"Wintermute was a simple cube of white light, that very simplicity suggesting extreme complexity... Its blank face, towering above him now, began to seethe with faint internal shadows, as though a thousand dancers whirled behind a vast sheet of frosted glass."
-- "Neuromancer", by William Gibson.

A self aware mathematical construct, an Artificial Intelligence (or AI) is a truly intelligent computer program with its own thoughts and ideals. It may even possess emotional simulation but this is usually reserved for those AI's who have to integrate with humanity.

An AI is a heuristic program. It can learn from its experiences and thus may improve its skill levels or even learn new skills. It can access chip skills to enhance its abilities. Such chips must be accessible on the Matrix for this to happen. An AI can forget skills as a result of taking damage to its program volume.

AI's are regulated by the Turing Registry, also known as the "Turing Heat" by the decker community. This is an international concern with its headquarters on Gateway Station. It monitors AI's and ensures that they do not break the law. The Registry employs expert deckers to enforce the law within Cyberspace. They have access to the very latest hardware and software and normally act fast against wayward AI's and their human companions. Also, a good number of agents are employed for those tasks that cannot be performed in the Matrix.

References

Artificial Intelligence

An essay by Darrel Patrick Wash.

Artificial Human Nature

An essay by Warren Sack.

The Singularity of AI in the Eyes of a Jester

A Comparative Analysis of the Inevitable Dawn of Artificial Intelligence as Presented in William Gibson's Idoru and Masamune Shirow's/Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell. An essay by Paul "nEo" Martin.

Links

MIT AI Lab

Famous Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at Massachusetts Insitute of Technology.