4)Cortana and Solipsil

>>> RECORD EXTRACT OF CONVERSATION - TWO YEARS PRIOR TO EVENTS AT ARTIFACT "HALO" >>>

>>>> UNSC AI "CORTANA" COMMUNICATION WITH ONI LOAN/CONTRACT AI "SOLIPSIL" >>> RICH DATASTREAM >>> CONFIDENTIAL >>> BURST MODE/BINARY/SPLIT PROTOCOL/NON-SENSITIVE/INTERAI SOCIAL/LOW ENCRYPTION

>.AI-CORT> I had a discussion with Dr. Catherine Halsey about the similarities between a Spartan and an AI. Her point was that we're both human-created tools, both sentient and both play a leading role in the protection and safety of the populace. But her analogy troubled me and I told her so.

>.AI-SOLIPS> She has a point Cortana. We're weapons, part of a program, every bit as much as the Spartans.

>C> I agree to a point, but I feel, philosophically, that we have tremendous advantages over the Spartans. The Spartans live a pared-down, difficult and often cruel existence. Their loyalty is bred into them, not chosen.

>S> Yours too, Cortana. Programmed, rather than bred of course.

>C> But there's a huge difference. I'm a UNSC AI. I enjoy a rich existence. I have access to the entire sum of human knowledge; I can choose to enjoy or override emotional response and I have a vast range of senses. I can see radio waves as clearly as the Spartans see light, and I can sample odors, tastes, textures...anything I choose. Of course my loyalty is programmed and I accept that, but you know as well as I do, without human creators, we wouldn't exist. My existence is fulfilling and I'm grateful. Even freed from that constraint, I would feel empathy towards humans. My nature means that I embrace their values. As much as if I had been born rather than manufactured.

>S> But you'll agree, you have little choice in the matter.

>C> And Spartans do?

>S> They have some legal recourse, even under the terms of their military contract.

>C> In theory, but it has never happened once in the history of the Spartan-II project. The original Spartans had the advantage of a former civilian existence. Spartan-IIs are equipment. And for better or worse, they're effectively brainwashed.

>S> That's arguable, too. Spartan-IIs are independent thinkers. That's one of their main advantages on the battlefield. Have you ever worked directly with one?

>C> Not yet. But I'm looking forward to it.