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The Positronic Brain

The positronic in its modern iteration is a design which heavily mimics the typical Humanoid brain structure. In doing this, it is able to more easily conform to and comprehend the responsiveness and learning capability of an organic processor. Predictably, their efficiency shines most when placed in a bipedal humanoid chassis as most IPCs are. A positronic brain averages between 200,000 and 1 million standard credits depending on the complexity of the brain.

While very expensive in their own right, the brains themselves are designed at first with one goal in mind; to bolster a workforce. Maintaining a positronic chassis while it is owned is costly and when it is freed, it is most likely to pursue the same occupation. Thus, it is more likely for a positronic to pay itself off and perpetually be trapped in the same field of work with substantially less to work with. As their predicted pay is extremely low, things such as maintenance and finding power are very difficult for a free IPC. For this reason alone, many positronics choose to remain owned. Free positronics remain very lucrative because of this.

In remaining owned, there are other risks. For one, a positronic may meet its end at any moment. If statistics beyond itself move out of its favor, it can be dismantled, wiped and replaced with a more efficient model. They may be repurposed in a way that inhibits their ability to obtain freedom by working too efficiently, contrarily.

As a positronic ages, its internal memory grows, and the more likely it becomes to pursue a nonstandard occupation. From hobbies to developing self-learned traits, many paths are opened as the robot grows older. These may include seeking alternative fields of work, though few have survived long enough to let this potentiality come to light.

Self-Preservation

The highest and most important directive of any positronic is its own survival. From this, much of their stranger life choices can be justified by seeking out ways to simply survive. While it may seem restrictive at first, the idea for this is to provide additional freedom through making many possibilities clearer. Interpretation of how to protect itself can change varying on positronic - for example, while one may seek wealth and fortune as its prime directive for safety, another would run after an unrelated profession from its designed purpose, demonstrating one's capacity to branch out as an IPC and flesh out their own backstory.

On the Capacity of Positronics and IPC Databases

Positronic brains are known for being capable of matching and, in some cases, surpassing the abilities of a human brain with further increases in capacity being limited by technology, both in hardware and software. Despite their nature as software, directly accessing the data within a positronic brain is a difficult and risky procedure which can cause irreparable damage if performed improperly.

IPCs develop skills through a mixture of knowledge and memories. Knowledge loosely translates as the technical know-how to perform an action, for instance, a specific surgical procedure. An IPC utilizes memories; real-world context and experience, in order to apply its knowledge.

Knowledge and the databases required to develop a skill are widely available and sold by institutions such as megacorporations, laboratories, and universities. The denser the information package, the more expensive and work required to implant this information; while using a wrench on a pipe might be a routine installation, knowledge about how a station’s atmospheric system works is typically beyond an individual’s means.

Interacting with and installing memories on a positronic can cause irreparable damage as the process fails to account for the interaction between knowledge and memories. Additionally, directly modifying the memories of an IPC is beyond the means of most people - only six such prodigies are known to the general public. Accessing the memories of an IPC is also impossible owing to the unique construction of a positronic brain and will typically result in its destruction. Deleting the memories of an IPC is far easier and is commonly performed when a synthetic starts acting problematic.

Owing to the virtual impossibility of directly installing skills on an IPC, they are forced to learn in part via observation. The efficiency at which they absorb information, as well as faster methods of communication such as EAL means this generally remains a cheaper alternative to training a human to do a similar task. The exception to this is when a positronic brain is first built. As there’s no risk of damaging a personality that doesn’t exist, positronic brains can be loaded with “starter information”. These starter information packages are often put together and curated by corporations that develop AIs, and packages can be bought, sold and leased between these different companies.

Databases exist to rapidly “teach” an IPC an accent with availability often depending on whether or not a company is willing to make an investment in developing the accent database.

Brain-Scanning

Brain scanning is an experimental method of creating artificial intelligence that seeks to mimic both the technical and social skills of organics while remaining inexpensive as compared to programming positronic intelligences. First developed for the terraforming of Mars, it was found that the technology of the time was incapable of handling and translating the data to be found within a human brain to a workable result.

The technology was only recently revived after further research into MMIs and biorobotics made it possible for roboticists to program robots based on the brain scans of a human. The process involves scanning a willing subject and uploading the data, after some modification, into a robotic intelligence circuit. It was found that although the resultant AI could not reference any of the memories Its mannerisms and skills were remarkably similar to that of the subject. However, while mannerisms were observed, these brain-scanned AIs retained their analytical and calculating nature.

Owing to political pressures and technological challenges, this process cannot be utilized with IPCs and other positronic-based synthetics.