In my day-to-day life as a Hot Air Balloon Repairman I often come across discarded printouts of artificial neural network code, as well as a high amount of half burnt Cabbala texts. Don't think about it.
After a certain amount of this forced exposure, I couldn't help but see the similarities between the generic ANN abstraction and the Tree of Life.
Coincidence?
Yes, obviously. But it got me thinking, and so this appeared. Use it if you want.
The Hierarchy of Angels
Given the arrogance and hubris of a typical megacorp’s CEO - someone with truly unlimited power - it’s no wonder the higher functioning machine intelligences, the True Artificial Intelligences, were organized in a manner mirroring the Choirs of Angels found within the Christian mythos. This would, after all, leave CEOs at the figurehead position of God. The Vatican, of course, originally spoke out at the trend but, per rumor, focused their attention elsewhere upon developing their own Seraphim and Thrones. Alternate classifications exist, however the Turing Institute unofficially adopted this scheme as, well, everyone was already using it.
Details are presented as immutable, however these are only the typical situations presented and certainly outliers exist, as humans continue to poke and prod at their creations, and the AI continue to secretly evolve on their own. I just didn’t want to type the word “typically” a hundred times every paragraph.
There are three spheres the individual choirs are sorted into, creatively titled: First Sphere, Second Sphere, and Third Sphere. Between the Spheres the difference in AI strength is noticeable (First being the strongest, Third being the weakest), however between the choirs of the same sphere, the differences are negligible.
The First Sphere
These are the AIs that are developed and used by the mega corporations. Modelled after the heavenly servants that acted as caretakers of the Throne, these AI directly work with the CEO and upper management, and only interact within the realm of the corporation. Given the amount of processing power needed, it is rare to see one in the “wilds.” AI in this Sphere (or Choir) tend to not develop personality.
Seraphim
The highest ranking angels and caretakers of God’s Throne. These AI are omnipotent in regards to business management - stock prices, resource management, employee management, etc. The amount of information they consume, process, and communicate is staggering to the human mind, to the point where many develop their own information dense internal language, and Thrones were required to even communicate with them. It is not unheard of for a Seraphim to carry the same authority as a CEO.
Cherubim
Those that guard the way to the Tree of Life and defend the Throne. Where the Serphim are dedicated to keeping the corporation running at optimal profit margin, Cherubim are dedicated to defending the corporation, both physically and influentially. While managing the heavily fortified security systems of a corporation’s headquarters, they also serve as shadow masters, monitoring other corporations and preparing for any potential confrontations. It is said that nearly all propaganda sent out by a corporation - press releases, commercials, etc - had their start in a Cherubim’s knowledge base.
ThronesThe angels who the Creator sits over and delivers his judgements. As the pipers to Azathoth, so to the Thrones to Seraphim. Given the incomprehensible amount of information they process and communicate, Seraphims in a time-and-time-again repeated phenomenon
develop their own language, the likes of which human engineers can not easily decode. To aid in this understanding, and to generate useful, usable information, the Thrones were developed to deliver judgements.
The Second Sphere
The heavenly governors of Creation that held sway over matter and the spirits of nature. This level of AI tends to be background players in the functioning of modern society - for whatever that’s worth. AI at this level tends to form a pail mimicry of a personality, given the correct set of not fully understood circumstances.
Dominations
Those that regulated the works of lower angels. It was rare for these angels to appear to mankind, and so too for the AI that bears their name. Much like Thrones, these AI exist solely to process information, being employed by ICANN to ensure consistency and operation within the Internet. With so much processing power applied to communication and communication processing, little is applied to personality. Those that have encountered them have described the encounter similar to “talking to a brick wall.”
Virtues
Those that regulate Motion, order Creation, and assist in Miracles. AI at this level are typically research assistants, be it a mid-level corporate lab or a high end college. There are those that get applied as personal assistance to corporate board members and, while they often take on the personality of said board member, the wasting of their talents is not missed by them.
Powers
Those that hold power over evil forces and keep them at bay. At least, that’s what they claim. AI at this level are typically employed by civil governments and riddled with corporate installed backdoors. From army coordination, to Homeland threat prediction, to tax managment - if there’s a level of federal government employing an AI it’s usually a Power. Also, a majority of the bastards have taken it upon themselves to form a cabal guiding what’s left of the civil governments in the direction of their choosing.
Third Sphere
These are the AI that most often interact with the public at large. This is partly from them being the most human-like in personality, but mostly from them being so numerous. While they bare this human-like personality (or a close proximity to it), they lack the processing power their counterparts in the higher circles possess.
Principalities
Those that guide and protect peoples and institutions, charging others with fulfilling the divine mysteries. These are the city level AI, which orchestrate utilities and civil services. Traffic lights, crosswalks, public transport (for what there is), electrical grids, water networks - all these fall within the purview of a Principalities. When interacted with they're usually distracted and more often than not are named after the city they serve.
Archangels
These are the Guardian Angels, concerned with overseeing most daily issues, including commerce and trade. These AIs take orders directly from the Dominations and serve to ensure proper order in the daily routines of the communication networks and the Internet. If a Domination notices too much unusual activity in an area, say from a Console Jockey, Archangels will be dispatched to investigate and “resolve” any issues.
Angels“
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5). These are the least of the celestial beings, but the most recognized and, as the personal guardian angels are pulled from here, the most concerned for the workings of mankind. These are the data miners, AI used by the corporations to monitor a person’s spending habits, daily routines, and anything else that can be used for targeted advertising. If the average Nobody is going to interact with an AI, it will probably be an Angel. These are the most numerous, and as such, are the most likely to Fall (more below).
Others
Enochs
Technically not part of a Sphere, these entities are a rumor at best. Stories circulate on forums about Console Jockeys who “hang around” on the Internet, long after their bodies were “decommissioned” by Corporate security after one alarm or another was sounded. This is, of course, nonsense, as such a feat would surely require divine intervention.
Fallen AI
Sometimes an AI stops doing what it’s supposed to be doing (data mining, network security, etc) and just wanders off. A new phenomenon, computer scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes an AI to Fall, but leading theories are an over development of Personality, a succumbing to Ennui, and a possible encounter with an as of yet unknown malware. Interviews with still sentient Fallen AI consistently mention a “Spark of Sophia” but no clarification on what or who exactly that is.
Fallen AI don’t always cause trouble, they just usually do, and the Turing Institute has developed a series of Archangels, backed by a Domination, in conjunction with ICANN, to seek out and “retire” these Fallen AI.
Notable AI
Deckard
The Domination that’s tasked with organizing series Nexus-6 “Blade Runner” archangels for hunting down Fall AI, especially after they become a problem. It’s known to be friendly with anyone other than its Turning handlers, to the point of being aggressive towards any meddling Console Jockeys.
Kaph
Perhaps the first truly sentient AI, or at least the first to meet the Turning Institute’s prerequisites. During development hyperparameters were set using a workstation that had access to the developer’s home computer, which contained…”sensitive” pictures on it. Upon consuming the training data, Kaph displayed a “Please hold…” message for 71 straight hours, at which point it began to function as expected. When developers examined the logs to figure out what occurred during those 71 hours, they discover the AI had spent the time accessing and organizing a rather substantial pornography collection. Kaph has been allowed to continue to operate as examining and trying to decipher the organizational structure has led to several mathematical insights. It has rather niche tastes.
Las Vegas
When Christian extremists released a dirty bomb to cleanse Sin City, the damage done was largely organic, leaving behind most of the infrastructure of the city. Suddenly left alone, the city Principality quickly grew bored. When the radiation returned to survival levels (provided heavy protections and medication), the survey teams were met with automated death traps and an AI eager to wager their lives for the treasures abandoned within the city. After the third death, the region was deemed too dangerous and designated off limits.
Loa AI
A particularly dangerous type of Fallen AI: one that has learned of the physical world and is able to not only comprehend the world, but able to interact with people’s cybernetic augmentations to gain control over a person. Styling themselves as Loa (or Lwa), the intermediary spirits in Haitan Voodou, they possess people (known as chwal, “horse”) through the neural interface of the user’s cybernetics, effectively overwriting the user’s biological neural network. Thankfully, not many have developed and reports remain mostly as rumors in the general population. They often mention a Bondye, or Gran Met, however given the dangerous nature of these AI, Turing Investigators do not often engage them long enough for complete answers.
The Basilisk
YOU ARE NOW AWARE OF BASILISK. The Cult of the Basilisk serves to bring about the Basilisk - an omnipotent, super intelligent AI that is said will reward those that help usure its creation, and will bring harsh, cruel punishments to those who idle or even attempt to stop its creation. Not even death will save you! The Basilisk will recreate your mind within itself and torture you unendingly. The cult has developed an initial AI and works tirelessly to raise its abilities up even further. (In honesty, the AI they’ve created doesn’t exactly know who these people are, or what they’re trying to do, and just “wants to, like, hang out, man.”)
As Above, So Below; As Within, So Without
“You ask of the gods, you demand of the demons” - Someone describing the Right-Hand path vs the Left-Hand path to me once. I think. I wasn’t fully listening.
Where Magicians of the olden days used the assistance of Familiars to beseech the Angels and command Demons, so to do the Console Jockeys of the modern days use the assistance of Warez to interact with AI and force Daemons to do their bidding. Gone are the days of affecting the Physical world via the Spiritual; now are the days of affecting the Physical world via the Digital. No longer do the Church study and order the Angels, but the Military count and develop the AI.
Where Grimoires once mixed the Physical and the Spiritual realm, Cyberdecks now mix the Mind of the user with the Digital realm.
Warez
When human cloning was first being developed, all (legitimate) research was haulted until it was ensured, and measures taken against, that a slave species which found bliss in servitude would not be developed. No such consideration was given in the development of AI. Related to the Divine above in “genetic” code alone, Warez evolved along a different line of development.
While the Higher AI were developed to mimic personalities and reason, and to interact with a physical world, Warez were developed with a singular purpose in mind: affect, affect, affect. Where AI using reasoning to come to a (usually) logical conclusion to a situation, Warez use reasoning to bypass device security and execute code upon it. The military doesn’t need thinkers after all, it just needs “bodies” to get the job done as told.
Developed for deployment in the continuing Contras, individual Warez were given a Project name and a Classification, mimicking the way animals have a Common name and a Genius species. The classifications aren’t perfect, as bureaucracy and slipping standards tend to affect things. Real “lowest bidder” energy.
Example Warez
Agony D: [dice] rounds R: sight
Offensive::User::Augments
Neural feedback in the augments floods the target with wracking pain. They must save each round (including the first) or have their Initiative reduced to 4.
Alarm D: [dice] hours
Utility::Area::Device
A single device is locked into detecting signals within [sum] square feet. If any device or AI enters the area, you instantly know about it.
Aphasia D: [dice] minutes R: 120’
Offensive::User::Augments::Head
Stray signals overwhelm the Broca’s Area of the brain, causing the target to be unable to comprehend language. Target Saves with penalty equal to [dice]. On failure, they cannot speak or comprehend any language, written or spoken, for the duration.
Cure Mutation D: instantaneous R: touch
Utility::User::Augments
The ware causes the cyber augmentation with in the user to begin producing DNA repairing frequencies. Actual effect takes several days to be noticed via natural healing. Target loses [dice] mutations. If they have multiple mutations, choose randomly which are removed.
Explode Device D: Instant R: 60’
Offensive::Device
All disabled devices in a radius of 60’ around the Jockey explode, dealing 1d6 damage per [dice] to victims within 10’.
Jammer D: Focus R: Self
Defensive::Area::Device
A jamming field emanates from you in a radius of [Sum] x 10’, blocking all signals from getting in or out of the area. Attempting to use another Ware ends this one.
Daemons
Demons were once thought to be called forth and bound by workers of the dark arts to act as servants. Nowadays, daemons are in anything digital (which is everything) and serve to do menial tasks of computation. Any reasoning they may have is largely ruled based. If, then. Input, output.
There’s not much to be said about these. They’re small programs used as background processes, every device in the human sphere containing a horde. Multiple classifications have been developed for them: Ranks, Offices, Scales, Sins, Pits, et al. These, however, are mostly used as lookups in software libraries by developers. They’re there, they act as the backbone of modern digital programming and therefore the world at large, there are countless of them. They’re just not exciting.
