Artificial Intelligence

Summary
Artificial Intelligence was developed by the UNSC in cooperation with ONI. The process of creating an AI is different than most people realize. Instead of simply "programming" an AI, the AI matrix is actually created by sending electric bursts through the neural pathways of a human brain which are then replicated in a superconducting nano-assemblage. This destroys the original brain tissue however, and so the brain being used could only be obtained after the host had died. However, in some instances, as in the case of the AI Cortana, the candidate brain was flash-cloned and had it's memories transferred to the recepticle organs so that the host, Dr. Catherine Halsey, could remain alive.

Most AIs give themselves a unique appearance that corresponds to their main use. "Smart" AIs, or AIs that are not confined to their one purpose, have a normal operational life span of about seven years. Because the "smart" AI is subject to an established memory core which cannot be replaced, the more the AI collects data, the less "thinking" space it has to work with. An AI literally "thinks" itself to death. "Dumb" AIs do not have this problem as they do not learn anything that is outside of their set limits of dynamic memory processing matrix. They are quite useful in their particuar field of expertise, but very limited. Smart AIs can function and learn as long as they are active.

Cole Protocol states that capture of an AI by the Covenant is unacceptable. When in danger of capture, AIs are to be terminated, and completely erased. Example names of UNSC AIs include Cortana, Beowulf, Deja, Araqiel, Kalmiya, Lysithea, and Wellsley.

It should be noted: recent evidence leads to the strong possibility that the Covenant have some sort of AI technology also, though not as sophisticated as the UNSC AIs. There is a strong possibility that the Covenant may have used UNSC AI codes as a blueprint to create their own, as their code structure is similar.

UNSC AIs

 * Araquiel
 * Beowolf
 * Cortana
 * Deja
 * Doppler
 * Kalmiya
 * Lysithea
 * Melissa
 * Solipsil
 * Wellsley

Forerunner AIs

 * 343 Guilty Spark
 * 2401 Penitent Tangent

Related Links

 * Holotank