Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 4171-4175 (6 to 10 Jan 2020)
sitnspin:
No, it would be like someone giving you food that literally makes you ill.
TheEvilDog:
--- Quote from: geminigrey on 09 Jan 2020, 12:27 ---I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
--- End quote ---
Except that the nature of May's crime means that she cannot work in a disembodied manner, she isn't allowed to network to any financial or commercial systems. Its like when a medical professional commits a crime and after completing their sentence, they can't work in the medical profession.
So in May's case, she isn't allowed to network anymore which pretty much cuts her from an entire plane of existence. And to meet the terms of her parole, May needs to work, even if its in a crappy convenience mart. May needs a chassis to meet the terms of her parole.
rtmq0227:
--- Quote from: geminigrey on 09 Jan 2020, 12:27 ---Amused that after reading this long, it took this story and reaction to make me register to post.
I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
As for his attitude, sure it's cold and unfeeling, but then again, he's undoubtedly approached daily by people thinking they're the exception to the rule. May has (more than) what she needs to survive and build up her lot in life. Being mad at this dude for not helping her out is weird considering the number of other people she knows that have funds/ability to provide her with with better and nobody is upset with them for not doing it. I mean, I may be wrong, but isn't Winston's old body sitting around unused?
Life's hard and there's no such thing as a free lunch. Or to paraphrase another bumper sticker, Saying 'I Exist' to the Universe doesn't obligate the universe in any way.
--- End quote ---
Personally, I find the notion of "the universe doesn't care about you so why should I be obligated to?" childish and simply a method of excusing selfishness, but there's some other elements at play in this story, and it's a real (if flawed) philosophy at work in many bureaucracies, so I'm not surprised to see it here.
The key here is what a body really means to an AI. Is it like a car? We have lemon laws that would easily cover things like this. Is it like a fancy suit? Then clearly there should be less expensive options available than busted/failing chassis. If there are enough AI that need bodies after getting out of jail that the amount of money available requires they be given complete junkers, then clearly that number is not based on actual need, but perhaps bias somewhere else. Is it a manifestation of their identity, similar to our own? Then we get into things like medical care and elective procedures. Clearly, there are psychological ramifications to intentionally housing an already at-risk person in a failing body (at the very least, depression). All of these angles indicate that something else beyond "we just can't afford it so there's nothing we can do" and "the universe just isn't fair" at play here.
Something to consider, unless Marten is secretly loaded (which we know he really isn't), he was able to afford a decent chassis for Pintsize without breaking the bank. Compare that to the costs of minor repairs to May's chassis. If this is really just a matter of money, why don't they have several of the classic mini-me chassis in stock as a cheap option? Heck, even those used have to be cheaper than May's would have been. Knowing what I know about how bureaucracy works, it's most likely someone found a loophole where they could acquire the off-warranty cast-off chassis like a totaled car for next to nothing from a scrapper, give the appearance of purchasing a reasonably affordable used chassis, and pocketing the difference (or using it elsewhere in the budget on something else they wanted).
I'm a sucker for a Checkov's Gun moment, and we've seen Roko research how robot jail sources bodies for ex-cons, being told that the money is the issue, and being told to waste the financial deparment's time instead. Given that Roko is an ex-cop, I wouldn't be surprised if she sniffs out some white-collar crime here. Plus Beeps suggesting Roko suppress her cop instincts, it would be fitting for those instincts to turn out to be right.
Cornelius:
--- Quote from: Castlerook on 09 Jan 2020, 12:57 ---
--- Quote from: geminigrey on 09 Jan 2020, 12:27 ---I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
--- End quote ---
Except that the nature of May's crime means that she cannot work in a disembodied manner, she isn't allowed to network to any financial or commercial systems. Its like when a medical professional commits a crime and after completing their sentence, they can't work in the medical profession.
So in May's case, she isn't allowed to network anymore which pretty much cuts her from an entire plane of existence. And to meet the terms of her parole, May needs to work, even if its in a crappy convenience mart. May needs a chassis to meet the terms of her parole.
--- End quote ---
On the other hand, there is nothing requiring to give her humanoid body. An assembly arm still can work, without interfacing to financial or commercial systems.
--- Quote from: 4137, panel 3 ---A disembodied AI requesting a body is an uncommon occurrence, ...
--- End quote ---
This does seem to suggest that she specifically requested it - possibly with her experience as a disembodied AI, and robot jail making her wish for more mobility. And considering she wanted to be a fighter jet, I think that is very likely how things went down. There's also the fact that she can't, exactly, connect to financial or commercial systems, which means she can't go back in the system where she came from.
Then again, where does that leave us with the position that AI are inherently owners of the hardware they run on?
I will admit, though, that what disembodied AI can do, in parole is not exactly clearly addressed. Either all AI, with the same type of crime, have the same limitations, and it is not a rare occurrence, or there must be some other way in which they can earn their keep. Or it is a very rare occurrence, which suggests that either AI are more law-abiding, or cover their tracks more efficiently - or that there is a very small population of AI - which doesn't seem to correspond exactly to what we see in the comic.
Drunken Old Man:
--- Quote from: sitnspin on 09 Jan 2020, 12:47 ---No, it would be like someone giving you food that literally makes you ill.
--- End quote ---
Illness is preferable to starvation.
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