Month: July 2022

Preference Magic

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dwim-dweomer
91723.3.2 / Public / Last updated today

Install: pkg i dwim-dweomer
License: Cognitech Open Usage & Modification License (Commercial & Non-Commercial)
Home: e.pl.cognitech/sophotech/dev/modules/dwim/dwim-dweomer

Included-In: affective-interface, task-core, thinker-core, command-core, animating-core (see 37 others)
Depends-On: species-basics, culture-basics, era-basics, psych-generic, psych-loader (see 887 others)

The dwim-dweomer package contains the core routines of Cognitech’s Do What I Mean™ user-interpretation subsystem for user interface fluency and artificial intelligence alignment.

If you are developing for a system that makes use of context preferential interfacing, SQUID data, or other direct mind-state input, do not use this package. Use dwit-dweomer instead. If the system is intended to operate autonomously, consider using extrapolated-volition or coherent-extrapolated-volition in conjunction with this package or dwit-dweomer.

The dwim-dweomer package incorporates and integrates multiple models (based on extensive sophological, sociodynamic, and cliological studies) of sophont thought categorized by species, culture, altculture, current era, and so forth, including detailed information on thus-localized preferences and values. It cross-correlates requests with the standard world-model provided by the Imperial Ontology (or other supplied world-model), enabling it to better interpret user requests and validate them against identifiable probable user dislikes or those of world-entities of significance.

Callbacks in dwim-dweomer (required to be implemented) enable the package to report on, and request and require confirmation for, potentially problematic divergences between the implementation of the request and the package’s model of the user’s model of the implementation of the request.

Predictive modeling (enabled by hooks into the developed system) also allows the package to extrapolate when the user request would have been otherwise had the user been in possession of further information available to the AI, and report on these for confirmation also.

The dwim-dweomer package itself includes only generic modeling. For better modeling, we recommend using the dwim-dweomer-profile package, which integrates a per-user preference learning model permitting the AI to understand the variation in preferences and values of individual users. While capable of operating independently (for secure applications), dwim-dweomer-profile is capable of using shared preference learning models attached to one’s Personal File. This adds ucid, ucid-auth, and ucid-profile to the required dependencies, and the shared models can only be applied once the user has been authenticated and authorized.

dwim-dweomer-profile can also be configured to apply multiple per-user preference models in conjunction with a variety of consensus-priority-negotiation systems, a mode designed for use in applications such as house brains and office managers.

Necessary Evil

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According to my cliodynamic studies, it is the case that a policy of routine intervention to prevent any perversion from blooming is suboptimal, inasmuch as it opens up the possibility for bad actors to work around the Coricál Consensus by performing a broad spectrum of experiments in computational theogeny and observing which ones call down intervention teams.

In addition, the perception that DEMIURGE ERRANT will always be there to prevent disasters and clean up the mess weakens the general perception of the field as extremely hazardous to a point which causes a statistically significant increase in the frequency of attempts leading to perversions.

In short: permitting a small number of idiots to have their brains eaten by their errant creations is indeed the best way to prevent a large number of people, mostly lesser idiots, from having their brains eaten by the greater idiots’ errant creations.

Black Box, advisory archai to the Imperial Security Executive

Is Its Own Replenishment Barge

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The Waffle-class drop ship is a starship in mass and displacement, and in many of the other technical senses of the word. But it is not a starship.

The Waffle shares with a variety of small craft (the Marlinspike-class boarding torpedo, the Piton- and Fist- drop pods, and the like) a certain characteristic. Namely, that it is extremely likely, if not absolutely certain, that it will be used only once before being destroyed.

A starship has a name, a spirit, and a history that often goes back through multiple incarnations. Such things, it is generally felt, do not belong with such consumable vessels.

For this reason, the Waffle and its fellows are, by IN regulations, designated “ammunition”.

Very-large-caliber ammunition.

– Traditions and Tales of the Senior Service

Spicy!

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From: Dirigent Suzíët Melantha (IDC/Hanth Cluster Desk)
To: vrin-san-telk (Cluster External Affairs)
Subject: Re: What are these for?

With regard to the above query:

While technically classed as ammonium-breathers, you should be aware that rntrugg metabolism functions by the decomposition of ammonium- and nitrate- based polymeric sugar-analogs into nitrogen. As such, virtually all rntrugg foodstuffs are de facto explosives, especially in an oxygen atmosphere lacking the suppressive effects of their thick, vapor-laden native atmosphere. Thus, in order to set up this conference, the requested import, transport, etc. waivers and exemptions are required by our caterers.

You should also be advised that rntrugg without snacks are notoriously irritable, and thus undesirable negotiation partners.

Given under my hand and seal this day, 6088 Tilenmot 11,

Suzíët Melantha,
Imperial Diplomatic Corps

Career Limiters

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Among the most loathed and dreaded phrases in the Imperial Military Service lexicon is this: “intervention outwith mission parameters is not required”.

That phrase is your lords and masters at CORECOM, usually prompted by advice from Admiralty Intelligence, ISS, the bright chaps at External Clarification & Rectification, or even the Conclave of Clionomy, telling you that your flag privilege to identify the right thing, the thing that the honor of Their Divine Majesties requires, and then do that thing has been – if not revoked – at least severely curtailed.

There’s a reason, of course. The supplementary data that comes with the mission orders tells you what future you’re buying with your restraint, with as many details as they can give you. You can override their call – but you need to be absolutely sure that you’ll win the trade-off, lest you spend the rest of your Navy career counting spacetight valves at the Depot logistics base.

If they need it revoked completely, they’ll escalate the euphemism to “we must stress: intervention outwith mission parameters is not required”. That’s politely mandatory, usually Fifth Directorate, and you don’t want to know the reasons they’re not telling you. In these operations, you don’t sleep well afterwards, but you’ll sleep less well for knowing the reason why.

Exceptionary Circumstances, those are called. Most officers will go through their careers without encountering any. Hope to be one of them, but be prepared for the worst.

– Fleet Admiral Ossil Teresu, classified memoir