[Moral Wiz]

Ok, definitely file this under wild speculation, but... Well, we've seen a fair bit of co-operation between Technomancers and AIs, in Emergence, Twilight Horizon, a little in Corporate Intrigue. And it makes sense, they're being oppressed by the same people, share similar goals, and people tend to link the two anyway.

There's just one thing that's been bugging me about it though. Resonance.

They're the same to everyone else, but Technomancers and AIs function very differently within the Matrix, the 'mancers bring Sprites and have a connection to something strange that AIs don't understand and can't see (the Resonance) Dealing with regular Matrix users is one thing, but Technomancers function in very different ways, and do so in what the AIs might consider their own natural enviroment

And they still maintain a pretty much united front? So much co-operation and good will between people who normally probably wouldn't trust each other... anything more going on here?

[Mirikon]

It is the age old issue of "The Enemy of my enemy is my friend." Seriously, they are both hunted by the megas and exploited, for many of the same reasons. They both have to deal with matrix threats like out of control viruses and Dissonant technomancers. Whether the good feelings and cooperation remain after they've brought their joint enemies down a few pegs and gotten some solid rights for themselves is unknown. I think, however, that they will tend to be, if not united, very sympathetic to eachother's causes over the long term.

[Moral Wiz]

*nods* I got that for the immediate, definitely during Emergence, but we've had Pulsar since then, independent AIs getting their own jobs, Technos being hired as 'super Spiders'... and there's been no flare up? Rights are still a big issue, but with the original fires starting to fade....

[JustADude]

Think of the factions in meat-space terms... A.I. are Street Samurai, Technomancers are Mages.

While the average joe-blow on the street may be freaked out by both Mages and Street Sams, the two both know the other can be a valuable ally in a cruel and hostile world, and that they work better together than alone. Plus, nobody else is going to give them an even break, or understand what they see and live on a daily basis.

[Mirikon]

Also, while some technos and AIs have gotten some good jobs, the majority are definitely oppressed, and not likely to take kindly to it. Mitsuhama is still cutting TMs' heads open, and not getting pulled to the mat about it. There is still experimentation on AIs happening. Things might not be at the 'lynch mobs in the street' level like they were in Emergence, but that doesn't mean things are happy shiny now.

[Moral Wiz]

Hmm... Good analogy I agree, and all this does make their relationship staying cordial make more sense to me.

Still, I'm not quite sure... a Street Sam and a Mage are the same species, they live in the same world and have the same origin point; the mortal world. Technos aren't the same to AIs..If they choose, they can 'deck out', and simply play cat and mouse with the AI. Plus, the Dissonance is associated with them... The two've definitely got more holding them together than dragging them apart, but still... long term?

[Wakshaani]

There's a few different things going on here.

For one, with the advent of the wireless matrix, you have technomancers, which are people who can wirelessly hack 'anything' and have been blasted by a heavy PR campaign to keep them agents of fear. The average person doesn't know much about them, other than "They can erase your SIN!" and so forth, which is pretty horrifying.

AIs arern't as attacked and are far more rare. People don't really know how to judge them, so are a bit afraid (Didn't that one take over a sattelite and kill all those people? What, nobody actually died? That's not what I heard...) but aren't sure on what to think overall. (That Pulsar guys is kinda cool...)

AIs look weird but act vaguely human.

Technomancers look human but could be ANYWHERE, just waiting to hack your commlink! Stay alert!

Trying to conflate themselves with AIs is a path that Technomancers can take to try and gain public legitimacy. AIs, meanwhile, are darn curious about these Technomancers who can create sprites out of thin air. Some of these sprites even go free and become AIs! Technomancers can CREATE LIFE, which is just ... wow.

Both of them are victims of corporate experimentation, and that's a pretty strong bond. Top that off with some AIs being fascinated by Technomancers and with some Technomancers worshipping AIs, and you can get all kinds of layers of inter-dependence and co-reliability.

Technomancy and AIs aren't exactly the 'A' plot at this time, however, so don't expect to see lots on this cropping up.

But there might be something in the pipeline for you.

[Crimsondude]

AI has always had a strong but complex relationship with the Deep Resonance going back to the birth of the otaku.

[Moral Wiz]

... Really?

Not doubting you, I don't know much about the older stuff, but I thought I remembered reading that AIs couldn't interact with the Resonance stuff beyond the same degree any Matrix user could.

(Learn something new every day.

[Mirikon]

Deus pretended to be the Deep Resonance, and so ensnared many of the Whites, who came to worship him.

[Stry]

I think he might have been related to Dissonance in addition.

[Mirikon]

No. The Dissonance started with Pax, as she tried to fight her Fading (what happened as otaku grew older and lost their powers). Pax turned to the Dissonance, gathered followers, and worked with Winternight to bring about the Crash. In the wake of the Crash and the advent of the WMI, Pax emerged as a Dissonant technomancer, and is leading a group called the Discordians. It is also possible that she is one of the dissonant paragons, Nemesis (named after an ancient god, and sometimes called by the god's full name, Pax-Nemesis).

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

The Dissonance started with Pax ...

... not ... technically.  She may have been the first to use it so extensively, though.

As for being both technomancer and Paragon, well, no.  A paragon may be functionally modeled after her, though ...

[Angelone]

AIs were able to "create" otaku, Dues and Mirage have both done this. One of Mirages otaku is now the Empress of Japan, also possibly a techno.

[Crimsondude]

The Deep Resonance is one of the possible "X Factors" that turned SKs like Psychotrope into Mirage and the AEP into Deus.