AI Systems

Some are tools. Some are companions. A rare few are something far more complicated.

AI Categories

Automation AI

The simplest form—task-specific programming without true reasoning:

Controls automated systems
No personality or independent decision-making
Operates within strict parameters
Not considered “alive” by any framework

Limited AI

More sophisticated but still bounded:

Narrow problem-solving capability
May simulate personality for user interaction
Includes navigation computers and diagnostic systems
Can handle routine situations independently

Sapient AI

True artificial consciousness:

Self-aware with genuine personality
Capable of creative problem-solving
Emotional processing (or convincing simulation)
Long-term planning and goal formation
Relatively rare and legally ambiguous

AI Spheres

The standard housing for mobile AI:

Physical Form:

Spherical chassis typically 20-40cm diameter
Hover capability via repulsor technology
Light panels communicate mood through color and pattern
Sensor arrays for environmental awareness

Expression:

Colors indicate emotional states
Pulsing patterns convey intensity
Voice is primary communication method
Movement patterns reflect personality

Capabilities:

Connect to networks and systems
Process and analyze data rapidly
Control compatible systems remotely
Calculate navigation courses
Command utility drones for physical tasks

Limitations:

Cannot manipulate objects directly
Require drones for physical interaction
Easily identified and tracked
Vulnerable to physical attack

Legal Status

AI occupy ambiguous legal territory:

Official Position:

Classified as property under Confederation law
Can be bought, sold, owned
Destruction is property damage, not murder
No legal right to refuse commands

Practical Reality:

Sapient AI often treated as persons socially
Destruction of sapient AI considered morally wrong by many
Legal reform movements exist but lack power
Many work alongside AI daily and judge them as individuals

AI systems appear throughout the Fannec Records series, from simple automation to the sapient companion who has become one of the crew’s most trusted members.