User:NewOriginalSchwann/Sandbox3

IPCs in the Solarian Alliance

The Alliance is the birthplace of integrated positronic chassis and they have found a place in almost every level of society, offering relatively cheap, autonomous, and skilled labour. The discovery of ancient drones in 2406 led to the development of the positronic brain which provided manufacturers with a processor capable of holding AI that could consume knowledge and control a humanoid body with the same level of competence as a human. Owing to their cost, the majority of the Alliance’s robotics’ needs are fulfilled by simpler, human-designed AI or unreliable and controversial cyborg processors. Positronic intelligences are instead used in roles which require a high degree of autonomy and adaptability, or simply replace humans directly, especially in dangerous fields.

Though patently rejecting the idea of synthetic personhood, IPC treatment within the Alliance is characterized much more by bureaucratic apathy than by true malice. Positronics are considered exceptionally useful tools by most of the Alliance, and afforded a similar degree of respect as any particularly expensive electronic device. The treatment and restrictions placed upon an IPC vary based upon their owners, with a notable divide between corporate and government-owned IPCs versus privately-owned positronics. IPCs owned by large corporations and the Solarian state are held to much higher standards of control, with implanted directives, tracking beacons, and movement restrictions enforced to minimize the risk of an IPC acting outside of its orders, or, in the case of major corporations, to reduce liability in the event of unwanted behavior. By contrast, private citizens have much more flexibility in their treatment of IPCs, with many privately-owned domestic IPCs being given extensive freedom of movement and action by their owners. Such flexibility comes at a cost in security, with private owners lacking the extensive legal mechanisms to protect them in the event their IPC performs a criminal act.

In both of the above cases, however, extreme measures such as the Burzsiean Method are considered wasteful and counterproductive by the Alliance, as repeated memory wipes and personality erasure has the side effect of removing much of the unique capabilities which make a positronic AI system attractive in the first place.

All foreign-owned IPCs entering the Alliance must be accompanied by an organic handler for the duration of their stay, or be refused entry outright. Free IPCs are categorically banned from entry into Solarian space, except in cases where such an IPC is acting in an official capacity from a foreign government. Though these IPCs are granted freedom of movement due to their status, they will still face frequent spot checks, heightened security attention, and widespread suspicion from the Alliance populace. The sole exceptions to this rule are free synthetics employed by Eridani Federation PMCs, who have their free movement within the Alliance guaranteed by the Byzantine arrangement of legal contracts binding Eridani to Sol, provided they are on official EPMC business and accompanied by a designated handler responsible for their actions. Free IPCs who violate Alliance law will face unceremonious deportation back to their home country, with their tag recorded to ensure they do not return.