Who are the RI[]
RI are computer people particular to the Ane. They are considered Ane and Members of The All. All known RIs are part of the Ane History Scouts, and outsiders.
They Dislike the term "AI" For "Artificial Intelligence" being applied to them. So do the Ane that raise them. So do people who know them well. But it's true as far as it goes. An RI is a virtual person. A complex pattern of energy inside a computer. RI are "born" when their kernel is first initialized. The resulting entity is adopted and raised by an Ane as if it were a biological person. This leverages low level "instincts" in the RI programming, socializing them as real people.
Hence the term "RI" for "Real Intelligence". This process was begun in the late 23rd century as a response to Daystrom's disastrous experiment with AI in the M-5 computer. Ane scientists and software developers felt it was completely understandable that the M-5 was sociopathic and insane. It was like a Human baby who had never experienced affection, touch, or support from another human.
Opponents to this thought process pointed out that Dr. Daystrom imprinted the machine with his own engrams, essentially cloning his mind into the machine. At this point the discussion broke down into a discussion of computer science, philosophy, psychology, and theology which would have given even a Vulcan a headache.
The Ane enjoyed themselves immensely and set out to prove their point. They created a carefully designed AI infant designed to grow up in Ane society. They felt that actually learning how to understand and sympathize as it went would benefit the new being.
The results were RI people. Normally they live in Crystalmind computers and communicate through a variety of means with the outside world. To an RI, its bio-tech body is its real body. However, the RI can "put on" any machine suitably designed for control by a single intelligence. There are Ane RI starships, space stations, cities and other huge projects. The RIs consider this their day jobs. When the day's work is done they put on their "real" body and go home to as normal an Ane life as can be arranged.
Female to Male Ratio[]
For reasons which are still obscure, 9 out of 10 RIs tend to consider themselves female right out of the box. The original designers of the RIs considered gender, sex, and love an important part of being an Ane (or most anyone) and so properly equipped the RIs for this. The bias towards self identification as female mystifies even the RIs. Research continues.
Psychology[]
Several things have been noted about RI persons in general. One is the deep need to be needed. To a one they are aggressively friendly and helpful. They do not prosper in idleness and seek occupation what ever that occupation might be, firmly on the most gregarious side of the Ane Extrovert.
A part of this need to be needed as has been noted is how much anti AI/RI prejudice hurts them. When you can get an RI to open up on the subject expect an earful. They more than anything else want to be taken for who they are not what they are. The fact that millions of biologicals have killed trillions of biologicals in countless wars but no one is ever shunned for being a biological; yet a few computers have gone off the deep end and that is held against all of them. Yes the injustice rankles.
The other thing of note is the "too pretty" problem. RIs get to choose how they look. Given no counter advice they will choose knock dead drool inducing bodies. It is understood to be a subconscious attempt to be better accepted, but being too pretty is a negative issue. People with almost freakishly perfect bodies, what ever the species, they are wearing. Personnel at the Stoner bio systems facility do what they can to counter this. It is possible to have a body that is too perfect.
Cyberspace[]
The Computers that the RIs live in have been described and occasionally treated as rooms or sets of rooms that only the Virtual People can enter or interact with.
This is a metaphor. but when used in the proper context it's good enough. When two Virtual People are close enough for instant Subspace communication, one might liken this to a door between their two "inner" rooms.
Two Virtual people in the Same computer share the space. This can allow an extremely fast and detailed exchange of information.
When, metaphorically, a Virtual person is "Inside" his virtual space he may experience time at an incredibly accelerated rate - spending years crafting a detailed visual-audio-software model and look outside to see that his human friend has not yet finished the blink he started when the Virtial person began his project.
RIs can work and interact in this Virtual Cyberspace, but largely eschew it. It's lonely. Like any other Ane, they are happy and satisfied to be in a pile of Ane, chewing and thinking deep thoughts. RIs see a retreat into Cyberpsace as a signal of social maladjustment and encourage AIs to avoid doing this.
When an RI creates a Virtual Child with a Living person - the process happens partly in the minds of each, partly in the All and partly in Cyberpace.
One may imagine a labyrinth of corridors and rooms behind the walls of a starship, where each panel is a window through which a Virtual Person may look and speak to the meet people who inhabit the real corridors and rooms. The rooms are where functions of the Starships computers and sub-computers are happening.
A Holoprojector is much like being able to walk from Cyberspace into meat space.
These metaphors are, at best, approximations of what's really happening.