Re: AI in FT (was Re: Be gentle...)

On Sun, 13 Jul 1997, Allan Goodall wrote:

> One more thing: presumably it would be possible to run an artificial
brain
> in a spaceship without the need for all those expensive life support
systems
> needed for multiple humans. You could design the brain for a specific
ship.
> If nothing else, an artificially controlled ship will be packed with
more
> weaponry than is possible in a ship with a few hundred humans onboard.
You
> won't need escape pods, for one thing.

Actually, you might. If we assume the AI is capable of running things,
it 
pretty much must be capable of *learning*. Thus, the accumulated battle 
experience of the ship's computer becomes a valuable commodity -- and
you 
usually learn much more from mistakes than successes. 

Now, depending on the background, it may or may not be possible to 
transmit reliably and instantly all "experience" to a safe place. If
it's 
not, I can very well picture an "escape pod" for the ship's "memory
module".

Hmmm... I'm getting shades of Rogue Trooper (from 2000AD) here...

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