Contender-class artificial intelligence

The Contender-class artificial intelligence was a class of Forerunner artificial intelligence, or ancilla, that was the most advanced of its time.

Overview
A Contender-class AI was composed of numerous AI "minds" or instances working in synchrony, thus giving it intellectual capabilities far beyond any other AI. This class of AI could command an entire fleet of ships, with its consciousness being housed in several "core ships". They could also deploy numerous fragments, or "primary extensions", of themselves on a number of installations.

In order to coordinate their defenses against the Flood, the Forerunners created 05-032 Mendicant Bias, the first Contender-class AI. During the Forerunner-Flood war, Mendicant Bias was tasked with of engaging in discourse with the parasite's central intellect, the Gravemind, and then gathering information from it. When instructed by the Forerunners, the AI would use the information gathered about the parasite's weaknesses to unrelentingly attack the Mind until the Flood withdrew from the galaxy or perished.

Another Contender-class ancilla, Offensive Bias, was later used to combat Mendicant Bias which had defected to the Flood. Although of the same class, Offensive Bias lacked Mendicant's free will, but its calculating and rational approach allowed it to exploit Mendicant's hatred against its creators.

There were apparently multiple Contender-class AIs in existence. Master Builder Faber left the Didact to die when the latter refused to give him the codes to activate them.

Known Contender-class AIs

 * 05-032 Mendicant Bias
 * Offensive Bias