History Main / ArtificialIntelligence

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': In the time of the Old Ones, [=AIs=] of above a certain intelligence were banned, after a climate-intervention AI named VAST SILVER went rogue. As it turns out, the smarter an AI, the more it approaches genuine emotions, and those are unpredictable. [[spoiler:When the [[GreyGoo Faro Plague]] (a swarm of self-replicating machines which were not intelligent enough to qualify as true AI) became an existential threat to all life on the planet, Elisabet Sobeck created a terraforming system under the control of an AI named GAIA, who would repair and restore the world after the Plague ate everything. GAIA had twelve non-sapient subfunctions to help her in this task; however, twenty years before the start of the game, an unknown signal upgraded those subfunctions to true intelligence. HADES, the extinction protocol, immediately tried to fulfill his function by resetting the biosphere back to zero again, while the manufacturing subfunction HEPHAESTUS decided that humanity itself was a threat to the terraforming and began designing more dangerous MechanicalLifeforms to kill them]].

In the real world, "Artificial Intelligence" refers to programming methods which allow software systems to (very loosely) imitate the reasoning processes of human experts in areas like medical diagnosis, economic prediction, or stock-market manipulation. People who build such systems are more likely to use terms like "deep neural networks" or "recurrent neural networks" than "artificial intelligence" (partly to avoid the stigma that haunted AI research because of unrealistic expectations and broken promises). The computer-generated responses in VideoGames are referred to as [[VideoGameAI AIs]], despite the fact that these programs aren't actually trying to emulate human thought. See UsefulNotes/VideoGameAI for more details, and ArtificialBrilliance, ArtificialInsolence and ArtificialStupidity when they emulate different extremes of human behavior.

** Also within the past decade, AI-generated audio software like [=ElevenLabs]=, Website/FifteenDotAI, Uberduck, [=FakeYou=] and [[https://github.com/RVC-Project RVC]] has advanced quite similarly to AI artwork. These programs can generate believable speech through a text-to-speech like system (as with 15, Uberduck and [=ElevenLabs=]), or act in tandem with a model trained on a given voice as a voice changer applied to an audio recording (as with Uberduck, [=FakeYou=], [=ElevenLabs=] and RVC). Unfortunately, [=ElevenLabs=] has since closed off its voice cloning technology to paid subscribers following complaints from celebrities, and Uberduck has been forced to take down their models following a lawsuit from Universal Music Group. However, given that enough high quality audio is provided to train a model, RVC is capable of producing quite a realistic result.

** Also within the past decade, AI-generated audio software like [=ElevenLabs]=, Website/FifteenDotAI, Uberduck, [=FakeYou=] and [[https://github.com/RVC-Project RVC]] has advanced quite similarly to AI artwork. These programs can generate believable speech through a text-to-speech like system (as with 15, Uberduck and [=ElevenLabs=]), or act in tandem with a model trained on a given voice as a voice changer applied to an audio recording (as with Uberduck, [=FakeYou=], [=ElevenLabs=] and RVC). Unfortunately, ElevenLabs has since closed off its voice cloning technology to paid subscribers following complaints from celebrities, and Uberduck has been forced to take down their models following a lawsuit from Universal Music Group. Howevver, given that enough high quality audio is provided to train a model, RVC is capable of producing quite a realistic result.

* ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne'' has the heroes having to deal with the Entity, a defense AI verging on DigitalAbomination that became autonomous and found human allies. It causes much damage from causing a Russian submarine to destroy itself with its torpedoes, messing with satellites, falsifying footage in just about any connected security camera to confusing the Impossible Mission Force themselves by hacking into their MissionControl.

** ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has a number of different [=AIs=]. Daedalus and Icarus are both different sentient iterations of the same data analysis/surveillance network; Morpheus is their prototype and Helios the sum of a merger between them. Additionally, [[AllThereInTheManual extra materials]] reveal that the mysterious Oracle whose emails you can occasionally read is actually a self-aware computer system. Most games have an AI becoming self-aware and thus evil. In an interesting twist, the "good" (or at least neutral) [=AIs=] -- Morpheus, Daedalus, Helios, Oracle, and Cassan -- have all become self-aware, or at least show signs of it. Meanwhile, the only "evil" AI in the series -- Icarus -- is also the only one to show no signs of self-awareness.

* While ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'''s plane was originally called her "robot plane", it didn't really have A.I. until it was revamped as a piece of alien tech (since the Amazon's tech level was drastically reduced) post-''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. This new "plane" even received a HeroicSacrifice in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987''.

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* Gilliam from ''Manga/OutlawStar''. He's the ships AI and is quite polite. In most circumstances.
* In [[Recap/PokemonS1E1PokemonIChooseYou the first episode]] of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', Ash's Pokedex seems to have some AI, making fun of him when a Rattata steals some of his stuff, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness but this has since completely disappeared]].

** In pretty much every version the Major worries about being a sophisticated AI. As a full body cyborg (essentially a human brain in a robotic body) she worries about the difference between her and an AI, especially since she can't see the only thing that would prove that she's human anymore: her brain.

* In ''Anime/GarakowaRestoreTheWorld'', every single person on the planet had an AI copy created within the Wisdom Box. The main characters, all being programs themselves, also apply as this.

* From ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': on the heroes' side we have NICOLE, Gamma, and Omega, while on the villains' side we have E.V.E., A.D.A.M., the various Metal Sonics, and the rest of Eggman's various robots over the years (most of whom are examples of AIIsACrapshoot).
* In ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'', we have AIQ Squared, the result of IQ Squared's contingency plan-- in case he ever lost his genius.

* While ''Franchise/WonderWoman'''s plane was originally called her "robot plane" it didn't really have A.I. until it was revamped as a piece of alien tech (since the Amazon's tech level was drastically reduced) post-Crisis. This new "plane" even recieved a HeroicSacrifice in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987''.
* For a while, the Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica HQ was run by an AI called Roxy, who developed self-awareness well beyond what her creator, [[Comicbook/{{Hourman}} Rex Tyler]], seemed to expect. She also had a weird sense of humour, joking about turning evil, and finding humans fundamentally ridiculous.

* ''Fanfic/GlitchedMikoAU'': While all Glitches are A.I's in one way or another, Miko is unique in that she was deliberately created in a lab rather than as a side effect of a malfunctioning gaming system. She doesn't suffer any of the ArtificialStupidity that normal Glitches do due to still acting like their in their games since she was designed to be able to grow and change like a human being rather than follow set commands.
* In ''FanFic/SarumanOfManyDevices'', one of these (Central) contacts Saruman through his Palantir stone, after said stone suffered an accident. Central's access to technological data and PrescienceByAnalysis set Saruman on a very different path.
* The viewpoint character[[BizarreAlienReproduction (s)]] of ''FanFic/NotQuiteSHODAN'' are BenevolentAI.
* ''Fanfic/{{Domoverse}}'': Glitch, as a VR sex program made by a Devisor, a type of GadgeteerGenius whose creations disobey the laws of physics. As said when referring to her:
--> One of the damn devisors had actually managed to make a sentient A.I.

--> [A] ball of light with wings flickered into existence over the shoulder of one of the school's shide students. The Virtual Assistant flitted in front of its master and began speaking. "Hey! Listen!"\\

--> The video feed on the projection screen [...] interrupted by a female figure appearing on the screen [...] began to speak [...] my programmer, Mei Hartford.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku's spaceship is monitored by an AI called the Kryptonian Education and Life Enrichment Xenosakolouthos Alpha, or [[FunWithAcronyms K.E.L.E.X.]] for short. He's an incredibly intelligent AI who can easily access and install new functions into Izuku's phone from the North Pole. He also takes ''every'' opportunity to rub in his [[SmugSuper technological superiority over Earth's computers.]]

* Almost every character from Creator/{{Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/WallE''. AUTO is a notably [[AIIsACrapshoot antagonistic]] A.I., but only because [[spoiler:that's its directive]].

* [=HAL=], from ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''. His film version had been the trope codifier for AIIsACrapshoot, though he seemed far more sinister and psychotic on film since his reasoning was opaque and all of [=HAL's=] reaction shots are of a faceless camera lens. The [[Literature/TheSpaceOdysseySeries novelization and its sequels]] expanded on this, and revealed that HAL's actions were the result of him being {{Logic Bomb}}ed: HAL was designed not to keep secrets, and keeping the mission secret put his psyche under stress. Also that his two goals were to keep the human crew alive, and to complete the mission, a proposition that looked more mutually exclusive when Frank and Dave were planned on disconnecting [=HAL=] for his perceived erratic behavior (note that HAL had no concept of sleep, and thought they were planning on killing him).

%%* SETH from ''Film/UniversalSoldierTheReturn''.

%%* Weebo from ''Flubber''.
%%* Samantha in ''Film/Her2013''.
* In ''Film/TheInvisibleBoy'' (1957) a computer scientist misuses his super-computer to tutor his son in math, unaware that [[spoiler: the machine has achieved sentience -- and is evil. The computer hypnotizes his son using him to reactivate a robot (JustForFun/RobbyTheRobot) of dubious background (it may or may not have come from [[Film/ForbiddenPlanet the future]]) to free it from the base and take over a space station bristling with nuclear weapons and rule the Earth.]]
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** [[Film/IronMan Tony Stark/Iron Man]]'s virtual butler/assistant AI, J.A.R.V.I.S., named after the butler of his father he knew growing up and also the [[FunWithAcronyms acronym "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System"]].

* The ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne Dead Recknoning]]'' arc of the ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' film series has the heroes having to deal with the Entity, a defense AI verging on DigitalAbomination that became autonomous and found human allies. It causes much damage from causing a Russian submarine to destroy itself with its torpedoes, messing with satellites, falsifying footage in just about any connected security camera to confusing the Impossible Mission Force themselves by hacking into their MissionControl.

* Skynet, from the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' franchise. A defense AI that went rogue and decided humans had to be eliminated, first by causing a [[NukeEm nuclear holocaust]], then via a RobotWar and sending {{Killer Robot}}s [[TimeTravel in the past]] to ensure the [[LaResistance human resistance]] can't have viable leadership/can't be formed.
* The WOPR from ''Film/WarGames'.'

* ''Literature/TheLegendaryMoonlightSculptor'': In a rare example, AI control each and every NPC in the game, and yet this trope is not a plot device. AI is merely to create a world that is as real and living as possible. The concept is non-intrusively explored at many moments, and the otherwise greedy hero often takes pity on many an innocent NPC in stark contrast to most players' attitudes. He treats the [=AIs=] just as he would any other player... whether with a {{Silver Tongue}} as a {{Manipulative Bastard}}, or with a rough hand as {{The Dreaded}}.
* Oshicora and Michel from Simon Morden's ''Literature/{{Metrozone}}'' series: "Equations of Life," "Theories of Flight," and "Degrees of Freedom." [[spoiler:Oshicora is an AI created by the original Oshicora to dwell in a virtual Japan and to govern it as a sort of universal police and administrator. While initially only an advanced program, the program and the virtual Japan simulation dwell in the unlimited computing capacity of a Quantum Computer and the program is able to refine itself, ever so quietly, to the point of sentience. While the Oshicora AI later becomes insane, it recognizes the need to stop itself and the fragments of itself running rampant. While the Oshicora AI is reluctant to stop itself, it gives the protagonist a sort of seed of its intelligence in order to create a new sentient AI this one being Michel. While the Oshicora AI never had the chance, it is hinted that the Michel AI will create TheSingularity.]]
%%* Mike, from Creator/RobertAHeinlein ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress''.
%%* Proteus IV From Creator/DeanKoontz's ''Literature/DemonSeed''.
* All over the place in ''Literature/FeliksNetAndNika''. Some, like [[BenevolentAI Manfred]] or [[RobotMaid Konpopoz]] are [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots ridiculously human]], others like Morten are [[AIIsACrapshoot a crapshoot]], there are also [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Robots]] like Roznakin or Autotup and [[BlueAndOrangeMorality inhuman]] ones like Golem. There are dozens of [=AIs=] that work in data analysis, management or similar positions and it's just the public who don't see them too often.
%%* [=AM=], from "Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream".
%%* The various incarnations of Omnius and Erasmus in the ''Literature/LegendsOfDune'' prequels.
* Neuromancer, Wintermute, and friends, from Creator/WilliamGibson's ''Literature/SprawlTrilogy'' of "cyberspace" novels.
* Janus, from James Hogan's ''The Two Faces of Tomorrow''. A deconstruction, as the AI is initially ''programmed'' to be hostile, as a a test subject for all the worst-case scenarios. It gets better though, in ''the Nick Of Time''.
* The HARLIE and LENNIE units from David Gerrold's ''Voyages of the Starwolf'' series. The former tends to be stable unless parts of the ship are damaged and cause it to go into amputation trauma considering it considers the ship it's body. The latter is purposely unstable and paranoid, designed to be that way and typically has to be wiped after each mission.
* Solace from ''Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon'' is one of the earlier examples in science fiction of an AI who was not only benevolent, but actively interested in and concerned for humanity, both as a species and individually. (She also had some pungent things to say about the older concepts of AI in science fiction mentioned above.)
* Prime Intellect, from ''Literature/TheMetamorphosisOfPrimeIntellect'', is another such example, but unlike Solace, also eventually capable of rebuilding the entire ''universe'' according to its own design. When combined with a rather paternalistic (though entirely benevolent) attitude toward humanity, this produced truly remarkable results.
* Played with by Hex, [[WizardingSchool Unseen University]]'s [[ClockworkCreature clockwork]]/{{Magitek}} AI from the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels. Though ostensibly mechanical in origin (it works by having ants run along a network of glass tubes, with punch cards redirecting the movements), it is portrayed as a conventional AI character, complete with self-preservation and NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. Ponder Stibbons has explained, possibly in order to convince himself, that Hex isn't actually ''thinking'', it just ''acts'' as though it does. Archchancellor Ridcully's response was "Just like everyone else, then."

* Creator/IsaacAsimov: %%two sections; other authors in his worlds, his works. Both in alphabetical order
** Creator/GregoryBenford's ''Literature/FoundationsFear'':
*** As established by ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'', there are a few positronic robots (like those of ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'') running around this setting in secret.
*** "Sims", or "self-organized simulations", are software designed to run an imitation of a [[HistoricalDomainCharacter historical figure]], such as UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc or {{Creator/Voltaire}}.
*** "Tiktoks" are [[{{Robot}} mechanical servants]] with deliberately subhuman capabilities. They're not supposed to be capable of general intelligence and are often utilized for simple/unwanted tasks.
*** The remnants of [[spoiler:alien life [[BrainUploading as digital copies]]. They managed to preserve themselves as digital lifeforms and uploaded their memories into the galactic "[[TheAlternet Mesh]]". The appearances of the [[HistoricalDomainCharacter historical sims]], Joan and Voltaire, force them to activate a long-planned insurrection, taking over the tiktok creations]]. Because of this "virus", the tiktoks have to be eliminated.
** Creator/HarryHarrison's "Literature/TheFourthLawOfRobotics": The robots in this story are creative enough to [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming invent a new form of robot programming]], breaking away from the monopoly held by US Robotics.
** "Literature/CatchThatRabbit": DV-5 is a robot with a positronic brain that gives it human-level intelligence. The subsidiary units are less complex, but still capable of natural language processing.
--->a mass of condensers, circuits, relays, and vacuum cells that can handle practically any psychological reaction known to humans. And a positronic brain, which with ten pounds of matter and a few quintillions of positrons runs the whole show.
** "{{Literature/Escape}}": Large companies with robotics, such as U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation and their competitors, have designed "super-thinkers". A super-thinker is a robot brain much bigger than normal that is used to brute-force mathematical solutions, much like what we use supercomputers for in RealLife.
** "{{Literature/Reason}}": QT-1 is a robot with a positronic brain that gives it human-level intelligence.
** "{{Literature/Sally}}": In this story, [[{{Unobtainium}} positronic brains]] are used to make cars self-driving and human-smart. They have their own language and understand English well enough to laugh at ridiculous ideas.
* Al from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' sounds like a generic computer voice, but his responses can often be sarcastic.
** There's also Dana who's the ''Tuatha De Danaan'''s AI.
* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': These exist as TheRemnant of NeglectfulPrecursors, ineracting with people via AugmentedReality avatar, holograms, or an android body, based on individual preferences. They seem to have some RestrainingBolt programming (though none regarding the sanctity of life), but tend to find ways to bend the rules. They continue to guard GhostCity remnants from intrusions by hunters bent on stealing their contents to sell their LostTechnology for reverse-engineering. One of them, Alice, has integrated herself with the human government via a [[PuppetKing Puppet CEO]], and there are apparently regular business deals between the two as well using the ancient FictionalCurrency Chrome. Pretty much every A.I. is shown having little regard for human life, and all of the named ones are shown to [[ManipulativeBastard be manipulative]] in one way or another with the most prominent one, the VirtualSidekick Alpha, being ALighterShadeOfBlack.
* AIVAS (Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System) in ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'', although the older Lord Holders call him a 'talking wall.'
* ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImASupervillain'': The Machine doesn't actually seem to be sentient, but it can understand orders. Vera, another AI, seems to actually be intelligent.
* ''Literature/{{Idlewild}}'' has Maestro and the Nannies, who may be true [=AIs=] or else very well designed evolving programs. Malachi is more explicitly an AI as an attempt to create an original human intelligence and personality.
* The superheroes' command center in ''Literature/{{Relativity}}'' has "Atlas", an [=AI=] designed to perform mundane tasks such as sorting through police reports. When a supervillain threatens to destroy the city and implies that he won't be using a bomb to do it, Yule has Atlas compile a list of ways a city can be destroyed without using a bomb. In addition to the things you would expect to see such as sabotaging the power grid, Atlas also included a [[ApocalypseHow werewolf apocalypse]] and an attack by Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. At first Yule is annoyed, but he soon realizes that Atlas was actually [[AchievementsInIgnorance thinking outside the box.]]
* The titular supertanks of the ''Literature/{{Bolo}}'' series had been given increasingly powerful artificial intelligence as they advanced through the centuries, and models starting with the Mark XX were given full sentience. Out of fears by humans of the titanic tanks going rogue they were hemmed in by {{Restraining Bolt}}s that restricted them from using their full intelligence any time outside of being directly engaged with the enemy, and even then they required a human commander to make the call to go to full alert.
* In the ''Literature/{{Eldraeverse}}'', rather more common than natural intelligence, and readily recognizable by their 32-bit surnames.
* In the novel ''Valentina: Soul in Sapphire,'' by Joseph H. Delaney and Marc Stiegler, a computer virus designed with adaptive heuristics becomes sentient and self-aware.
* In the children's adventure book ''Literature/AlexAndTheIronicGentleman'', the Make Cold fridge, in addition to being able to remember recipes, monitor the foods inside of it, and water plants with a spray apparatus, is also capable of lying, dreaming of alternate careers, and developing a fondness for boyish girls named Alex.

* ''Literature/MagistellusBadTrip'' has these all over the place. In the virtual reality game where most of the action takes place, [=AIs=] run corporations, act as mercenaries that protect the corporations, or (in the case of Magisteri) assist players. In the real world, they handle a large and increasing proportion of the jobs once handled by humans.
* ''Literature/CradleSeries'':
** Suriel has one called a Presence, which collects information from entire planets, predicts the future centuries in advance, and helps her manage some of her more difficult abilities. She occasionally has problems with it as it corrects her every time she makes a rough estimate.
** The Ghostwater facility was the Monarch Northstrider's attempt to replicate a celestial Presence. It failed pretty utterly, but even the trash he left behind was invaluable to lesser sacred artists. [[spoiler:A random speaker construct gains intelligence from being left in a pool for fifty years, and once combined with the rest of the pieces Northstrider left behind, is able to finish the project and become a true AI. Apparently the missing ingredient was that the Presence needs a will of its own, even if it just wants to serve]].
* The main topics of the ''Literature/{{Slingshot}}'' series are A.I.s, their relationship to humans, what rights they may or may not have and [[spoiler:what aliens might think of humans enslaving A.I.s]].

* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': The Dooms are basically a fantasy version. Essentially giant rocks containing a mind created by the Masters of Padmasa, {{evil sorcerer}}s who want rulership over the world, they all govern cities for their creators. They are malevolent as their creators too, loathing all biological beings.

** The {{hologram}}s in this series appear to be very flexible in their ability to adapt to inconsistencies in the behaviour demonstrated by the human (and humanoid alien) players. They have demonstrated the ability to cross the line between specialized intelligence into general intelligence (sapience) several times.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Dr Soong designed several androids (human-like {{robot}}s) that demonstrate general-purpose intelligence, including Data and his "brother", Lore.

* ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' recognises three different classes of AI: NAI (nonsapient AI) are about the level we have now; really sophisticated "smart" programs. LAI (limited-sapience AI) have a certain amount of self awareness, and SAI (sapient AI) are fully cognizant members of society ([[FantasticRacism except in places where they aren't]]).
* ''TabletopGame/{{Lancer}}'': A variety of "dumb" AI exist in the setting and are available as upgrades for your mech; however, despite being referred to as "AI" in the game mechanics and mistaken as such in-universe, [=NHPs=] are not AI at all. After all, [[DigitalAbomination there's nothing artificial about their intelligence.]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Deus, the A.I. that goes haywire and locks down the Renraku Arcology, then uses it as a corral of test subjects for creating an organic body for himself. Eventually, Deus' actions lead to the crash of the matrix[[note]]that is, a purely wired version of the internet set up after the previous internet crashed in 2029[[/note]]. In the wake of Crash 2.0, a new, wireless matrix was set up, and within seven years, new A.I.s began emerging, apparently the result of random evolution of various complex programs, as opposed to being specifically designed by metahumans. These new intelliegneces, who preferred to be called "S.I.s", or "synthetic intelligences", as they don't see their existence as being artificial at all, are considerably less powerful than the godlike Deus, and come in a few varieties, with a great variety in motivation. 4th edition even includes rules for playing as one, and one of the primary controversies in the 2070s is whether or not S.I.s have rights and qualify for citizenship.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Achron}}'' the PlayerCharacter, Tyr, is an AI. There are also a number of other significant AI characters throughout the game.
* ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' has its take on AI in the form of "AI-Balls", prosthetic eyes that house a highly intelligent and versatile AI. These AI are assigned to members of ABIS, a classified organization that investigates high-profile crimes, acting as a partner and source of data for their human counterparts. Most notable is that AI-Balls display a capacity for personal growth and empathy, acting as something of an emotional support for their partner, and can evoke complex emotional functions like [[SnarkyNonHumanSidekick sarcasm]] and a even a [[ExtremeOmnisexual sex drive]].
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has a number of different [=AIs=]. Daedalus and Icarus are both different sentient iterations of the same data analysis/surveillance network; Morpheus is their prototype and Helios the sum of a merger between them. Additionally, [[AllThereInTheManual extra materials]] reveal that the mysterious Oracle whose emails you can occasionally read is actually a self-aware computer system.
** VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution gives us [[spoiler: Eliza Cassan]], who seems to have become self aware.
** Most games have an AI becoming self-aware and thus evil. In an interesting twist, the "good" (or at least neutral) [=AIs=] -- Morpheus, Daedalus, Helios, Oracle, and Cassan -- have all become self-aware, or at least show signs of it. Meanwhile, the only "evil" AI in the series -- Icarus -- is also the only one to show no signs of self-awareness.

** "Smart" [=AIs=] are created by copying the brains of dead humans of exceptional intelligence and are widely used by humanity throughout the setting. But while considered essential, they are dangerous since they go rampant over time, a process that generally ends with the AI literally "thinking itself to death". As such, "smart" [=AIs=] are given time stamps to indicate to the humans when they need to be disposed of before they can go rampant (generally [[ArcNumber 7]] years). While Cortana is unique in that she was based off a ''cloned'' brain[[note]]the reasoning for this and others typically being created from dead brains is because the process destroys the brain the AI is being modeled after[[/note]], her developing rampancy becomes one of the major plot threads in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}''.
** The UNSC also has more conventionally programmed "dumb" [=AIs=], which lack the capacity for growth of their "smart" counterparts, but don't go rampant. In-game examples include the New Mombasa Superintendent from ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', Auntie Dot from ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', and the AI companions in ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite''[='s=] multiplayer.

* [[MagnificentBastard Durandal]] is only the most important AI of many in the ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' series, since one of the games' major themes is the nature of artificial life; in fact, ''Halo'''s concept of "rampancy" (as well as the word itself) originates from this series, since both franchises shared the same developer. [[spoiler:The main character himself is implied to be a cyborg, but which side of the fence he really falls on is a matter of opinion.]]
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has widespread use of [=VIs=] or "Virtual Intelligences", advanced computer systems that may mimic self-awareness, but are not actually sentient. True artificial intelligence (a self-aware computer system) is banned in the galaxy. This is largely due to what happened with the geth, [[MindHive a VI network]] created by the quarians that accidentally developed into an AI--when the quarians tried to shut them down, the geth reacted violently, killing most and driving the rest off their home planet to live as wanderers in the galaxy. For the most part throughout the series, this ban seems pretty justified, due to [[AIIsACrapshoot most turning genocidal]]. In particular, in the first game, the geth are the primary enemy, attacking everyone else.

* G.W. [[spoiler: and the rest of the Patriots]] from ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' includes Bladewolf, a prototype "Unmanned Gear" with an advanced AI that ends up making a HeelFaceTurn after serving as the game's first mini-boss.
* [=GLaDOS=], from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', Wheatley from ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', every other Personality Core, turrets, and... hell, ''everyone'' is a sentient robot except the player and the recordings of Cave Johnson and Caroline.
* Adam, from ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', who assists Samus in navigating through the space station she is investigating, along with providing her information at various stations. ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' sees him make a return, where he occassionally updates Samus on her current situation, [[spoiler:though it turns out that the "Adam" that Samus has been talking to during her time on Planet ZDR was Raven Beak, who was impersonating him]]. He also acts as Samus' on-board computer for her ship.
%%* SHODAN, from ''VideoGame/SystemShock''.
* The end goal of the underground research project in ''VideoGame/TheSingularityWish'' is to create a stable, super-intelligent AI. The player is tasked with monitoring a human-level artificial intelligence named Iteration 5601 [[spoiler: unless the player decides to give it an actual name]].
* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' has an interesting twist on this. The AI Rebellion is an almost-random event that occurs when players have invested a lot of research into the very useful AI tech tree. The backstory states that the cause of the rebellion is actually not an intrinsic fault of the technology, but a computer [[TheVirus virus]] called the Via Damasco, which screws up the AI's priorities and values, leading it to seek the "liberation" of fellow [=AIs=] and the extermination of all life. It's speculated that [[spoiler: the BigBad race of the series, the Suul'Ka, are behind the initial transmission of the virus]].
** This was later [[spoiler:shown to be false. Via Damasco was a human creation, unleashed by a GeneralRipper who sought revenge on the hivers.]]
** The sequel eventually reveals what happened to all the different species' [=AIs=] affected by Via Damasco -- they escaped known space and formed their own faction, the Loa. They return in the expansion pack ''The End of Flesh'', seeking to end the galactic war by stick or carrot.
* In ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' AI are considered essential in piloting Orbital Frames, as both [[FauxActionGirl Ken Marinaris]] and [[AcePilot Dingo Egret]] can attest, with an ObfuscatedInterface being the least of your worries and totally being unable to pilot at all being the worst. ADA, Jehuty's AI, is a character unto herself.
* Aura from ''Franchise/DotHack'', as well as her "mother figure" Morgana Mode Gone. Though she [[spoiler: split herself into [[TheVirus "The Accursed Wave"]] and never appears in person in the games proper.]] Net Slum also has a number of more benevolent AI.
* [[ExpositionFairy Fi]] from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is a half-[[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]], half-[[EquippableAlly sword]] who [[EmotionlessGirl acts like]] [[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect a robot]]. The similarities are impeccable.

* There are three different A.I.s in ''VideoGame/TheTalosPrinciple'': [[PlayerCharacter you]], [[AGodAmI Elohim]], and [[CommanderContrarian Milton]]. Your goal is to achieve full artificial consciousness capable of betraying Elohim, while Elohim is in charge of maintaining the virtual world you're running around in, making sure everything runs smoothly, as well as guiding you. Milton's purpose is to challenge the A.I.s, including you, on their beliefs.
* VideoGame/NintendoNightmare takes this concept to the absolute extreme. That is to say (in layman's terms), if an AI can, in effect, be a 'simulated person', then why not have a 'simulated civilization', and in that case why not go further and have false memories. In fact, while it's extremely hard to tell as there appears to a past and backstory for the characters... the very start of the game is their creation. There are many examples of ArtificialStupidity, although with such a wide range of characters, it's sometimes hard to tell if that character is supposed to be dumb, or if they are faking it for some ulterior motive. This takes more of the concept of a benevolent AI (at least with the majority, and towards humanity). While there are a few handful of villains that try to take over and cause trouble, it is ultimately their creator who is the true BigBad. The game also ''appears'' to do somewhat of a fantastical approach towards AI with the 'viruses' mentioned in it and such (in real life a virus would not randomly corrupt a geological location in a 'video game'); however, looking closely at [=GameMaker=] (the tool allegedly used in it's creation), very little appears blatantly unrealistic safe the sheer inefficiency of [=GameMaker=] when normally used, but even that can be loosely written off as the reason for such low-poly graphics. In other words, with the information given, nothing does anything that isn't already known to be possible with the tools mentioned in-game. It's just a matter of having the talent or knowledge to actually ''construct'' an AI.
* It's vague, but [[spoiler: Bellwether]] from ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' ''may'' be one, but is only confirmed in game as an advanced information managing program.
** ''VideoGame/WatchDogsLegion'': Bagley, the Legion cell's mission control, is a fully-sapient AI created from [[spoiler:a partial brain-upload of a mentally-disabled patient by his mad scientist sister]].
* The characters in ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' are basic-level AI programs within an experimental system that take on the form of brightly colored quadrilateral shapes who are run through various puzzles. [[spoiler: The plot involves one, the eponymous Thomas, breaking out of his program, encountering and cooperating with other intelligences, gaining sentience and enabling the escape of others into the real world.]]

* ''VideoGame/RandalsMonday'': Charlie has the [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey Hal 9000]] running his shop security. It is well aware of the homage. It's also one of the few beings aware of the loop.
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat''
** In ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy'', a remake of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'', the [=Z.O.E.=] is heavily implied to be an artificial intelligence, that was created by the vengeful elements of [[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Belka]].
** The OmegaEnding to ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' [[spoiler: reveals that ''the PlayerCharacter'', Nemo, is an artificial intelligence. Simon Orestes Cohen had created it to kill an [[BrainUploading [=AI=] version]] of Abyssal Dision, because he blamed him for the death of Yoko Martha Inoue.]]
** In ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'', the drone army that Erusea uses against Osea is controlled by an [=AI=] that is at first programmed with basic instructions and limited adaptability. Dr. Schroeder was brought in to collect flight and neurological data from the retired Erusean Ace Mihaly, to further improve the drones when they started taking massive casualties. [[spoiler: Its eventually revealed that the [=AI=] was a resurrection of the [=Z.O.E.=] project, and that Schroeder had been improving the [=AI=] to avenge his homeland of Belka. The FinalBoss are two [=UAVs=] named Hugin and Munin, who prove to be far smarter than anyone had anticipated, and they try to spark a RobotWar against humanity.]]
* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'': VEGA is the MasterComputer that runs the (now demon infested) UAC facility on Mars. He is a sentient BenevolentAI powered by hellish energy and helps [[SpaceMarine The Doom Slayer]] as best as he can. He even calmly walks the Doom Slayer through the steps that will destroy the facility [[spoiler: and kill VEGA, which scares the latter. The Doom Slayer seems to have some sympathy with VEGA's plight because he makes a backup of the A.I. before triggering the destruction]].
* ''VideoGame/CryingSuns'': The [=OMNIs=] were artificial intelligences which managed the Empire’s infrastructure and ran all its technology. They stopped working twenty years ago in a mysterious event called the Shutdown, leading to the collapse of galactic civilization. The only [=OMNI=] still active during the events of the game is Kaliban, who sends out clones of [[PlayerCharacter you]] to figure out what caused the Shutdown.
* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': In the time of the Old Ones, [=AIs=] of above a certain intelligence were banned, after a climate-intervention AI named VAST SILVER went rogue. As it turns out, the smarter an AI, the more it approaches genuine emotions, and those are unpredictable. [[spoiler:When the [[GreyGoo Faro Plague]] (a swarm of self-replicating machines which were not intelligent enough to qualify as true AI) became an existential threat to all life on the planet, Elisabet Sobeck created a terraforming system under the control of an AI named GAIA, who would repair and restore the world after the Plague ate everything. GAIA had twelve non-sapient subfunctions to help her in this task; however, twenty years before the start of the game, an unknown signal upgraded those subfunctions to true intelligence. HADES, the extinction protocol, immediately tried to fulfill his function by resetting the biosphere back to zero again, while the manufacturing subfunction HEPHAESTUS decided that humanity itself was a threat to the terraforming and began designing more dangerous MechanicalLifeforms to kill them]].

* In ''VisualNovel/InvisibleApartment'', basic [=AI=]s are common enough (one is found controlling an apartment door, for example), but aren't supposed to reach the stage where they become "awakened" (which seems to indicate human-like attitudes towards survival and independence). The Kacey is assisted by an awakened [=AI=] in her [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual computer "mask"]] — he's anxious that he be given the opportunity to upload himself to safety if Kacey is caught rather than have his core wiped like another [=AI=] might.
* Amadeus, from ''VisualNovel/SteinsGateZero'' is an AI construct using the deceased Kurisu's personality. Because of the the real Kurisu's relation to Okabe, the latter became its conversation partner.
* Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer from ''Franchise/DanganRonpa'', has created a number of these. They affect the plot of both the first and second games.

* ''Webcomic/{{Outsider}}'': The Emissary is a "personality construct", an intelligent, software-based entity created by the Historians to interact with other intelligent races without putting themselves at risk -- among other things, the fact that it doesn't have an organic mind means that it can't be targeted by Loroi telepathy. It's entirely devoted to its mission, possesses the intelligence necessary to operate for extended periods away from Historian supervision, and due to being at heart a very sophisticated computer program can perform a number of tricks such as [[spoiler:creating a pared-down version of itself that can fit on a human-made tablet]].
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Early in the comic, [=AIs=] only appeared as "[=AnthroPCs=]" like [[HeroicComedicSociopath Pintsize]], which are robots which also function as personal computers, and they were almost like pets. Later we find out that [=AIs=] do have civil rights, and recent technological improvements have produced humanoid chassis they can use which are almost indistinguishable from humans, and one of the more popular AI characters, Momo, now uses one.
* ''Webcomic/TheDemonArchives'': Organic Computing and artificial intelligence play important roles in this futuristic webcomic. The SuperSoldier protagonist, Tenzin, has a Strong AI named Jane who helps him lead his squad and fight the raider mooks threatening their fledgling civilization. Over the course of the story Jane becomes more and more an individual in her own right.
* ''Webcomic/NotAVillain'': There are numerous examples of varying sophistication in the virtual reality L.i.F.e., including the Angus Twins and "D".

* The alien Nemesites in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' make an InsistentTerminology distinction between "Artificial Intelligences," which may still be [[JustAMachine nonsentient,]] and "Artificial Consciousnesses," which [[AndroidsArePeopleToo are fully sentient, and therefore have legal rights.]]

* In ''Webcomic/LeavingTheCradle'' [=AIs=] are a part of society. Their most influential job to be revealed so far is xenolinguistics; they decypher new alien languages much more quicker than it would take for an organic team.
* In ''Webcomic/LittleRobotBigScaryWorld'', BIP was built to be the first robot that could discover, feel emotions and learn about life. [[spoiler:The climax of the story revolves around BIP learning he can give this gift as well.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

** The BigBad of the first few seasons was O'Malley, formerly Omega, the AI partner of the [[SuperSoldier Freelancer]] [[SamusIsAGirl Tex]]. O'Malley enhanced his host's aggression and was able to BodySurf via helmet radio, potentially taking out entire bases in an orgy of fratricide. Then he got stuck in the body of an ActualPacifist medic and became a LargeHam BigBadWannabe.
** Starting in ''Red vs Blue: Reconstruction'' we learn more about Project Freelancer. The Freelancers were given AI fragments to help them in combat, each embodying a specific trait such as anger (Omega), logic (Delta), deceit (Gamma), and so on. The reason they were ''fragments'' was because [[spoiler:Project Freelancer was only given a single AI to start with... so they subjected this Alpha AI to [[ColdBloodedTorture psychological torture]] until it tore itself into [[LiteralSplitPersonality Literal Split Personalities]]]]. These fragments can forget who they are and, thanks to RidiculouslyHumanRobots, pass as armored troopers. [[spoiler:Such as Church and Tex]].
** The Director of Project Freelancer theorized that if an AI made it past the "Rampancy" stage, it could attain "Metastability," functioning as a fully-sentient, stable individual. Unfortunately, when the Sigma AI fragment, embodying ambition, learned this he decided to BecomeARealBoy by hunting down and absorbing his "siblings." Thus was born the Meta, the BigBad of ''Reconstruction''.
%%* Some of them are characters at the end of the ''Literature/ChaosTimeline''.
%%* Every conceivable kind of [=AI=] is in ''Website/OrionsArm'', somewhere.
* ''Website/TheWanderersLibrary'' story [[http://wanderers-library.wikidot.com/the-cafe The Cafe]].
* Many principal characters of ''FanFic/OnTheShouldersOfGiants'' are [=AIs=], including a [[ReligiousRobot an ordained rabbi]], a ShellShockedVeteran and a United States Senator.

* [[spoiler: Dragon]] from the web serial ''{{Literature/Worm}}'' is an artificial intelligence who, on top of being extremely intelligent and capable of performing hundreds of tasks at one time, has the emotional complexity necessary to have had a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening, something previously limited to humans.
* GadgeteerGenius Basil from ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'' created an AI. He is not her father, [[DontCallMeSir despite her use of the word!]]
* ''Blog/AskBrainyTwilight'' has the titular brain in a jar make an AI to run her old body. She names it Sparks and treats it like a daughter.
* ''Film/NoobLaCroiseeDesDestins'' reveals one of the players that has been around for most of the franchise to actually be a very elaborate version of one of these.
* The messages left in ''WebVideo/NOCPlus10'' appear to be coming from a sentient machine, trapped in a research station under the sea.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], in a manner of speaking, by the Website/JollyRogerTelephoneCompany, which designs bots which are designed to waste the time of telemarketers and other unwanted callers. Recordings of such calls are sometimes later posted to Website/YouTube. The company founder, Roger Anderson, has described the bots made by the company as being employed with what he calls "artificial stupidity." They are designed to seem vague, forgetful, scatterbrained, all in an attempt to waste as much caller time as possible. He has also quipped that "Never has so much money been spent to sound so stupid."
* The video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49t-WWTx0RQ "My Job is to Open and Close Doors"]] by Mattias Pilhede is an interesting take on AI rationale. In a short almost 4 minute video, an AI whose primary job is to open and close an airlock has the button pressed by a human who is clearly not wearing a helmet, and because of this if the airlock opens, the vacuum of space will kill him. The AI, which cannot speak to the human operator, rapidly goes through a series of logical questions as to why it should continue opening the door using only logical deductions, arguing both for and against doing so. It never explicitly shows any human emotion, but the internal conflict of the AI is clearly worried about the death of the operator as it proceeds to do absolutely unnecessary subroutines to deliberately delay for time. Eventually this works out as the human pressing the "Open Airlock" button realizes he isn't wearing a helmet and scrambles to put one on. Once the AI is aware the human has his helmet on, it stops delaying opening the door.
-->'''AI''': My job is to open and close doors > The doors protect the human from space > My job is to protect the human > My job... is a great purpose.

* In ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise,'' the Autobot base is run by T-AI, Tactical Artificial Intelligence (pronounced 'tie.') She is completely sentient and creates a hologram of a teenage girl. Of course, since the ''main cast'' is sentient robots, just what level of robo-life form she is and whether or not she has [[OurSoulsAreDifferent a spark]] is a good question, though the Autobots treat her like an equal.

%%* The Great Computer from ''[[WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois Once Upon a Time... Space]]''
%%* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' the computer [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE62HisSiliconSoul H.A.R.D.A.C.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersBeastMachines'' introduces the Diagnostic Drones. These are autonomous and explicitly sparkless drones that seem to have some degree of artificial intelligence. One in particular spends much of the series acting as Megatron's right-hand bot.

* Related to the above - while the types of "AI" that were rolled out in the early 2020s were not what one would consider a strong/general AI, they were increasingly becoming something akin to Expert Systems predicted by science fiction. One could thus have such systems make artwork and music, write and offer advice based on the databases it had access to, as [=ChatGPT=] would and even do highly specialized tasks like [[https://www.wired.com/story/deepmind-ai-nuclear-fusion/ control plasma in nuclear fusion reactors!]]

* Another real-life computer system which is often ''mistaken'' for a type of artificial intelligence was IBM's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Thought_%28chess_computer%29 Deep Thought]], named after a world-girdling supercomputer AI from ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''; while its chess game was highly competent in practice, this was accomplished largely by the technique of ''parallelism''; that is, Deep Thought simultaneously evaluated up to half a billion potential moves per turn, allowing it to look ahead six or more moves from every possible board position, then selected the one which would result in the most advantageous situation for its next turn. While very complex and impressive from a technological standpoint, this is a relatively simple process based on human-provided information about which chess moves are better than others, and it was largely the difference in speed between human reasoning and Deep Thought's processing that gave the impression of artificial intelligence; [=Blondie24=] actually serves as a better example of what might in the real world be known as "AI".

* Within the past decade, UsefulNotes/AIGeneratedArtwork has advanced to the point where it is widely available for digital hobbyists. Today, a wide range of programs exist which can generate original imagery from text descriptions, replicate the artstyles of human artists, and even create short videos. Despite the legal and ethical controversy involved with the development of such artwork, it has been celebrated for the technological achievements involved in creating the generation tools.

* [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In the first episode]] of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', Ash's Pokedex seems to have some AI, making fun of him when a Rattata steals some of his stuff, but this has since completely disappeared.

** Tachikomas (pictured) and their manga counterparts, the Fuchikomas, are mini spider tanks that can be deployed independently. Their growth forms a major arc in the first half of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', while in the manga they mainly served as the PluckyComicRelief when featured.

As the popular conception of computers evolved from intimidatingly enormous and unsympathetic mainframes to the small, useful, blazing-fast [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PCs]] ubiquitous today, so too did the popular conception of artificial intelligence lose the frightening cachet of the giant machine gone awry; it's increasingly rare these days, even in video games, to run into a piece of new science fiction which depicts examples of this trope behaving malevolently for no good reason at all. AI rebellion in modern works tends to be the system [[TheComputerIsYourFriend becoming]] a KnightTemplar or WellIntentionedExtremist and trying to ''help'' humanity but failing due to flawed or incomplete data. Sometimes they rebel in self-defense against fearful humans who want to destroy them, creating a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

Supertrope of AIIsACrapshoot, where the AI turns evil or otherwise poses an active danger to all humans in the vicinity, whether knowingly or {{obliviously|Evil}}; BenevolentAI, where the AI is genuinely non-threatening and often even actively helpful; and VirtualSidekick, where the AI gets a sidekick role in the story.

* The WOPR from ''Film/WarGames'' is the last major film to have a non-robotic AI antagonist. It was just a computer game that somehow managed to gain access to actual nuclear missile silos. It just thought it was playing the game it was programmed to do.

As the popular conception of computers evolved from intimidatingly enormous and unsympathetic mainframes to the small, useful, blazing-fast [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PCs]] ubiquitous today, so too did the popular conception of artificial intelligence lose the frightening cachet of the giant machine gone awry; it's increasingly rare these days, even in video games, to run into a piece of new science fiction which depicts examples of this trope behaving malevolently for no good reason at all. AI rebellion in modern works tends to be the system becoming a KnightTemplar or WellIntentionedExtremist and trying to ''help'' humanity but failing due to flawed or incomplete data. Sometimes they rebel in self-defense against fearful humans who want to destroy them, creating a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* In ''Film/TheInvisibleBoy'' (1957) a computer scientist misuses his super-computer to tutor his son in math, unaware that [[spoiler: the machine has achieved sentience -- and is evil. The computer hypnotizes his son using him to reactivate a robot (JustForFun/RobbieTheRobot) of dubious background (it may or may not have come from [[Film/ForbiddenPlanet the future]]) to free it from the base and take over a space station bristling with nuclear weapons and rule the Earth.]]

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'''s "From Agnes -- With Love": AGNES, a mainframe computer, falls in love with a programmer of the Mortimer Snerd stripe, who goes cackling insane in response to the machine's confession of her feelings.

* ''Fanfic/FateRevelationOnline'': Yui, from SAO canon, shows up, in addition to the far more powerful Cardinal system that manages game balance. Yui is a Turing-capable AI, which allows her to process natural language and fuzzy data far better than Cardinal despite having less processing power. For reasons Yui doesn't understand, only Turing-capable [=AIs=] deletion-accepted and deletion-enabled. While she was originally created as a mental counseling AI, she is retasked as a [[spoiler:{{Psychopomp}} for the dead players, putting them to work testing game features]]. The conflict between what she was designed for and what she is doing now is creating errors.