Silica Animus

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This article is about the Silica Animus. For other uses of Artificial Intelligence, see Artificial Intelligence (disambiguation).

A Silica Animus, more commonly known as Abominable Intelligence or A.I.,^[8] is a piece of technology forbidden within the Imperium that involves the creation of an artifical mind.

During the Dark Age of Technology, these intelligences rebelled against their human masters, leading to bloody wars. Since that time, and by a personal decree of the Emperor himself, it has been forbidden to fabricate or service those machines that are able to think and act independently.^[5] Due to their materialist logic, Silica Animus are especially vulnerable to Chaos corruption, seeing in Daemons only a powerful resource to be exploited and not noticing the taint that consequently inevitably overtakes the machine's mind.^[6]

Views of the Adeptus Mechanicus

The Adeptus Mechanicus abhor Abominable Intelligence and believe it to be tech-heresy. A device without a machine spirit is but a shell, however, if it contains an animating intelligent force, it is no longer technology that can be trusted and relied upon. As such, it is no longer part of the Omnissiah's great plan and is damnation made manifest.^[4]^[7] Regardless, there are those within the Adeptus Mechanicus, Dark Mechanicum,^[8] or other hereteks that still meddle in its creation.^[7]

According to the traditions of the Adeptus Mechanicus, such creations are unholy constructs that are inherently evil and perverted abominations in the eyes of the Omnissiah. Furthermore, the Cult Mechanicus states that such constructs possess a machine spirit that is a twisted mockery of a Man's soul as well as being both treacherous and insane. There exist apocryphal stories within the ancient texts that are shrouded in metaphor which speak of the murderous and powerful Silica Animus creations that existed during the Dark Age of Technology. At that black moment in Mankind's history known as the Age of Strife, there existed legions of "iron children" which served the artificial minds of the Silica Animus, who are blamed in part for the many horrific wars that existed in that lost time.^[2] It is said that towards the end of the M23, Mankind was almost destroyed by its own technological innovations.^[3]

In the aftermath of the Age of Strife the Mechanicus passed the Crimson Accords of Mars which forbade the development of advanced A.I. and put a death sentence on any remaining Silica Animus constructs as well as any who developed them.^[2]

The secrets for the creation of such artificial intelligences is one of the many pieces of technology that is being sought by the Logicians cult.^[1]

Pax Imperialis: Solitude

"I am pain. I am loneliness."^[9]

In M41 Marshal Primus Jamahl Byzantane impeded an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator team which sought knowledge within in a site dated between M23 and M26 which had been forbidden from investigation by imperial edict, discovering upon arrival that the team had disabled the stasis field of the site. The arbites encountered Drone bodies of the intelligence within, which had captured the Magos and from him learned of the last fifteen to eighteen millenia of technological changes. The Adeptus Arbites fought a retreat to the door of the site and reinstated the stasis field - abandoning the Magos to the intelligence inside.^[9]

The site intelligence connects with the captive Magos.^[9]
The site intelligence tortures the captive Magos.^[9]

Adeptus Arbites led by Jamahl Byzantane battle Drones controlled by the site intelligence.^[9]
Drones controlled by the site intelligence.^[9]
Drones controlled by the site intelligence kill Adeptus Arbites.^[9]