{"data":{"id":12969,"title":"News Update: AI Pilots","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/12969-News-Update-AI-Pilots","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12969","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12969","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":456,"name":"ShowdownLogo2b_Crop.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/er8zycofrfrnor\/source\/ShowdownLogo2b_Crop.jpg","alt":"","size":540017,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2015-07-22T01:35:09+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/456","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/456\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"SHOWDOWN!\nAuto-Transcript for S&P and NFSC Submission\nEP: 54:16 : \u201cGuiding Light\u201d\nERIA QUINT: Hello and welcome to another dynamic episode of ShowDown! I\u2019m your host, Eria Quint. On April 12th of this year, the mining and shipping consortium ArcCorp announced that they are going to field-test their first AI-piloted cargo vessel on the infamous Earth-Pinecone run. Public reaction to the news has been mixed at best. Some applaud this as a natural, next step in flight mechanics, while others decry the company for depriving thousands of their jobs in the midst of tough economic times.\n\nWe have two very special guests joining us to hash out this debate. The first is the host of the very popular shipping broadcast, Clean Shot, Mr. Craig Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Hi there.\n\nERIA QUINT: The second is Dr. Yusef Phan, Chief Programming Executive at BabbageCorp and one of the architects of the avionic system that was ultimately used as part of ArcCorp\u2019s proprietary AI-flight system. Welcome, doctor.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.\n\nERIA QUINT: So Craig, ever since ArcCorp\u2019s announcement, you\u2019ve been quite critical of the entire concept.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Guess that\u2019s a polite way to put it.\n\nERIA QUINT: How would you put it?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: I think it\u2019s a travesty to the good men and women who risk their lives transporting goods.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I would think this system would address precisely that. Save them from risking their lives. It\u2019s dangerous out there.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Damn right it is. Point is, no damn system\u2019s ever gonna be as good as an experienced pilot.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Initially maybe but these are adaptive programs, capable of learning and growing as they continue to fly missions.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Tell me something, you think it\u2019ll ever be able to tell when it\u2019s about to be ambushed?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I\u2019m sure scanning a vessel to see weapons and shields activate is a pretty good indication of malicious intent.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Yeah, how will it know that the malicious intent is directed at it or some other threat?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I don\u2019t know. You\u2019re presenting a hypothetical situation that you alone know the parameters of.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: My daddy used to tell me, \u201cSon, it\u2019s easy to be smart, ain\u2019t easy to be wise.\u201d The point is, you\u2019re asking a computer to make a judgment call. Now I don\u2019t care how smart it gets, it\u2019s still gonna be making decisions on logic, and I think we all know, people ain\u2019t that logical.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Here\u2019s what I do know. ArcCorp reported over three hundred million Credits in losses last cycle due to human error and compensation payouts to the families of pilots lost during pirate and Vanduul attacks.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Jeez, you sure you ain\u2019t really a member of ArcCorp\u2019s marketing team?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Leaving the money aside for the moment, I would think that saving the lives of your fellow shippers might be worth the inconvenience of looking for work.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Don\u2019t try and twist it. My heart breaks every time I hear about some hauler getting blasted while on a run, but we all signed up for the job. Ain\u2019t nobody ever spared us the risks. We took them in stride like we do everything else. Point is, your program is taking away the opportunity for us to provide for our families.\n\nERIA QUINT: I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s disagreeing with the possibility of saving pilots\u2019 lives on transport routes through dangerous space but let\u2019s talk for a moment about the financial implications of this.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Corporate lifeblood, you mean.\n\nERIA QUINT: To offer his perspective on this matter, we\u2019re joined by Economic Analyst Ryu Tarkovsky.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Hello.\n\nERIA QUINT: So let\u2019s talk cost. You\u2019ve offered a pretty comprehensive analysis of the possible cost risks and benefits of adopting a fleet of AI-controlled haulers.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: There\u2019s a horrible image.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Yes, Eria, that\u2019s correct.\n\nERIA QUINT: What did you discover?\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Humanity\u2019s always had an aversion to the notion of AI. Particularly after the disastrous Artemis expedition \u2014\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Technically, we don\u2019t know if Janus was indeed responsible for that.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Regardless, the public seems to like it in theory, but actual application seems to be a different matter. Anthropologists theorize that there\u2019s an innate part of our being that needs to control. Hence why flight computers are designed to assist the pilot, handling the complex mathematics necessarily to fly, as opposed to deferring control to the system.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: It\u2019s also boring as hell. I mean, why wouldn\u2019t you want to fly it yourself if you had the choice?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Oh I don\u2019t know, maximizing fuel efficiency, operating with reflexes that are significantly higher than your own \u2026\n\nERIA QUINT: Gentlemen, please. Continue, Mr. Tarkovsky.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: So the first hurdle would be their customers embracing the concept of AI in common use. Financially speaking, it could be a worthy investment in the long run. The first vessel is apparently a modified Caterpillar but ultimately, if they chose to spend the Credits, they could design a brand new type of ship that wouldn\u2019t need to be designed with life support functions in mind, thus eliminating many systems and increasing the cargo capacity, thereby increasing the money generated per run.\n\nUnfortunately, this initial phase will be their costliest. As Dr. Phan said, these are learning systems. Every systems engineer I\u2019ve spoken to anticipates a small percentage of ships will cause some very costly accidents, accidents that could have been easily avoided by having a human pilot who could \u2018read the circumstances\u2019 if you will.\n\nThe situation will effectively become a financial game of Dead Man\u2019s Bluff: can ArcCorp weather the financial drain of accidents and lost cargo long enough for the AI to learn enough to stop making those mistakes?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: If I may interject, Mr. Tarkovsky, you\u2019re assuming that the AIs aren\u2019t going to be able to learn from each other. The programs will be constantly sending feeds of their activities to relay stations, which will be funneled into a central hub then beamed back out to the drone pilots. So all will learn from each other\u2019s mistakes and successes.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Right, well, Comm traffic ain\u2019t exactly reliable on a good day \u2026\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: ArcCorp has already announced that they plan to include human pilots to act as \u2018monitors\u2019 while the AI system is vetted and learning. So I think your concerns are a little unfounded, Mr. Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Right, well, the first time a 200,000 Kg tanker ship crashes headlong into an Orbital because it didn\u2019t get the correct update that the docking arm was under construction, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be singin\u2019 a different tune.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: If you\u2019re so distrusting of computer-controlled craft, Mr. Burton, why do you let your own computer take control when navigating a jump point?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: That\u2019s different. That\u2019s no more advanced than playing back a recording through the ship\u2019s controls, and we\u2019ve been doing for more than 1000 years. So it ain\u2019t an AI thing at all, really.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: It\u2019s hypocritical is what it is.\n\nERIA QUINT: We\u2019re going to take a quick break. When we get back, we\u2019ll examine the legal ramifications of AI-piloted craft; in the past, pilots are partially liable for damage; now would it be solely the Corp or would the AI programming also be held accountable? You won\u2019t want to miss it. So reload your guns and get ready for another ShowDown!\n\nTRANSCRIPT BREAK","de_DE":"SHOWDOWN!\n\nAutomatische \u00dcbertragung f\u00fcr S&P- und NFSC-Einreichungen\n\nEP: 54:16 : \" Leitendes Licht \".\n\nERIA QUINT: Hallo und willkommen zu einer weiteren dynamischen Episode von ShowDown! Ich bin dein Gastgeber, Eria Quint. Am 12. April dieses Jahres gab das Bergbau- und Schifffahrtskonsortium ArcCorp bekannt, dass sie ihren ersten KI-pilotierten Frachter auf der ber\u00fcchtigten Earth-Pinecone Strecke im Feldtest testen werden. Die \u00f6ffentliche Reaktion auf die Nachrichten war bestenfalls gemischt. Einige begr\u00fc\u00dfen dies als nat\u00fcrlichen, n\u00e4chsten Schritt in der Flugmechanik, w\u00e4hrend andere das Unternehmen daf\u00fcr kritisieren, dass es in schwierigen wirtschaftlichen Zeiten Tausende von Arbeitspl\u00e4tzen entzogen hat.\n\nWir haben zwei ganz besondere G\u00e4ste, die uns begleiten, um diese Debatte zu vertiefen. Der erste ist der Gastgeber der sehr beliebten Schifffahrtssendung Clean Shot, Mr. Craig Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Hallo.\n\nERIA QUINT: Der zweite ist Dr. Yusef Phan, Chief Programming Executive bei BabbageCorp und einer der Architekten des Avioniksystems, das letztlich als Teil des ArcCorp-eigenen KI-Flugsystems eingesetzt wurde. Willkommen, Doktor.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Sch\u00f6n, hier zu sein. Danke, dass Sie mich haben.\n\nERIA QUINT: Also Craig, seit der Ank\u00fcndigung von ArcCorp waren Sie ziemlich kritisch gegen\u00fcber dem gesamten Konzept.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Ich sch\u00e4tze, das ist eine h\u00f6fliche Art, es auszudr\u00fccken.\n\nERIA QUINT: Wie w\u00fcrdest du es ausdr\u00fccken?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Ich denke, es ist eine Travestie f\u00fcr die guten M\u00e4nner und Frauen, die ihr Leben riskieren, um Waren zu transportieren.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Ich w\u00fcrde denken, dass dieses System genau das anspricht. Rette sie davor, ihr Leben zu riskieren. Es ist gef\u00e4hrlich da drau\u00dfen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Verdammt richtig, das ist es. Der Punkt ist, kein verdammtes System wird jemals so gut sein wie ein erfahrener Pilot.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Zuerst vielleicht, aber das sind adaptive Programme, die lernen und wachsen k\u00f6nnen, w\u00e4hrend sie weiterhin Missionen fliegen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Sag mir etwas, denkst du, es wird jemals in der Lage sein zu sagen, wann es in einen Hinterhalt geraten wird?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Ich bin sicher, dass das Scannen eines Schiffes, um Waffen und Schilde zu sehen, die aktiviert werden, ein ziemlich gutes Zeichen f\u00fcr b\u00f6swillige Absichten ist.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Ja, woher wei\u00df sie, dass die b\u00f6sartige Absicht auf sie oder eine andere Bedrohung gerichtet ist?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Ich wei\u00df nicht. Sie pr\u00e4sentieren eine hypothetische Situation, von der Sie allein die Parameter kennen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Mein Vater sagte immer zu mir: \"Sohn, es ist einfach, schlau zu sein, es ist nicht einfach, weise zu sein.\" Der Punkt ist, dass Sie einen Computer bitten, eine Entscheidung zu treffen. Jetzt ist es mir egal, wie klug es wird, es wird immer noch Entscheidungen \u00fcber die Logik treffen, und ich denke, wir alle wissen, dass die Leute nicht so logisch sind.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Hier ist, was ich wei\u00df. ArcCorp berichtete \u00fcber mehr als dreihundert Millionen Credits in Verlusten im letzten Zyklus aufgrund menschlicher Fehler und Entsch\u00e4digungszahlungen an die Familien von Piloten, die bei Piraten- und Vanduul-Angriffen verloren gingen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Mensch, bist du sicher, dass du nicht wirklich ein Mitglied des Marketing-Teams von ArcCorp bist?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Wenn Sie das Geld f\u00fcr den Moment beiseite lassen, w\u00fcrde ich denken, dass die Rettung des Lebens Ihrer Verladekollegen die Unannehmlichkeiten der Arbeitssuche wert sein k\u00f6nnte.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Versuch nicht, es zu verdrehen. Mein Herz bricht jedes Mal, wenn ich h\u00f6re, dass ein Schlepper auf der Flucht gesprengt wird, aber wir haben uns alle f\u00fcr den Job angemeldet. Niemand hat uns jemals die Risiken erspart. Wir haben sie in Schwung gebracht, so wie wir alles andere machen. Der Punkt ist, dass Ihr Programm uns die M\u00f6glichkeit nimmt, f\u00fcr unsere Familien zu sorgen.\n\nERIA QUINT: Ich glaube nicht, dass jemand mit der M\u00f6glichkeit, Pilotenleben auf Transportrouten durch gef\u00e4hrliche R\u00e4ume zu retten, nicht einverstanden ist, aber lassen Sie uns einen Moment \u00fcber die finanziellen Auswirkungen sprechen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Firmen-Lebensblut, meinen Sie.\n\nERIA QUINT: Um seine Sichtweise in dieser Angelegenheit darzulegen, schlie\u00dft sich uns der Wirtschaftsanalytiker Ryu Tarkovsky an.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Hallo.\n\nERIA QUINT: Also lassen Sie uns \u00fcber die Kosten sprechen. Sie haben eine ziemlich umfassende Analyse der m\u00f6glichen Kostenrisiken und -vorteile durch den Einsatz einer Flotte von KI-gesteuerten Schleppern angeboten.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Es gibt ein schreckliches Bild.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Ja, Eria, das ist richtig.\n\nERIA QUINT: Was hast du entdeckt?\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Die Menschheit hatte immer eine Abneigung gegen den Begriff der KI. Besonders nach der verheerenden Artemis-Expedition -\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Technisch gesehen wissen wir nicht, ob Janus daf\u00fcr verantwortlich war.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Unabh\u00e4ngig davon scheint es der \u00d6ffentlichkeit in der Theorie zu gefallen, aber die tats\u00e4chliche Anwendung scheint eine andere Sache zu sein. Anthropologen theoretisieren, dass es einen angeborenen Teil unseres Wesens gibt, der kontrolliert werden muss. Daher sind Flugcomputer so konzipiert, dass sie den Piloten unterst\u00fctzen und die komplexe Mathematik beherrschen, die f\u00fcr das Fliegen notwendig ist, anstatt die Steuerung auf das System zu verschieben.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Es ist auch langweilig wie die H\u00f6lle. Ich meine, warum solltest du es nicht selbst fliegen wollen, wenn du die Wahl h\u00e4ttest?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Oh, ich wei\u00df nicht, Maximierung der Kraftstoffeffizienz, Betrieb mit Reflexen, die deutlich h\u00f6her sind als die eigenen.....\n\nERIA QUINT: Meine Herren, bitte. Weiter, Mr. Tarkovsky.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Die erste H\u00fcrde w\u00e4re also, dass ihre Kunden das Konzept der KI im allgemeinen Gebrauch annehmen. Finanziell gesehen k\u00f6nnte es sich auf lange Sicht um eine lohnende Investition handeln. Das erste Schiff ist anscheinend eine modifizierte Caterpillar, aber letztendlich, wenn sie sich daf\u00fcr entscheiden, die Credits auszugeben, k\u00f6nnten sie einen brandneuen Schiffstyp entwerfen, der nicht mit Blick auf die Lebenserhaltungsfunktionen entworfen werden m\u00fcsste, wodurch viele Systeme eliminiert und die Ladekapazit\u00e4t erh\u00f6ht w\u00fcrde, wodurch das pro Fahrt generierte Geld erh\u00f6ht w\u00fcrde.\n\nLeider wird diese Anfangsphase am kostspieligsten sein. Wie Dr. Phan sagte, sind dies Lernsysteme. Jeder Systemingenieur, mit dem ich gesprochen habe, geht davon aus, dass ein kleiner Prozentsatz der Schiffe einige sehr kostspielige Unf\u00e4lle verursachen wird, Unf\u00e4lle, die leicht zu vermeiden gewesen w\u00e4ren, wenn man einen menschlichen Piloten h\u00e4tte, der die Umst\u00e4nde lesen k\u00f6nnte, wenn man so will.\n\nDie Situation wird effektiv zu einem Finanzspiel von Dead Man's Bluff: Kann ArcCorp den finanziellen Abfluss von Unf\u00e4llen und verlorener Ladung lange genug \u00fcberstehen, damit die KI genug lernen kann, um diese Fehler zu stoppen?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Wenn ich unterbrechen darf, Mr. Tarkovsky, gehen Sie davon aus, dass die KIs nicht in der Lage sein werden, voneinander zu lernen. Die Programme werden st\u00e4ndig Feeds ihrer Aktivit\u00e4ten an Relaisstationen senden, die in eine zentrale Drehscheibe geleitet und dann an die Drohnenpiloten zur\u00fcckbeamt werden. So werden alle aus den Fehlern und Erfolgen des anderen lernen.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Richtig, nun, der Comm-Verkehr ist an einem guten Tag nicht gerade zuverl\u00e4ssig....\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: ArcCorp hat bereits angek\u00fcndigt, dass sie menschliche Piloten als \"Beobachter\" einbeziehen wollen, w\u00e4hrend das KI-System \u00fcberpr\u00fcft wird und lernt. Also denke ich, dass Ihre Bedenken ein wenig unbegr\u00fcndet sind, Mr. Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Richtig, nun, das erste Mal, wenn ein 200.000 kg Tanklastschiff kopf\u00fcber in einen Orbital st\u00fcrzt, weil es nicht das richtige Update bekommen hat, dass der Andockarm im Bau war, bin ich sicher, dass Sie ein anderes Lied singen werden.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Wenn Sie dem computergesteuerten Boot so misstrauen, Mr. Burton, warum lassen Sie Ihren eigenen Computer die Kontrolle \u00fcbernehmen, wenn Sie einen Sprungpunkt steuern?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Das ist etwas anderes. Das ist nicht fortschrittlicher, als eine Aufnahme \u00fcber die Schiffssteuerung wiederzugeben, und das seit mehr als 1000 Jahren. Also ist es \u00fcberhaupt keine KI-Sache, wirklich.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Es ist scheinheilig, was es ist.\n\nERIA QUINT: Wir machen eine kurze Pause. Wenn wir zur\u00fcckkommen, werden wir die rechtlichen Auswirkungen von KI-gef\u00fchrten Schiffen untersuchen; in der Vergangenheit waren die Piloten teilweise f\u00fcr Sch\u00e4den haftbar; jetzt w\u00e4re es allein das Corp oder w\u00fcrde auch die KI-Programmierung zur Verantwortung gezogen werden? Du wirst es nicht verpassen wollen. Also lade deine Waffen nach und mach dich bereit f\u00fcr einen weiteren ShowDown!\n\n\n\n\nTRANSKRIPTUMBRUCH","zh_CN":"SHOWDOWN!\nAuto-Transcript for S&P and NFSC Submission\nEP: 54:16 : \u201cGuiding Light\u201d\nERIA QUINT: Hello and welcome to another dynamic episode of ShowDown! I\u2019m your host, Eria Quint. On April 12th of this year, the mining and shipping consortium ArcCorp announced that they are going to field-test their first AI-piloted cargo vessel on the infamous Earth-Pinecone run. Public reaction to the news has been mixed at best. Some applaud this as a natural, next step in flight mechanics, while others decry the company for depriving thousands of their jobs in the midst of tough economic times.\n\nWe have two very special guests joining us to hash out this debate. The first is the host of the very popular shipping broadcast, Clean Shot, Mr. Craig Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Hi there.\n\nERIA QUINT: The second is Dr. Yusef Phan, Chief Programming Executive at BabbageCorp and one of the architects of the avionic system that was ultimately used as part of ArcCorp\u2019s proprietary AI-flight system. Welcome, doctor.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.\n\nERIA QUINT: So Craig, ever since ArcCorp\u2019s announcement, you\u2019ve been quite critical of the entire concept.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Guess that\u2019s a polite way to put it.\n\nERIA QUINT: How would you put it?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: I think it\u2019s a travesty to the good men and women who risk their lives transporting goods.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I would think this system would address precisely that. Save them from risking their lives. It\u2019s dangerous out there.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Damn right it is. Point is, no damn system\u2019s ever gonna be as good as an experienced pilot.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Initially maybe but these are adaptive programs, capable of learning and growing as they continue to fly missions.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Tell me something, you think it\u2019ll ever be able to tell when it\u2019s about to be ambushed?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I\u2019m sure scanning a vessel to see weapons and shields activate is a pretty good indication of malicious intent.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Yeah, how will it know that the malicious intent is directed at it or some other threat?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: I don\u2019t know. You\u2019re presenting a hypothetical situation that you alone know the parameters of.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: My daddy used to tell me, \u201cSon, it\u2019s easy to be smart, ain\u2019t easy to be wise.\u201d The point is, you\u2019re asking a computer to make a judgment call. Now I don\u2019t care how smart it gets, it\u2019s still gonna be making decisions on logic, and I think we all know, people ain\u2019t that logical.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Here\u2019s what I do know. ArcCorp reported over three hundred million Credits in losses last cycle due to human error and compensation payouts to the families of pilots lost during pirate and Vanduul attacks.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Jeez, you sure you ain\u2019t really a member of ArcCorp\u2019s marketing team?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Leaving the money aside for the moment, I would think that saving the lives of your fellow shippers might be worth the inconvenience of looking for work.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Don\u2019t try and twist it. My heart breaks every time I hear about some hauler getting blasted while on a run, but we all signed up for the job. Ain\u2019t nobody ever spared us the risks. We took them in stride like we do everything else. Point is, your program is taking away the opportunity for us to provide for our families.\n\nERIA QUINT: I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s disagreeing with the possibility of saving pilots\u2019 lives on transport routes through dangerous space but let\u2019s talk for a moment about the financial implications of this.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Corporate lifeblood, you mean.\n\nERIA QUINT: To offer his perspective on this matter, we\u2019re joined by Economic Analyst Ryu Tarkovsky.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Hello.\n\nERIA QUINT: So let\u2019s talk cost. You\u2019ve offered a pretty comprehensive analysis of the possible cost risks and benefits of adopting a fleet of AI-controlled haulers.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: There\u2019s a horrible image.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Yes, Eria, that\u2019s correct.\n\nERIA QUINT: What did you discover?\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Humanity\u2019s always had an aversion to the notion of AI. Particularly after the disastrous Artemis expedition \u2014\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Technically, we don\u2019t know if Janus was indeed responsible for that.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: Regardless, the public seems to like it in theory, but actual application seems to be a different matter. Anthropologists theorize that there\u2019s an innate part of our being that needs to control. Hence why flight computers are designed to assist the pilot, handling the complex mathematics necessarily to fly, as opposed to deferring control to the system.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: It\u2019s also boring as hell. I mean, why wouldn\u2019t you want to fly it yourself if you had the choice?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: Oh I don\u2019t know, maximizing fuel efficiency, operating with reflexes that are significantly higher than your own \u2026\n\nERIA QUINT: Gentlemen, please. Continue, Mr. Tarkovsky.\n\nRYU TARKOVSKY: So the first hurdle would be their customers embracing the concept of AI in common use. Financially speaking, it could be a worthy investment in the long run. The first vessel is apparently a modified Caterpillar but ultimately, if they chose to spend the Credits, they could design a brand new type of ship that wouldn\u2019t need to be designed with life support functions in mind, thus eliminating many systems and increasing the cargo capacity, thereby increasing the money generated per run.\n\nUnfortunately, this initial phase will be their costliest. As Dr. Phan said, these are learning systems. Every systems engineer I\u2019ve spoken to anticipates a small percentage of ships will cause some very costly accidents, accidents that could have been easily avoided by having a human pilot who could \u2018read the circumstances\u2019 if you will.\n\nThe situation will effectively become a financial game of Dead Man\u2019s Bluff: can ArcCorp weather the financial drain of accidents and lost cargo long enough for the AI to learn enough to stop making those mistakes?\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: If I may interject, Mr. Tarkovsky, you\u2019re assuming that the AIs aren\u2019t going to be able to learn from each other. The programs will be constantly sending feeds of their activities to relay stations, which will be funneled into a central hub then beamed back out to the drone pilots. So all will learn from each other\u2019s mistakes and successes.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Right, well, Comm traffic ain\u2019t exactly reliable on a good day \u2026\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: ArcCorp has already announced that they plan to include human pilots to act as \u2018monitors\u2019 while the AI system is vetted and learning. So I think your concerns are a little unfounded, Mr. Burton.\n\nCRAIG BURTON: Right, well, the first time a 200,000 Kg tanker ship crashes headlong into an Orbital because it didn\u2019t get the correct update that the docking arm was under construction, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be singin\u2019 a different tune.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: If you\u2019re so distrusting of computer-controlled craft, Mr. Burton, why do you let your own computer take control when navigating a jump point?\n\nCRAIG BURTON: That\u2019s different. That\u2019s no more advanced than playing back a recording through the ship\u2019s controls, and we\u2019ve been doing for more than 1000 years. So it ain\u2019t an AI thing at all, really.\n\nDR. YUSEF PHAN: It\u2019s hypocritical is what it is.\n\nERIA QUINT: We\u2019re going to take a quick break. When we get back, we\u2019ll examine the legal ramifications of AI-piloted craft; in the past, pilots are partially liable for damage; now would it be solely the Corp or would the AI programming also be held accountable? You won\u2019t want to miss it. So reload your guns and get ready for another ShowDown!\n\nTRANSCRIPT BREAK"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":151,"created_at":"2013-04-23T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-28 14:38:38","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":12968,"next_id":12970}}