Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence, abbreviated AI, is an artificially created construct that exhibits intelligence similar to a sentient being. AI technology has been used by the Forerunners, and later by humanity to a great extent.

Human AIs include both "Smart" and "Dumb" varieties. The UNSC developed the first-generation "Smart" AIs in the mid-21st century. Most human AI constructs give themselves a unique appearance (otherwise known as an avatar) that corresponds to their main use.

Human AIs
Over the course of a few hundred years, humans have developed a highly advanced understanding of this type of technology, and are capable of creating sophisticated "Smart" AIs. Human Smart AIs have an "expiration date" of seven years. Once they have reached this age, they will become very susceptible to rampancy. In theory, an AI can occasionally avoid the effects of rampancy and function for longer than seven years, as proven by the AIs Cortana and Juliana. Humans use AIs to perform a variety of specific tasks. The duties of "Smart" AIs include, but are not limited to, controlling planetary shipping operations, managing agricultural operations, serving as a Planetary Security Intelligence, or controlling various functions aboard starships. "Dumb" AIs have a wide variety of uses as well, including serving as Urban Infrastructure AIs and educational assistants. Urban Infrastructure AIs perform a wide variety of basic tasks, from driving a city's garbage trucks to operating traffic lights. They can also work in cooperation with the UNSC Marines if needed. One example of this is the Battle of Mombasa, when New Mombasa's AI, the Superintendent assisted the UNSC forces in the city in fighting off the Covenant.

Some human "Smart" AIs, such as Cortana, are able to separate themselves into multiple runtimes or "fragments". This can be beneficial when the AI needs to perform multiple tasks or be in multiple places simultaneously. Fragmenting can also occur accidentally, such as with the AI Melissa.

The 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. However, the AI Cortana did find what seemed to be an extremely fragmented copy of a human AI stationed in the Covenant flagship, Ascendant Justice.

Creation and Design
The process of creating an AI differs depending on whether it is of the "Smart" or "Dumb" variety. "Dumb" AIs are simply highly advanced computer programs, and therefore do not require a brain as a template. "Smart" AIs, however, are created by scanning the neural structure of a human brain and using it as a digital "framework".

Instead of simply "programming" a "Smart" AI, their matrix is created by sending electric bursts through the neural pathways of a human brain which are then replicated in a superconducting nano-assemblage in a process known as Cognitive Impression Modeling. This process destroys the original brain tissue, and so the brain being used is typically obtained after the host is dead. In the case of the AI Cortana, however, the candidate brain was flash-cloned and the host's memories transferred, so that the host, in this case Dr. Catherine Halsey, could remain alive. However, this is extremely inefficient: out of twenty of Dr. Halsey's cloned brains, only two of them took.

It is technically unclear exactly how a "Smart" AI works, as it is only based on the functionality of a human brain, which even UNSC scientists do not fully understand. AIs do not have physical bodies, rather they are advanced software consisting of a Riemann Matrix for higher-function processing. This matrix can be downloaded into a Data Crystal Chip for mobility. In case of Rampancy, the Riemann Matrix has a fail-safe program that will destroy the AI.

Because "Smart" AIs are created using either actual human brains or cloned human brains there are often times residual thoughts, memories and/or feelings that remain. These residuals can be anywhere from the "feeling" of a hair brush being pulled through hair in the case of Sif or even have an effect on the mannerisms and characteristics that make up the personality of an AI, in the case of Cortana and her likeness to Dr. Catherine Halsey.

"Dumb" AIs presumably function like any other computer program, although they are vastly more complex and versatile than ordinary computer constructs.

Goals
It is revealed in Halo: Reach, via Data pads (especially the legendary ones) that UNSC AIs are far more independent than Humans think. AI are however fiercely loyal and devoted to their Creators. This devotion (that appears to be not unlike Covenant devotion to the Forerunners) is even increased when Cortana, shortly before the Fall of Reach, was made flesh - her mind relocated into a Human body, That is, her link with John via the Spartan Neural Interface.

"Smart" AI
"Smart" AIs are created by mapping a human brain and using it as a "template" for the construct. They are capable of intuition, learning, and making logical leaps that ordinary computer programs cannot. They can also "feel" genuine emotions, such as affection, anger and amusement. They have a normal operational life span of about seven years, after which they frequently descend into rampancy.

"Dumb" AI
"Dumb" AIs are not created using human brains, but are simply highly advanced computer constructs. They cannot learn anything that is outside of their set limits of dynamic memory processing matrix. They are quite useful in their particular field of expertise, but very limited. Dumb AIs can function and learn as long as they are active, and are not subject to the effects of rampancy experienced by aging "Smart" AIs.

"Dumb" AIs

 * Auntie Dot - Monitored and assisted Noble Team during the Battle of Reach, and kept the team's members connected while they were embarking on separate missions.
 * Déjà - ONI AI, served as teacher to the SPARTAN-II's, helped oversee the SPARTAN Augmentation Process. (Second Generation Dumb AI)
 * Superintendent - New Mombasa Urban Infrastructure AI (Second Generation Dumb AI)
 * Captain Teach

"Smart" AIs

 * Araquiel - Colonel Ackerson's personal AI (Third Generation Smart AI)
 * Beowulf - Was the attaché to Admiral Michael Stanforth and the UNSC Navy.
 * Chauncey - UNSC Red Horse's old Smart AI
 * Cortana - CTN 0452-9 - UNSC Military AI (Third Generation Smart AI)
 * Deep Winter - Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet Onyx, succeeding Eternal Spring. (Fifth Generation Smart AI)
 * Doppler - MIL AI 8575 - UNSC Military AI
 * Endless Summer - MIL AI 4279 - Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet Onyx, succeeding Deep Winter. (Fifth Generation Smart AI)
 * Eternal Spring - First Known Overseer of UNSC facilities on planet Onyx, aided in reconnaissance of Zone 67. (Fourth Generation Smart AI)
 * FitzGibbon - Was the ship-board AI of the UNSC Prophecy during the Second Battle of Harvest.
 * Iona - AI attached to Black Team.
 * Jerrod - The first micro-AI (Experimental)
 * Juliana - Planet Madrigal's Commercial AI unpacked after the planet's destruction by The Covenant to control The Rubble's guidance and maneuvering.
 * Kalmiya - Dr. Halsey's former personal AI, Cortana's "older sister". (Second Generation Smart AI)
 * Lackluster - corroborated conclusions of Cole's continuing survival with Codename: SURGEON and another AI, Phoenix
 * Loki - Colony Ship AI (military) of the UNSC Skidbladnir Reassigned as PSI (Planetary Security Intelligence) on Harvest, second AI core on stand-by next to Mack AI
 * Lorelei - Ship AI of the CMA Season of Plenty
 * Lysithea - UNSC/ONI AI, was located in the UNSC High Command's headquarters, HighCom Facility Bravo-6 in Sydney, Australia.
 * Mack - Colonial Authority AI/Agricultural Operations.
 * Melissa - UNSC/ONI AI, attached to UNSC Apocalypso.
 * Mo Ye - Shipboard AI of the.
 * Pallas Athena - Boston Public Library AI
 * Phoenix - corroborated conclusions of Cole's continuing survival with Codename: SURGEON and another AI, Lackluster
 * Rebecca - UNSC Red Horse's Smart AI
 * Sekmet - Shipboard AI of Preston Cole's flagship,.
 * Serina - UNSC AI, served aboard the UNSC Spirit of Fire.
 * Sif - Colonial Authority AI/Shipping Operations.
 * Solipsil - An ONI AI
 * Toran - UNSC AI, served aboard UNSC Han during the SPARTAN Observation Process.
 * Vergil - Sub-section of the Superintendent. Programmed to watch over Sadie Endesha.
 * Watchmaker - UNSC Military for Captain Cole aboard the.
 * Wellsley - UNSC Military

Forerunner AIs


As exemplified by the Monitors, the Forerunners have developed a civilization with an extremely advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence technologies. Forerunner AIs have managed to achieve full sentience and are highly intelligent. Forerunners often had personal AI advisers, called Ancillas, integrated into their armor. The most advanced type of Forerunner AI was the Contender-class Artificial Intelligence.

The manner in which Forerunner AIs are created is unknown, yet is probably very different from the human method of cloning the intelligence of a sentient organism. Monitors, and possibly other Forerunner AIs are physically represented by large, shielded and roughly spherical metallic "robots" whom possess a single "eye", which is possibly used to perceive the monitor's physical surroundings. The most well known of Forerunner AIs are the protocol-obsessed Monitors, made famous by 343 Guilty Spark and his quirky (and somewhat unstable) nature.

Known Forerunner AIs

 * 343 Guilty Spark - Monitor of Installation 04
 * 2401 Penitent Tangent - Monitor of Installation 05.
 * Mendicant Bias - Wartime AI, overseer of Defense Plan against the Flood, defected from the Forerunners by Gravemind.
 * Offensive Bias - Wartime AI, replacement to and destroyer of Mendicant Bias.
 * Unnamed Forerunner AI - AI on the Flood-Controlled Shield World.
 * Cold Storage Monitor - AI overseer of a flood research facility on Installation 05.
 * AdjutantReflex - "AI" that acted for Bungie on their forums during the Iris ARG.
 * 686 Ebullient Prism - Monitor of Line Installation 1-4.
 * The Knowing - An AI residing in a Forerunner complex on Ariel.

Covenant AIs
So far only two types of Covenant AIs (Security and Naval) have ever been encountered within the universe. Their knowledge in this type of technology appears to be inferior to that of the UNSC and the Forerunner, as demonstrated by the fact that their AIs were most likely captured UNSC AIs, which were altered to fit within their theocratic society.

In Covenant mythology, it was a form of AI, referred to as an Associated Intelligence, that led to the demise of the great Forerunner civilization by defecting to their enemies, the Flood. As a result, the Prophets imposed a ban on this sort of technology. While simpler computing devices such as navigation computers were allowed, machines that could actually "think" were prohibited, though the ban has apparently been broken on more than one occasion. As a result of the ban, the Covenant's understanding of artificial intelligence was far less developed than that of humanity.

Known Covenant AIs

 * Seeker - A Covenant security AI construct.
 * Unidentified Covenant AI - An AI construct onboard the supercarrier Ascendant Justice.

Rampancy


If a "smart" human AI exists for over 7 years, it usually enters a stage of rampancy similar to the human state of insanity. The AI begins to think that it is superior to its human creators, and has delusions of godlike power. However, the impression that Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike gives is that the AI would lose all combat effectiveness by being permanently locked in a state of thought, like daydreaming - the description given is "as if a human were to think with so much of their brain that they stopped sending impulses to the heart and lungs." This is because as the data reaches a 'critical mass' the neural pathways become 'jammed' with so many pieces of information being queried and analysed, at expense of tasks such as piloting starships or monitoring computer networks.

343 Guilty Spark, the Forerunner Monitor went rampant after Sgt. Johnson threatened to destroy the replacement for his Installation, showing that even Forerunner AIs can go rampant and that AIs can go rampant when severely upset or threatened. The Forerunner AI Mendicant Bias went rampant, as it tried to stop the Forerunners from activating the Halo Array after being convinced by the Gravemind to do so. The Covenant AI in Halo: First Strike also went rampant after it attacked Cortana, and Cortana herself went rampant for a time while imprisoned in High Charity.

Trivia

 * Mack is the only known AI to procrastinate something.