Unfourtanately reached end of this build((
After all i can say that definitely enjoyed this game despite all of it flaws which i'll explain later.As for me best thing in this VN that's it makes think about everything described.Now it's rare to see anyone who lift up AI consciousness and similar topics.So only for this and amount of efforts which devs put in this NMF i definitely can rate 10/10.
English isn't my primary language so sorry for all grammatic and similar mistakes inside text.Next, i definitely cannot say about yourself as an expert in this kind of topic but read numerous books, played some games, watched films and read some scientific papers which lift up this and related themes, plus most important pondered about it for... pretty long time.
So if you disagree with my opinion on NMF and topic i happilly agree to discuss under this post.In any case guess it's part of devs intention))
1ST PART
And will begin with.... what is actually things like "AI", person "humanity" or "yuumanity*"
*In general there's simply no difference so will use yuumanity when i'm talking about NMF, in other cases would use humanity.
AI means Arficial Intellegence, but what we usually get used to name "AI"?Generally it's just nothing more than advanced programs, so called "neural networks ", etc which do exactly for what they are programmed , nothing more.In sci-fi or some discussions usually we can meet combination of words "sentient AI" or in very rare cases some unique words which describes same but they aren't generally accepted.
So as we haven't generally accepted word which means "sentient AI" I would use "AI", in other cases "programs", "highly advanced programs", "AI imitation", etc.
Why so?AI became really popular and hype abbreviation and described things in 95-99+% cases aren't fit for this therm and used only to just get people attention.So with all these facts phrase "sentient AI" much much worse than using instead "humans" phrase "sentient apes" because apes(hell, even mice) have much more intellect and sentieness than any so called "AI".
Unfortunately i can't use something else instead AI because it would make text less understable.Maximum what i can do is not using AI therm for nothing more than programs or similar things.
Most fun part if scientists someday will create fully functional brain with self-awareness it still would be AI.Under "fully functional brain" i not necessarily mean human brain.To be precise it would be biological AI.
Main part about AI,NMF and related would be after reasoning(hope i used correct word) about "What is person humanity?" because it's important for next reasoning.
I wouldn't digging deep in this topic because it's irrelevant for this "discussion" and NMF and it will be so general that's i can say about this as "anyonity".
Basically it's accordance of person to society generaly accepted things like morality, attitudes, etc + personal feeling about who is he/she/they.If they're too different or became different we can say(as example i will use us) that person haven't or losing his/her/their humanity.
2ND PART
In machine AI case often people talking about emotions (not yet described in NMF) and "doing necessary stuff" which is described in NMF but in a wrong way.
In reality this two problems not even problems, people just overstimate them.
Most(besides people with head problems) humans have emotions but emotions isn't things which are produced by consciousness if did they would be as different as people personality.But they are same - anger, fear, happiness, etc.And more important animals which is big enough have them too, yes, they can be simpler than humans but still, they're exist.It is natural adaptation in order to help them survive like fear of predators or height(for mature non-flying creatures).These who completely haven't them simply died and disappeared forever.
So emotions isn't product of our mind and if we can create AI with consciousness we also can make non-organic alternative which allows machine to have emotions.All of steryotype about machine consioness as pure logical emotionless things is nothing more than delusion and fault of dumb sci-fi scientists.
Remember that our brain based around neuron interaction between them by electrical impulses and transferring atoms or molecules( as i remember) and this theoretically can be made in synthetic "brain".Also at least some of functions(researching of this topic just began) work thanks to quantum physics, but that's another topic and it is irrelevant for this.
With "doing necessary stuff" everything much more simpler and funnier - mostly is nothing more than illusion.Because we do them because our body allows them(excempt pure mental) by hormones, сhemical elements and other reasons.
Why we eat?Because we need food plus what's more important our body produces hormones(i don't exactly remember what, but it is definitely chemical elements, but i will call this hormones even if it not hormone.Okay?) which make us happier if food tastes good.If not this and if taste buds are gone no one would enjoy his food.
So in this case if existed opportunity to not eat or drink we wouldn't.
Why we breathe or sleep?Because it's necessary for our body and mind plus earlier (before current tech level) we haven't nothing to do at night and that's boring.
I can compare this to flying for most birds - they're flying because this is necessary for their survival and they have opportunity to do this.
So if we didn't need to breathe and sleep plus haven't anything which allowed us to, nothing would changed for us.NOTHING.
Why we enjoy sex and it not simple breeding?Because hormones plus this feels nice.If not this we simply would have sex just for breeding.
I want to say thanks to devs for not putting this kind of mature content in NMF.But still it could be mentioned because sexual equipment pretty much important part of anyone.
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Same probably for every "necessary stuff" on physical level.
Mental needs probably (i don't sure on 100%) come from both physical(like emotions) and spiritual origin.Latest probably exist due to our consciousness and cannot be measured so simply.
As conclusion i can say two things:
1.On my opinion NMF devs don't really understand topic about this.
2.If AI will made with ability to do and enjoy "necessary stuff" it would , at least on physical level, mental needs will exist(likely) but same or different no one can say; if not... you know, wouldn't.
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Closer to end NMF have moment when Isaac bothered by "reality" of his feeling of the world, like hearing, feeling, seeing the world.And as for me devs don't really well explained this by Mary.
Simply if feelings aren't simulated they are completely real.Under simulated i mean made manually for just everything.Simulated feelings have same problem as program "сommon sense problem" - TOO MUCH DATA.So much that's all world data storage isn't enough to simulate basically everything.
Simpliest and most realistic solution is make adapters that can sense world in universal way instead of doing it manually.
No matter of result and how this feelings different compared to humans they would be as real as humans.We feeling everything as our body allows to, nothing more.
All possible feelings as big as pencil dot compared to house or even Earth.
To really feel universe in most realistic way you need to probably be universe itself or someone like Demiurg.
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3RD PART
Here we go, to main part all of this and NMF main qustion about AI awareness and "Transited" people as well.
But at first i want to ask you and devs one qustion - do you really understand difference between AI with self-awareness with and without body with all it's functions?
Guess not.Okay, humans or yuumans are creators and they have body, feelings, etc but AI without body - not.And even if they would treat AI with self-awareness as real person and not only, this fact will likely cause inferiority complex plus other differences also can "help" in different ways.
Much less worse circumstances сause major problems in childrens mind which can drive to their hatred to society.Doesn't remind of anything?))
Plus even if to this AI granted emotions and his creators would treat as real person due to origin of his forming and eventually formed personality can be far different from humans and who knows which result this would have.Like wish to destroy humanity because they're destroying Earth and other life on it, nothing personal.
Even worse if they accidentally made AI with at least some levels of awareness and treating him as just machine, as nothing.So wish of exterminating creators becomes much less unrealistic.
So idea of creating AI and giving android body with all it's restrictions and advantages, especially like NMFs with mostly closed external acess to it.As for me it's nearly best solution for AI.At least for forming AI healthy identity instead receiving good result as if in lottery.
With this far eathier treat AI as person, educate him, etc, just like child at first, than children... Remember from very beginning AI personality wouldn't have major differences from them, at least if base(brain, emotions,opportunity to feel,etc) for consciousness, self-awareness was made properly.
Our personality and consciousness don't appeared on empty space, all thanks to DNA and all perfomed work to make the body and brain where consciousness and personality can appear and exist.
To believe(i later answer why believe) in AI consciousness and personality they must appear and exist not as something coded(which is only imitation) but on some premaded base after which no code are exist and there's only own actions.
I guess in NMF we have exactly same case in which scientists made only base and nothing else to be sure result wouldn't be "just another program".Main difference is transfering all expierience, thoughts and peronality from existing living person instead of growing it's own.
And i didn't really understand why in NMF Isaac, Mary and others seeking answer on wrong question - "Isaac just machine and original Isaac is died or Isaac never died, only his previous body", perhaps Isaac clearly bothering about this.
When real question is - "Indeed, Isaac definitely not a machine, but is he original Isaac"?
I'll tell right away, first question have it's right to exist but only for those who doesn't know how Isaac was "made".So who was directly involved into this + Isaac don't should be bothered about this too much.
In NMF reality we have two possible scenarios:
1.Isaac is Isaac and he is alive.
2.Isaac is exact Isaac copy and still alive("new" Isaac) + actually newborn but have illusion of opposite.
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In first case everything is ok.But in second already exists moral dillemas which partially named in NMF like isn't his is just a pretender of original Isaac to his cousin and haven't rights to act as actual Isaac.But in NMF this mixed with "just a machine", disappointingly.
As for me secon case definitely not best, but better than nothing.At least in some sense you continue to live, bringing new life to world which would free from fear to die from old age.Unfortunately this is only partial immortality, but much more closer than existing order of things.Plus it's helping for everyone who you cared for.And not only, сontinuation can take a while.
Clone would know this because he is same, 100% same, so he wouldn't so bothered about this.
But what's most exciting news - it's generally imposibly to verify without finding soul, perhaps in NMF.In reality already proven that perhaps some brain functions works by using quantum mechanics, i personally think our consciousness exist due to quantum mechanics.
If everything will be correctly transited without completely breaking quantum state initial person would survive if not, we would have a perfect clone of it.Ah yes, in reality i personally think AI with true consciousness must have brain working not only on physical level, but on quantum physics level too.
Without soul and quantum state factors is impossible to determine whether Isaac is original or clone.
So the only one way is social consensus, like that's one we using everyday - assuming each other as equally sentient beings.
Why is it social consensus?There's no way to disprove that our universe and everyone else can be just simulation on super-super computer.Or other similar things.
In this situation best what we can do is continue this social consensus about everyone.
Better than thinking of yourself and everyone like an AI, eh?*smirk*))
In Isaac case must be the same principle but devs decided to go easier way(basically cheating) and added Abilities, paranormal things, soul... I greatly dislike this decision which kills morality and reduces it all just to searching of soul existence(((
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4TH AND LAST PART
Devs showed in NMF really fucked up sotiety which is doomed in timef of few centuries or up to few thousand years.Pandora gigacorporation(one step and we would have Pandoranation) makes things even worse, especially with transiting.
At first we see so called "yuumanity" multispecied race which was made from ???(huge number) races formed by Shift event few centuries ago from humans.They definitely accustomed with this and everyone but later we see that they have HUGE brain problems.
Okay, they're treating humans as freaks(i understand why devs made so) but they also treat really badly those who was born with Abilities, hell, even simply no one came to Isaac by his/her/they own with good intentions just from curiosity , NO ONE.
Usually expected that multispecied race would be tolerate for those who "aren't as everyone" because they are already accustomed to differencies between yourself.
So from one side they're tolerate for those who aren't same as his race but from other side they aren't tolerate for those who aren't same as everyone -__- :/ .
I understand, devs projected humanity as yuumanity without mental changes but this is just ridiculous for whole multispecied race in this circumstances.
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Besides yuumanity is pretty authoritarian society plus they aren't reached enough cultural and mental level but already have society with one corporation without nearly any competitors.
Yes, indeed leader bad it can be forcefully removed but no one can stop this corporation from slow degradation of her members especially with head problem which i already described plus who knows how many those problems.
Finally Pandora will greatly increase number of idiots just bad people by making them androids who aren't age.
Immortallity, even partial immortality isn't always a blessing, for those who aren't prepeared this would be a hell and for those who interacting with them too.
Seems like ending for yuumanity woud be much worse than for Trantorian Empire(read Azimov Foundation, reccomend to read from veкy begginning - The Bissential Man to Daniel Olivo stories and related to them -> to Foundation prequils and beyond.
P.S. It took a pretty long time to systematize everything in readable form))
P.P.S Just for discussions and thinking NMF deserves 10/10 but for major flaws only 6/10 , so i'll give well deserved 8/10(4/5).
P.P.P.S. Bruh, at least this was helpful for me to structurise my thoughts about this particular topic.