Rules Clarification: Agent Programs (CSCp69)

[rinku]

As far as CSC goes, it adds the Digital Friend, which is just a more user friendly version of the Intelligent Interface. Again, not actually an AI, but a sophisticated digital PA. You tell it what to do; it might learn to anticipate your needs, such as reminding you of scheduled appointments without prompting, or be able to compile a playlist from vague instructions ("Put on something I like"). It offers a small bonus for relevant fatigue or sanity checks but otherwise offers the same utility as a regular Intelligent Interface for a bandwidth overhead.

All very good. However, CSC revised the skill part of it in regards to price. You can't mix or match easily; use one or the other.

The differences are:

* Intelligent Interface is now framed as more of a primitive AI, and allows a character who has at least skill 0 to get the +1 for using an Expert skill package. No further benefit is provided to a skilled character from Intellect software, although if they didn't HAVE Intelligent Interface for some reason, they could get the same benefit. This is more of a clarification than a change.

* The skills are now listed, and have a TL and varying (cheaper) base price for Expert/1 grade, with the higher grades following the same +1 TL and x10 price per grade as the CRB. The TL rating is a bit dumb, since you need either a TL11 Intelligent Interface or a TL12 Intellect/1 to actually use them. I think it was sourced from the Robot Handbook, and was really intended for Robot Brain use... feel free to ignore it and revert to the flat Cr1000 for all Expert/1 packages that are designed to be used in regular computers, per CRB.

(Note that the only direct advantage to an unskilled character using an Intellect proigram, to access a skill as opposed to just telling the computer what to do is if their characteristic mod is better than the computer's... it's Bandwidth minus 1 for both. So if you have a low grade computer and a really smart but unskilled character, get the character to make the decisions. If you have a dumb character and a high grade computer, get the computer to make the decisions.)

 

[swordtart]

As far as CSC goes, it adds the Digital Friend, which is just a more user friendly version of the Intelligent Interface. Again, not actually an AI, but a sophisticated digital PA. You tell it what to do; it might learn to anticipate your needs, such as reminding you of scheduled appointments without prompting, or be able to compile a playlist from vague instructions ("Put on something I like"). It offers a small bonus for relevant fatigue or sanity checks but otherwise offers the same utility as a regular Intelligent Interface for a bandwidth overhead.

I think we need to be careful about badging things as AI or not. The benefit from "companionship" takes it away from being just an personal organiser. The definition is AI is not clear at this time in RL and the term is bandied around with a lot of baggage. Digital Friend (and the clue is in the name) has a simulated personality. It is not conscious, but that is more clearly defined in the Robot Handbook as a very advanced technology. Frankly any of the Basic brains and up could be classified as AI since you can give them general verbal instructions rather than specific task instructions.

The Intelligent Interface description specifically states that those familiar with those sort of interfaces will recognise it but others might mistake it for a living intelligence. This passes the Turing Test but more specifically CRC p71 says "The Intelligent Interface package features an artificial intelligence which allows a computer to report data and receive commands as if it were a sentient being" (my emphasis). Since Digital Friend is developed from it, it stands to reason that it is also an AI by the definitions of the game.

* Intelligent Interface is now framed as more of a primitive AI, and allows a character who has at least skill 0 to get the +1 for using an Expert skill package. No further benefit is provided to a skilled character from Intellect software, although if they didn't HAVE Intelligent Interface for some reason, they could get the same benefit. This is more of a clarification than a change.

The CRB and CSC are both clear that to use an Expert package to gain +1 to your skill you at least need Intelligent Interface. Digital friend is a listed alternative and I tend to assume that if you had Intellect you would also gain +1 if you already had the skill at a higher level than the Expert package supports (but I am not sure that is in the rules). CRB p111, p113 (and similar wording was in the 2016 version).

(Note that the only direct advantage to an unskilled character using an Intellect proigram, to access a skill as opposed to just telling the computer what to do is if their characteristic mod is better than the computer's... it's Bandwidth minus 1 for both. So if you have a low grade computer and a really smart but unskilled character, get the character to make the decisions. If you have a dumb character and a high grade computer, get the computer to make the decisions.)

I also permit Intellect to be either let loose on its own to conduct the task (which of course also means that the character can go off and do other things and allows the Intellect to take its time for a +2 even over hours or days) or to provide more comprehensive prompts and tailoring in real-time and apply their own stat bonuses. This might be more appropriate as a task chain, but I don't like using those unless strictly necessary as it is just extra dice rolls.