Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3566 to 3570 (11th to 15th September 2017)
kallibean:
--- Quote from: BenRG on 13 Sep 2017, 07:10 ---
--- Quote from: kallibean on 13 Sep 2017, 07:00 ---The fact that when we see Bubbles with tea it's in some kind of fantasy (e.g. background replaced, images not present in that setting), and now a candle is being asked for during what is akin to day-surgery, for anxiety (similar to how people may ask for sedatives for blood draws etc), can we assume that scents have the function of anaesthesia for AI chassis?
--- End quote ---
According to Bubbles, every scent provokes its own unique sensory reaction. Hannelore is adept at blending teas that create a strong hallucinogenic effect. However, yes, I imagine that there are some blends that create a feedback loop which, until it fades out, induces a somatic state where the central processor is unable to process sensory data and the AI is in state not unlike sleep mode.
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I said function of anaesthesia, not anaesthesia., and referenced sedatives rather than local/general for organics for a reason - perhaps I should have also pointed out that some doctors will hand out Xanax for these things as well.
Now that it's come up again I shall attempt to clarify, because unless you're assuming that while under the influence of a hallucinogen that Bubbles is fully aware and able to feel and react at the same level as Bubbles not under the influence of a hallucinogen, I don't think you really answered my question.
Do scents somehow render AIs less aware or reactive such that they can be used in the context of a relaxant, sedative, or anaesthesia (not necessarily knocking one out, but ameliorating the sensory load to render an AI less reactive or less caring about certain stimuli)?
This is concerning not because of its implication in this strip and people's suppositions that UR and CoD can arrange a beneficial relationship for the purpose of using tea as a tool for calming AIs during procedures. This is concerning because it means that by dint of a scent disseminated through the air such as with a vaporiser, combat AIs such as Bubbles could be rendered less effective due to not only hallucinating on the battlefield but by being less reactive to external stimuli while that scent is present.
Pilchard123:
--- Quote from: kallibean on 16 Sep 2017, 02:52 ---This is concerning not because of its implication in this strip and people's suppositions that UR and CoD can arrange a beneficial relationship for the purpose of using tea as a tool for calming AIs during procedures. This is concerning because it means that by dint of a scent disseminated through the air such as with a vaporiser, combat AIs such as Bubbles could be rendered less effective due to not only hallucinating on the battlefield but by being less reactive to external stimuli while that scent is present.
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So pop out a scented smoke grenade and potentially shut down any combat AI in the area? Yeah, that would be scary.
I wonder if that's part of why Bubbles was unceremoniously dumped out of the military and now suffers PTSD. Perhaps she was incapacitated and the human part of her squad was massacred with her unable to save them. It doesn't really fit with her enjoying Unicorn Grove, but maybe that's because the memories were destroyed by Corpse Witch.
Is it cold in here?:
>Perhaps she was incapacitated and the human part of her squad was massacred with her unable to save them.
She said as much. It was an EMP gun. She was conscious but unable to move while her squad mates were butchered. Thank God I cannot imagine what that's like.
Maybe, just maybe, people in robot bodies can turn off their responses to smells. Organic people can't, but then we can't even safely stop breathing for more than a few minutes. Which raises the question of whether sentient mobile workstations need to inhale and exhale for cooling. If they can hold their breath, then enemy aromatherapy would not be an issue.
zisraelsen:
Air cooling wouldn't require olfactory sensors which have been said to be what bots' senses of smells are based on. Presumably, if debilitating smells were a concern, those sensors would be togglable.
BenRG:
@zisraelsen,
That presumes that the full power of scents has previously been recognised. Their value as a relaxant and promote non-agitated behaviour has probably been well recognised for some time but I suspect that the potential for it to completely disable a synthetic hasn't been fully explored (at least not until fairly recently). Whilst it is probably recognised as a risk, it is quite possible that Hannelore is one of only a few practitioners to have got results on this scale.
There are many commercially-available blends of tea so I suspect all have been tested and the synthetics olfactory interpretation software has been adjusted to prevent them from creating disabling reactions. However, custom blends and preparations, such as Hannelores, are unknowns and it is unlikely that anyone would have known about them to think to include features to minimise their effect just yet.
Even a relaxed soldier can fight (if at a notably reduced efficiency level). Given Bubbles' olfactory sensors primary tasking was identifying harmful chemical agents, disabling them in a combat scenario would be counter to their purpose. So, I think that they would simply have trained Bubbles to be able to resist their effects. However, Hannelore's work was something on a totally new level!
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