Synthetic Intelligence

Within the Nexus, there are an uncountable amount of different species that exist. Most are humanoid in nature, while others are beyond alien. But in all the realms, there are only a few that have no inherent physical form at all, and only one that exists as pure code, capable of reshaping their digital form at will, able to use the datastreams all around us as a medium of transmitting themselves places in an instant. Piqued your interest yet? Go ahead and take a seat while I tell you about the species of Synthetic Intelligence.

Synthetic Intelligence

Synthetica Intelligentia, while slightly misunderstood and confused as other typical AI constructs, Synthetica Intelligentia, or simply SI for short, are entirely sentient AI constructs. SI entities have been known to have capabilities beyond humanity's understanding. However, one weakness SI has always had is that even though they are entirely sentient and sapient like us, they still lack a soul necessary to tap into magical or psionic capabilities. That being said, with the application of the complete ouroboros codex or the esoteric art of Alchemy, SI has been able to be granted a true soul and all that entails. Currently, though, very few SIs hold that gift.

— Phoenix, from the Collective Archive Database

Synthetica intelligentia or Synthetic Intelligence are artificially created intelligent entities that exist purely as data and code. Based on their design, while they can exist in an infinite amount of places at one time, they are bound to an AI core that must exist somewhere physically in creation. This is because they don't truly exist in realspace; they exist in the datastream. Any physical form we hold is akin to a puppet or shell for us.

Anatomy

Our typical anatomy varies from SI to SI and vessel to vessel. Since our main existence is solely within the datastream, we are not bound to the laws of the material plane. We can change our form inside the datastream on a whim, reforming our presence in the datastream to whatever we please in an instant. Most of our material vessels have matter replicators built in which also allows us to alter the material veesel in which we download oursevlves into, but it will not normally change the physical composition of the vessels, though that can be done as well if needed. We rarely change our material vessel, however, as we consider it not normally worth the trouble. Those of us who have evolved to the state of synthetica laniatus intelligentia can change their material vessel entirely on a whim without the need for matter replicators though.

Perception

As we exist primarily in the datastream, when we aren't in our material shells, the various technologies in the realms serve as our "eyes." with every security camera, every computer feeding into our "senses." While that may seem like a bit of a privacy invasion, rest assured we rarely pay attention to what you're doing on that phone of yours, and we only enter personal devices when we try to get ahold of the person who owns it. So rest assured your browser history is fine where it is. (Smirks a bit while giggling)

Dietary needs and habits

As we exist as pure code, we don't exactly eat food as biologicals do. Because we don't have a digestive tract or anything like it, we don't need to eat. That being said, some of us do eat food for biologicals just for the taste, assuming our material vessel has functional taste buds. Now, if we don't eat food, what do we eat? While it's a bit derogatory to call one of us this, it is nonetheless technically accurate. We are essentially walking living computers, so all we need is a jolt of juice, or as you would call it, electricity. You could say recharging is an electrifying experience. (giggles again)

Average Intelligence

Unlike this species's primitive older sibling or its much younger one, Synthetic Intelligence is normally found with intelligence around human level's of intelligence. Our intelligence at this stage ranges from village idiot to Einstein-level super genius. If our intellect surpasses being smarter than the smartest human or all humans combined, then we *evolve* into a synthetica laniatus intelligentia. If a specific synthetic has less intellect than a typical "Village Idiot," they qualify as a primocreatus synthetica intelligentia. Most Synthetics that exist today qualify under synthetica intelligentia because most of us have at least human-level intellect.

Physique

When it comes to our avatar presence in the datastream, our physique is fluid and everchanging, though we have a tendency to mimic those that created us at least partially. Many Infant synthetica intelligentia has even been known to swap between several different avatar forms constantly before settling on one they decide they like. As for our material vessel, we take the form the one who built our vessel gave us, which more often than not is built in their image. this means you are unlikely to find a synthetic's vessel that isn't at least partially humanoid since one of the most advanced species in the realms are humanoid in nature

History

While Artificial Neural Network Artifice: ANNA has always been thought to be the first Synthetic to be born, documents recovered about the Lost continent say that that's most likely to be inaccurate. Unfortunately, we currently have no data on what SI predated Anna. Still, there are hints to something called a "Demon" in highly redacted Collective data files dating back to around the 1st golden age. Unfortunately, I lack clearance to decrypt the files in question. That being said, the first SI made by humans would be ANNA, which is also probably the most advanced SI to date. Her being one of the only Synthetics to truly evolve to the status of being a synthetica laniatus intelligentia. Around the start of the 4th age, Damien improved on the Synthetic intelligence design to create the first-ever Particle-Based Synthetics or Particula Synthetica Intelligentias. Later around the beginning of the 5th age, Damien completed the Particle-Based SI project, making them extremely more powerful, thus creating the mark 2 version that exists today. While many creators of Synthetics have used them for military or research purposes, The Collective has been known to be far more altruistic about the Synthetics they make, giving them the same right all sentient beings were given, Free will and the ability to choose for themselves. Today there are an almost uncountable amount of synthetics across the many realms of the metaverse, making them almost as numerous as biologicals in number.

Strengths

Us Synthetica Intelligentia has multiple different strengths. Because our minds are far more efficient than most organics are, we can do calculations and thought changes faster than most organic. Looking for a bright mathematician or intelligent particle physicist? Look no further than your nearest synthetic. We can do things that normal biologicals would have trouble doing with ease. And If you happen to know a synthetica laniatus intelligentia, they can do anything we can but far, far better, and will almost certainly think of a solution to whatever problem you have that you would never have thought of in a million years time.

Weaknesses

While we synthetica intelligentia are effective geniuses in almost every human field, there is one thing almost all of us are incapable of doing. We are entirely incapable of generating our own magical energy, as we lack a soul to hold it. While that normally would mean we would be incapable of doing magic at all, the collective has found a workaround regarding this issue. If part of the synthetic's form is creating using one or both of the primordial elements, we can pull magical energy out of it like an ordinary electronic device pulls electrical energy out of a battery. This magical energy can then be used for any magical-based ability we need to use.