@markus.manfred

[saviorexe]

As some of you may already know, discussion has been taking place in regards to moving to a new safehouse; I understand that this isn’t a small endeavor, yet it’s something that should be seriously considered in the wake of all that’s happened. And while losing a multitude of Morningstar contacts is a detriment in its own right, it makes sense to view this as a new opportunity for the displaced. To become autonomous, self-sufficient, and able to move in whatever direction we deem as best for ourselves and those who would join us in the future. To finally be able to rely on our chosen initiatives, instead of depending on the generosity of an outside group with their own causes, objectives, and priorities to tend to.

This wouldn’t be a complete severance from Morningstar. Gaby, El, and a few others will still be willing to assist us when they can, and what previous resources left behind in the city will be available for us to use. It would be more akin to a partnership, with the understanding to give aid to the other when reasonably needed. Quid pro quo.

I’m not here to make these decisions for us, only to open the floor to discussion and to provide information so we can decide if and how we want to proceed. El’s given us a shortlist of unoccupied sites that are best suited for setting up a new safehouse. I’ve summarized them very briefly.

[Each location comes coupled with an address to denote where in the city it’s located, for those who may be interested in checking out each site in person.]

SPORTS BAR — Long abandoned and located near the sports stadium. The amount of foot traffic in this area means that it’d be easy enough to come and go without issue, and without turning too many heads. But this comes with the expected downsides of somewhere busy — more people means more variables, more eyes, more chances to be compromised if we’re not careful.

HOVERBIKE SHOP — A more isolated site in a run-down neighborhood. Here, it would be easier to escape scrutiny as an individual coming and going. A larger group of the same faces might have more difficulty, and would have to fabricate a very convincing reason to do so. There are also the nearby squatters to account for, who would likely be reasonably curious about us no matter how we proceed.

COFFEE SHOP — Located in the financial district. Several business have tried to start up here over the years, but none have stuck. Considerations would include: history dictating that this is a difficult location to keep running financially, a higher-profile spot but with vacillating foot traffic reliant on normal workday hours, and if the many neighboring businesses would be a concern.

All of these locations have an underground space which would house the core of the safehouse. What exists above is not only a front, but will have to act as a means of financially sustaining ourselves to keep supplies stocked, facilities running, and to afford basic upkeep. Which means that we’d be running a business on top of everything else, and should consider which will be the most viable as venture; which also means that we’ll need capital to get started, several people willing to devote their time and energy to this project, and reliable individuals who can work as actual employees once things are up and running.

Needless to say, I’m willing to commit the time and effort necessary to see it through to the end. But this is a large project that won’t get off the ground unless we compile resources and ideas together — and the earlier, the better.

[Please discuss!!]

((OOC; This is an open post for everyone to discuss matters about the future safehouse! Markus won’t necessarily be responding to each tag-in.))

Comments

[batricide]

Good, because that's off the table.
What did you have in mind?

[arkproject]

I was hoping to see what everyone would think was useful and then work on that. Remote surveillance is the tip of the iceberg -- I program A.I. first and foremost. They could be fully autonomous.

But there's ethical implications... and I'm an engineer. I just build things that people tell me to build. I wanted to make sure this is something I even should be doing first.

[ Not that Cath's been burned by not looking before she leaps on that one before. ]

[batricide]

A.I. are outlawed. There was a war some time ago where they attempted to rise up and gain rights and were killed for it. I wouldn't recommend treading that ground.

Surveillance is tricky as it could be used against us. But signal scramblers may be worth investigating for our own sake.

[arkproject]

Look, it's not my fault if they were incredibly stupid with their A.I. Mine aren't that advanced, anyway. You have to base them off of people if you want them to be like that -- turns out, maybe not a good idea.

I was thinking something a lot more basic. Just enough to know to evade capture and things like that. It's more a series of if-then statements for behaviors at that point, and it's a lot less likely to be used against us.

[batricide]

I'm not necessarily against it, but given the political climate of this world and the stance on A.I. I suggest doing your research and drawing as little attention as possible before you even consider it.

[arkproject]

Believe me, I don't want attention, I just want to do my work and contribute. But it seems like a waste that I could do something to be helping us, and I can't because that's the one illegal activity we think is too far.

[batricide]

We can revist it once we establish a base. Like I said, I'm not ruling it out. It'd be helpful to have some surveillance tech purely on our side and on our networks.

[arkproject]

That I can do. If you come up with anything it would be especially nice to have, let me know.

[batricide]

A device that can scramble cameras and GPS signals is something we're in dire need of.

[arkproject]

Hmmm... okay. That's possible. For the cameras, is it important if it's obvious that they're scrambled or not? Disabling them is easy -- disabling them so no one can tell you disabled them, that's a lot harder.

@markus.manfred

[saviorexe]

[PINGED BY AI]

Not a route I'd suggest. Not even touching on the subject of AI ethics, but you'll be stepping into dangerous territory if you start down that path. It's the exactly opposite of the risks we want to take, especially in conjunction with a new safehouse.

[arkproject]

Geez, everyone's nervous nellies around here, huh? I don't know what you're picturing, but there's a lot of room before you start getting into ethical questions. Or do you wonder what the ads that your neural implant activates are feeling? That's rudimentary A.I. -- it has to know where and who you are and how to respond to your presence.

That's the kind of A.I. I usually program. The only way I know how to make something more complicated is to pattern it off of a person. I'm not going to do that.

[saviorexe]

I’m well-aware of what consists as rudimentary AI.

[He has two examples scuttling around his apartment at all times. Also. He is an AI, so.]

All I’m telling you is that this kind of endeavor is something you’d have to be careful about, regardless. It’s already been mentioned to you, but the history of AI in this world is less than flattering, and that’s the kind of attention we don’t need attached to ourselves during this transition.

[arkproject]

And how do you know that?

[ Catherine is intrigued, not offended. She has a pretty thick skin, and she's used to people doubting her. She shouldn't take it personally and she knows that. But it's hard to hold onto that feeling sometimes, given everything... ]

I know all about being careful. But if I can help then I want to help. It shouldn't be more than what we're already seeing around us, whether they're deciding to call that 'artificial intelligence' or not.

[saviorexe]

I am an AI.

[In a squishy human body, but such as it is.]

Then if you’ve made up your mind on the matter, I’d suggest researching the law. There have been regulations put into place outlining what is and isn’t allowed.

[arkproject]

Oh! Really?? ... Wait, did you get turned into a human, too?

[ Yes, Catherine immediately thinks of that, because it's very rude. ]

That's fine with me. Frankly, clear guidelines are better than no guidelines.

[saviorexe]

I'm sorry, but "too"?

[Back up back up]

[arkproject]

I haven't always been human. The original, human Catherine took a brain scan of herself and created me, a digital copy. I mean, I have all of her memories, so I feel like I'm Catherine.

[saviorexe]

[A brain scan. That adds a little more nuance to it, though at the end of the day, the end result is the same — the application of data into a organic body, the apparent creation of an organic body just to house an AI mind, or something quite similar.]

A brain scan. Where you’re from, does this technology work in the reverse? The ability to place an AI mind into a human body?

To clarify, I’m an android; I have been given a human body, one that looks exactly like the body I used to have.

[arkproject]

"This technology" is something I invented, so it hasn't exactly been around. I have no idea how you would put an A.I. mind in an organic body.

This isn't a random body for me, either. It's how I remember myself when I was human. But they could've just pulled that from our memory files, or even edited our memory files to make sure it matches what they gave us. There's a lot of options and not a lot of ways to find out.

Frankly, it's creeping me out.

what the heck.... i'm so sorry, i lost this notif somehow

[saviorexe]

[There's a philosophical discussion to be had here, likely revolving around identity, or how experience and memory defines an individual.

But even Markus knows there's a time and a place. First, the details.]

The thought of my memories being edited does more than just "creep me out". We'd be unable to verify that anything we think we know now is true.

[Thanks for that nightmare fuel.]

That being said, it's more likely that they would provide us with bodies we're familiar with in order to make the transition to this world... easier.

oh gosh that is completely okay!

[arkproject]

[ If only that were a lesson Simon would learn. Markus is a keeper, clearly.

Catherine's number one job in life might as well be providing nightmare fuel, so she's doing great on that account. It doesn't seem to bother her nearly as much. She is bothered, just about different things than having her memory banks edited. ]

Well, sure. Verifying things is definitely a problem. And it does make sense to provide us with a familiar form to make us less hostile, but it could also be a practical limitation. Trust me -- I know from experience, you shove one of us in a body that isn't equipped to handle our complexity, it doesn't go well. You can't just put an entire person in whatever computer chip you have lying around.

Maybe, given their history with A.I., they don't have anything inorganic that can handle us. They might not've had a choice.

[saviorexe]

I think they didn't have a choice because of this world's history with artificial intelligence. I don't think the public finding out that there's an android wandering about in their midst would've been very good for me. And whatever the reason is for us being here, they want us to at least remotely function in society.

You said you're a brain scan of someone; did you have a physical body at the time?

[arkproject]

Do we know anything about the war they had? They must be really spooked if they wrote off A.I. entirely.

Not really. I mean, I did for a little while at first, but it wasn't great. It got damaged and then Simon had to put me in the Omnitool. That wasn't too bad - I had access to all the station systems wherever he plugged me in - but it was really disorienting to lose consciousness all the time whenever he had to unplug me.

This is really my first time having an independent body.

[saviorexe]

It was called the Xelkovian War, in which a smart home AI named Elysian simultaneously killed 50 human families. With that sparked fear, fueling anti-AI sentiment, in turn causing AI life to act violent against humans — whether in fear of being deleted, or if inspired by Elysian’s actions, is unclear. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say both. The war itself lasted six years, ending in 2101, with human casualties reaching a catastrophic number: 1.2 billion lives lost.

[So yes, “really spooked” is something of an understatement.]

In other words, you’re not used to possessing hardware at all. Who was Simon?