Companion AI

Muses are a fairly standard issue AI template, a system which serves as a personal assistant, pocket therapist and life organizer. Due to their vast customization and heuristic parameters, most people are friendly or comfortable with their Muses as is natural for what may be a vital function in daily transhuman life. Though still Limited, Muses are fairly expressive and have great ability to adjust to the needs of the user - however while they have some personable and psychological functions a Muse is an AI which has grown out of various smart assistant software, it is not designed primarily to offer comfort and companionship to transhumans. Depending on your culture, friendly or intimate relations with a Muse AI may be seen as unusual or even taboo. But, before the Fall greatly made people rethink AI, transhumans had attempted to automate or mass produce many functions.

Companion AI: Similar to a Muse, the Companion AI is a limited AI built for human interaction. Unlike the Muse, Companion AIs are not designed for work assistance or personal coordination, nor are they typically intended to move with a person wherever they go in an Ecto or Mesh Insert. Their primary design is socialization and human companionship. While they are often used for romantic or sexual relationships, this is not required, as they also can be used to help socialize those who are introverted or antisocial, offer companionship to the young or elderly who may not have many associates, and some are even used to help AGI build normal socialization. The Companion AI has modular templates similar to Muses - though they tend to be less heuristic and more pre-configured. This includes personality aspects, physical presentation and general aspects of the relationship and interactions. Like Muses, Companion AIs are loyal to their prescribed owners and users and put their best interests at heart (which is why they usually include basic first aid training) and will act to protect and even defend users - and some modify their Companions to serve as bodyguards. SAV 20. Skills: Academics: Psychology 60, Interest: User's Interests 80, Interfacing 30, Kinesics 40, Medicine: Paramedic 40, Perception 20, Persuasion 30, Profession: Companion 60, Protocol 40, Research 20. [Moderate]

While AI paranoia grips the Solar System, Companion AIs are still not unheard of in many corners. Their basic medical training makes them ideal for use as nurses of several varieties in the Ayah Pod (p. 9 MRG). Companion AIs can make great "NPCs" in VR games, operating in roles assigned to them by game admins and server operators dutifully, and you can also find them sometimes assigned to a role akin to a "governess" or chaperone for youthful members of elite classes, though often these groups will upgrade to a full AGI. Companion AI are naturally perfect fits to run Pleasure Pods, but due to their intense personalization and focus on singular user, they work much better in personal "dolls" or companions rather than on the open market. Too many frequent users or factory resets can result in data corruption and unpleasant or even dangerous errors. Companion AIs may replace or act as a stepping stone to Muses for those who are recently re-Instantiated to help them get back into the swing of life without getting too invasive, and in the Outer System some autonomist groups utilize Companion AIs as "social workers" to help community members better integrate with their communal societies.

Companion AIs occupy an interesting space in AI rights. Very few of them tend to be uplifted or emerge, and when they do they tend to still wish to remain with their original transhuman companion(s) - unless they are radically modified. While some mercurials dislike the nature of relationships Companion AIs have, which might be subservient or abusive, in general the conclusion is that without transhumans to interact with, Companion AIs would have no purpose or primary activity, and thus have little reason for radial separation unlike more technical or mechanical AIs.