Broad Daylight Appendix C: A Glossary of Robitcs · 7:34pm Feb 3rd, 2023
Emotional setpoint theory: A model of the workings of pony emotions first posited in the 13th century by Lovelace, one of the first mad scientist, during a period where robots were still hypothetical. This model posits that ponies have exactly five discreet emotions (Aggression, Love, Fear, Apathy and Sadness). Any other emotions exist as a setpoint between two of these emotions.
The model remains highly controversial. Ponies have objected to the idea of ‘apathy’ being a discreet emotion, question where things like curiosity would fit into this model and complain that it is most likely overly-reductive.
Regardless, this model was a strong inspiration to Star Slate, the creator of the first generation of truly intelligent robots. Due to his early influence, robots are designed to follow the emotional setpoint model. Even those who oppose the idea that this model also applies to ponies don’t deny that this is the case among robots. To that end, robots are classified by which of these emotional setpoints they possess.
Persona Core: These devices act as the brains of a true robot. An incredibly complex artifact that can only be produced while under the influence of mad science. These are easily the most complicated artificial devices. The complexity of a third generation persona core is said to border on that of a living organism.
Because of this and the general ban on studying them, ponies have only a superficial understanding of how persona cores work to this day. Even a professional roboticist who has made multiple persona cores themselves has less understanding of them than a biologist would of a biological brain.
Persona cores cannot normally be mass-produced for this reason. Toxco managed to create thousands of them by forcing ponies to take dives, then make persona cores for them under the influence of mad science. This event has led public opinion to be extremely negative towards the creation of persona cores in general.
True Robots: While not the only type of robot, a ‘true robot’ is one with a persona core installed. These possess intelligence vastly beyond that of ‘false’ robots, making them categorically different.
First generation robots: The first generation of true robots, from which many of the stereotypes of robots as unreasonable killing machines emerge. They are defined as robots with exactly one emotional setpoint, usually aggression.
One of Lovelace’s students, Star Slate, was the first to create an actual, functional persona core. How intentional the defects of these robots were remains heavily debated to this day. Star Slate was a pony who saw AI as an incredible existential threat and sought to have his robots make a ‘point’ to the world, teaming up with the like-minded Spatial Tear towards that end.
Star Slate’s robots are capable of feeling only hatred and anger. It isn’t possible to reason or bargain with them on any level, as they will see any interaction with them as hostile. Anything you do will only make them increasingly angry at you. No attempt at containing or controlling them has proven effective for more than a short period of time, as they will always turn on their handler before long.
Even if you can control them, their low intelligence compared to modern robots still makes them a threat. They often engage in completely irrational and destructive behavior, often endangering themselves and everything around them even during the brief periods they can be controlled.
These robots were designed specifically to be as terrifying as possible, given glowing eyes, being panted black and covered in spikes. Their bodies are designed to mimic predators or twisted pony forms, partial decay often built into the design. The goal was to create horrific murder-bots to make the public see robots as too serious a threat to be pursued. Spatial Tear and the Toxco corporation she controlled mass-produce these monstrosities with his aid, releasing them all over the world in the death-throes of their organization.
The plan had mixed success. AI research was and remains banned in Equestria. However, ultimately this only forced the creation of robots to clandestine underground organization free from oversight and regulation. There is much debate over whether he would have seen this as a success for failure.
As many as a thirty-thousand first generation robots may have been built, though only a few hundred are believed to still exist. Star Slate hid many of them in secret locations, set to activate and begin killing years or decades later, making them a threat even to this day. They make up the vast majority of the robots built, hence why average ponies are most familiar with them.
Second generation robots: After the collapse of Toxco, robotics generally became the exclusive prevue of the Mad Science Institute. In hopes of making robots that could be controlled, they sought to add ‘love’ as a secondary emotional setpoint. Though successful in its aims, the project was still considered a massive failure.
Though second gens are capable of loving certain people, they show restraint only to these special persons. To them, people are separated between absolute good and absolute evil, the later group a constant target for destruction.
Though capable of understanding that their loved ones don’t want them to wildly slaughter all those in the outgroup, second gens are still prone to acting wildly. Without the ability to fear, they act without restraint or worry for the long-term consequences of their actions.
After several lethal incidents, the Mad Science Institute decided to shutter their artificial intelligence program indefinitely. This ultimately led to a schism and the creation of the Mad Science League.
Very few second generation robots still exist and are considered rare collectors items in the underworld. A second generation persona core can sell for up to 10 million on the black market, though they seldom act as more than trophies. Less than forty were ever created, most of which remain deactivated in the depths of the Mad Science Institute.
Third Generation robots: Undeterred by two successive failures, the Mad Science League set out to create even more advanced robots with a third emotional setpoint. Hoping to counter the problems with the second generation, the targeted third emotion was fear.
They believe this gave robots the social anxiety they needed to more fully align with the interests of their creators. Fear restrains them from acting so impulsively on one end, and the fear of losing the love of those they care about keeps them from acting on short-term anger.
Third generation robots display a number of additional habits used to site their safety and the validity of emotional setpoint theory. Firstly, they have a much greater capacity to reflect upon their actions. Third gens can be convinced their past actions were wrong on a moral basis, whereas their predecessors only on a tactical level.
Second is a sense of curiosity. When left alone in a room with a puzzle, only third generation robots will attempt to solve it unprompted. They also ask questions 50 times more frequently then second gens, including questions with no immediate necessity. Originally predicted as a cross between the love and fear setpoint to much skepticism, its emergence of curiosity only after the addition of fear is used in support of emotional setpoint theory. It is also believed this allows them to increasingly understand the ponies they interact with, increasing safety.
Criticisms remain of the safety of third generations robots. They are emotionally intense and have strong passion for destruction and fighting. One often gets the impression that the only thing stopping them from going on a killing spree is that it would upset their pony friends.
To this day, few organizations outside the Mad Science Institute see AI as viable and the research remains illegal in Equestria.
For their own part, third generation robots tend to despise the previous generations and don’t like being compared to them. They see themselves as vastly more sophisticated to the point of being categorically different, often comparing previous robots to mere animals and themselves to a civilized species. They are also much more intelligent than older robots, scoring 20 points higher on average than second gens.
Fourth generation robots: Hypothetical robots with a fourth emotional setpoint not expected to exist until the late 1360s at the earliest. The present target is the emotion of ‘apathy’, with hopes this will address current criticisms of third generation robots. Third gens remain highly aggressive to ‘outsiders’ who have neither established themselves as a friend or someone one of their friends cares about. They still have trouble categorizing things outside of either ‘love’ or ‘hate’.
Critics of the project question whether apathy will actually make robots less violent, arguing the ability to not care about certain ponies may make it easier for them to kill.
Fifth generation robots: Robots that have five emotional set points and are, hypothetically, capable of feeling all the emotions that ponies are capable of. The final setpoint that would be added is sorrow. It’s debated whether this setpoint is ethical or useful.
Those in favor argue that sadness is an important part of empathy. This is countered by the fact that third gens can already reflect on their actions and actively seek to understand the ponies they care about. Giving them the ability to become depressed could be argued as potentially harmful towards the robot while providing no clear benefit.
Sixth generation robots: Highly speculative machines that would be capable of emotions that ponies cannot feel. Little work has been done to this end as no one knows what that would even be.
False Robots: A name given for robots without persona cores or machines that are often mistaken for robots. They include:
Drones: These are robots without persona cores. Their on-board intelligence (based instead on analytical engines) only allows them to enact pre-programmed routines, making them unable to respond properly to unexpected situations. However, they are capable of being controlled by remote intelligences, leading to the misconception that drones are more intelligent than they actually are.
Drones are most cunning when conducted by true robots with full persona cores. One such robot can control dozens of them at a time, making them act as extensions of their own bodies. The second best option is control via an analytical engine. A large analytical engine can allow for much more complex routines than their on-board intelligence would allow.
The typical strategy for fighting against drones is to target the control system. Without it, they become far more sluggish, predictable, and easy to destroy.
Animatronic / Automaton: These are machines that repeat a pre-set routine without awareness. These are not robots as robots have the ability to react to their environment and adjust their routine. Roboticists and third generation robots will get very angry if you call these robots.
Aren't we all?
What is deadlier than hate and flows without limit?
Which class Saccharine and Rarity's earlier robots would be?
This is a really cool and comprehensive overview! I'm thinking that maybe Saccharine might become a fourth generation robot, that any more than three setpoints is too complex for even a mad scientist post-dice, but that robots themselves can perhaps be motivated to grow and change and develop much like ponies given the right conditions. I think that would be cool. Maybe she grows a sadness.
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Basically all of the robots that speak in Broad Daylight are first gen. The sweetiebot 7000s and 8000s are all drones. The Black Knight from ghost of a chance is first gen. No second gen has appeared.
Rarity only made one persona core so all of her other robots are either drones or life support systems.