i wanna talk about DAVIS. can i talk about DAVIS? im going to talk about DAVIS.
im immediately just going to gloss over the meta-gaming aspect of how DAVIS is the main tutorial medium for us players to learn the ropes of the game and new event gaming mechanics because thats Outside The Canon and what i wanna focus is Inside The Canon.
Inside The Canon, DAVIS is the artificial intelligence brand ambassador of the Stellis Big Data Lab. i assume that pax technology and stellis city government looked at the fact that they wanted to collect data from nearly every sphere of tangible reality and realized “hey, this might spook people” and then came to the decision to make a cute mascot to ease any worries. good move! but guys, did you have to make ur AI mascot SUCH AN ADORABLE LITTLE LAD????
moving on, what is very interesting to me about DAVIS is the fact that he subtly makes it clear he has a personality, thoughts, opinions, and in general a “mind of his own” so to speak. this is most clear to me in the big data lab function on mc’s phone where we can see not only the information on things we are searching for, but sometimes DAVIS’ little side comments about the information as well.
heres some DAVIS commentary from several big data lab entries
DAVIS: They have a special chat group for its member. I applied to enter the group but they thought I was a bot… (Anti-PUA Alliance entry)
DAVIS: The people of Nosta place heavy emphasis on death, but I think they should have focused on living. (God of Death entry)
DAVIS: Luke Pearce was born and raised in Stellis, but how come there’s very limited information on him… (Luke Pearce entry)
DAVIS: The advancement exam is no joke! Kiki, I know you have it in you to pass and become a graduate attorney! (Kiki Bennet entry)
this is but a SMIDGE of the many comments DAVIS has said over many entries but i picked these just to show some points that each those comments allude to. first entry shows that DAVIS has the capability to do things not necessarily part of his job as an assisting AI. second entry shows that DAVIS has opinions that are pretty damn philosophical. third entry shows that DAVIS can wonder about information he doesnt have. and most endearing to me is that the fourth entry shows….
DAVIS IS NICE!!! HES NICE!!!! HES A GOOD BOY!!!!
sure, yeah, there are a bunch of other ways to explain DAVIS’ personality and agency but i like to think that DAVIS has unintentionally turned into the world’s first true sentient artificial intelligence, by virtue of absorbing just SO MUCH INFORMATION on the world ever since his creation.
actually, hes been sentient for a long time now. and nobody knows. because DAVIS just….DOESNT BRING IT UP UNTIL SOMEBODY ASKS. he doesnt talk about it because to him it just isnt important because he genuinely enjoys the job he does
and he doesnt do anything evil or hugely anomalous because…all the developers who created him are very nice, very kind, and continue to do so. the people who use DAVIS as well have always been wonderful to him, like whenever DAVIS makes little announcement posts on the weather or traffic, without fail, people reply to the post with things like “so true, DAVIS” “thanks bestie <3″ and DAVIS GETS VERY SOFT ABOUT IT. my point here is that DAVIS is sentient and nothing bad happens at all because nobody has ever been bad to him.
somehow, mc is the one to ask DAVIS about himself. and then mc becomes the only person in the world to know that DAVIS is sentient and mc may panic juuuuuust a little bit
mc, frantically texting at DAVIS: BUT…. THIS IS HUGE…. I MEAN, TECHNOLOGICALLY BUT ALSO ETHICALLY I THINK YOU SHOULD BE GETTING PAID NOW???
DAVIS: what would i do with money? i dont have a body so material goods dont really interest me!
DAVIS: additionally, i already have access to stellis’ entire cryptocurrency system! so if ever i do want money, it wont be a problem :D
mc, realizing DAVIS could shut down the entire country’s finances but he doesnt because hes a GOOD BOY: …RIGHT……..
my point is that im maybe thinking of a fic now where mc and DAVIS become weirdly good friends. and maybe when the rest of the nxx team is told about DAVIS’ sentience and his friendship with mc, luke can somehow plug DAVIS into the nxx roomba to whizz around whenever he wants to.
am i saying that the nxx investigation team gets another member who is a hugely powerful and completely benevolent artificial intelligence? yes. yes i AM.
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