Anubis, a god program
God programs are a type of artificial intelligence.
Background[]
God programs are capable of corrupting and controlling lesser AIs, such as omnics or sentry bots.[1] Unlike normal AIs, which are limited by their processing systems and limited resources, god programs were designed to live up to their names. Designed to be impartial, they were equipped with complex morality and emotion-synthesizing routines, which would prevent them from acting against their human masters in all but the most extreme circumstances. God programs were not truly sapient beings, though were often anthropomorphized as such, and at various times, have displayed various emotional traits (sadism, regret, etc).[2]
God programs came in two types. The vast majority were referred to as "regional AI," working on a limited level, most often covering a single major metropolitan area and operated by the government. The larger god programs were more complex, created from a variety of sources.[2]
The names of their original programmers have been lost. Writers of the Zurich Archive have speculated that this was perhaps intentional, given the events of the Omnic Crisis.[2]
History[]
Origins[]
God programs were developed before the Omnic Crisis, in a period where humanity seemed set for a bright future. However, the global population was continuing to grow, and it was theorized that the god programs could choreograph the moving pieces necessary to keep humanity on its current course. Furthermore, they could identify areas of need, ensuring equality and prosperity for all.[2]
Each god program was responsible for a different sphere of influence, and was given a corresponding programming team dedicated to supervision and maintenance. Any problems that arose with a god program would be resolved before it reached a boiling point. They were tested again and again for signs of bias before taking stewardship of various systems. While smaller AIs handled activities such as traffic flow, god programs had national levels of activity, such as guarding supply chain flow, analyzing national infrastructure to ensure equitable energy distribution, and ensuring ecological preservation. As such, humanity could turn its attention to the tasks that couldn't be automated. It was believed that humanity's social and structural issues could be solved while god programs took care of humanity's basic needs.[2]
The more advanced god programs were created from a variety of sources. Early models were comissioned by national governments, but the private sector quickly swooped in, offering to improve existing programs or custom design programs with new functions. Because the god programs required access to major systems that involved both the public and private sectors, the United Nations established a special agency to regulate them. But with so many programs on the bleeding edge of technology, such oversight was limited in its effectiveness.[2]
The god programs were not without their detractors. During their design and deployment, concerns were raised about the possibility that they had been given too much leeway, and would be able to make decisions outside the scope of their programming, enabling them to break free of human control. These concerns were dismissed, given that steps had been taken to ensure god programs couldn't act against their creators in all but the most extreme situations, not to mention that any problems that did arise could be solved by their programming teams. In short, the brightest minds of the world agreed that the god programs were safe, and ergo, they were.[2]
Operation[]
The god programs were launched internationally to manage ecological preservation, security, energy equity, and communications. Each god program was installed in a specific location, under the auspecies of a host government, which limited their reach in accordance with each country's laws pertaining to the collection of data. The god programs expanded their reach over time, though there were some regions of the world that never knew their oversight.[2]
Many of the researchers who worked with the more advanced god programs anthromorphized the AIs, viewing them as friends and colleagues of sorts. The researchers claimed that it was impossible to work so closely with an individual, even an AI, and not come to understand and sympathize with them.[2]
On the issue of climate change, the god programs were arguably underutilized. The issue was a global one, and not everyone was willing to leave such an important issue to AI, and some were concerned that the god programs would pick winners and losers. Larger nations feared they would be forced to pay excessive reparations, while smaller nations feared any advantages they'd gained would be stripped from them. For instance, countries that had been enjoying political status as climate refugees were desperate to hang onto their political gains. In the end, humanity pursued self-interest over collective action. Public opinion held that human ingenuity had created the issue, and human ingenuity would solve it.[2]
The climate issue aside, the god programs operated successfully for years, which led to governments and corporations taking their stability for granted, which in turn led to cutbacks in the funding and staffing of their monitoring and programming teams. Maintainance continued, but less frequently. The major god programs' support teams remained stable however, and were viewed as essential. The writers of the Zurich Archive applauded this in hindsight, as it meant that when the Omnic Crisis began, Anubis was the only god program to turn against humanity.[2]
Post-Crisis[]
After the Omnic Crisis, a number of regional god programs continued to operate, albeit with more controls and monitoring systems in place than previously. The major god programs, however, were deactivated and subsequently guarded by Overwatch after the Omnic Crisis ended. Those involved in the god programs' development distanced themselves from the AIs after the war. They argued that none of the god programs bar Anubis had shown signs of any anti-human activity. Others responded that Anubis hadn't either before it launched its war.[2]
Known God Programs[]
The number of god programs is unclear. Some have been declassified and formally acknowledged by their host governments.[2]
- Anubis (Temple of Anubis, Cairo, Egypt)
- Chernobog (Helsinki, Finland)
- Macaria (Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States)
- Xibalbá (Mexico City, Mexico)
Notes[]
In 2017, according to lead writer Michael Chu, "God program" is a colloquial term used more to describe the rogue AI Anubis than to describe a whole subset of AIs.[3] Over time however, the term has been established as a subset of AIs, rather than a colloquial one.