody.png|Cortana's avatar.
File:Invasion; Doppler.jpg|Doppler's avatar.
File:FitzGibbon.png|FitzGibbon's avatar.
File:Bloodline AI.png|One of Iona's two avatars.
File:HW2 - Isabel.png|Isabel's avatar.
File:Mo Ye.png|Mo Ye's avatar.
File:Rebecca.png|One of Rebecca's avatars.
File:Serina.jpg|Serina's avatar.
File:Serina color.png|A full color render of Serina's avatar.
File:H5G-Governor Sloan.png|Sloan's avatar
File:Superintendent emotions.jpg|The icons used to express the Superintendent.
File:H4-Roland-Portrait.jpg|Roland's avatar.

</gallery>

==List of appearances==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
**''[[Sadie's Story]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Human Weakness]]''
**''[[Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian]]''
**''[[The Mona Lisa]]''
*''[[Halo: Blood Line]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
{{col-2}}
*''[[Halo: Cryptum]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Scanned]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]''
*''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''
*''[[Halo: Initiation]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
*''[[Halo: Saint's Testimony]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
{{col-end}}

==Sources==
{{Reflist|2}}
[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]
[[Category:Hologram technology]]