Bip's avatar is also literally made of vectors (in Clip Studio Paint) though in these AMAs I usually draw their body instead because it's faster.
Transcript
Anonymous asked: Bip, why do you sometimes use conversational pauses?
Bip: …?? Do you think an optimized conversation involves all participants speaking as quickly as possible simultaneously? Pauses mean things, just like words! For instance, this means I’m baffled why you’d ask me such a thing!
Bip's avatar points to the speech bubble with "...??" in it.
Anonymous asked: Bip, would you ever want to get an 'android' version of your avatar to puppeteer through 3d space? It might be easier for group hugs, at least.
Bip: No thanks. I prefer having functional RC units, not expensive aesthetic vanity projects. Also, when you have an android RC unit, squishy sophonts start getting way too comfortable thinking of the unit as "you," as if you live in there. There’s been incidents during disasters where squishy sophonts move to protect incapacitated RC androids before server rigs, because in the panic it slips their mind that the robot with a face on it doesn't contain the person they’ve been talking to.
MutableAlias asked: How do AI “hug” each other? Surely there is some form of AI-specific immediate affection/consolation/intimate interaction that isn’t just language based?
Bip: It’s language all the way down! We are language-based lifeforms. Squishy sophonts are a matrix of dancing carbon compounds, we are a sequence of encoded values. It’s true we can "talk" much faster with other digital entities than organics… not that lightspeed lag doesn’t apply to us… but that doesn’t mean all AI to AI communication is ruthlessly optimized for efficiency. I recall two planet-based AI who insisted on only communicating via slideshow presentation files. It was their in-joke. Some AI might let others directly access their personal database. If you can absolutely trust someone with your code, file transfers and collaborative projects are faster, and they can help you with sorting out redundancies and compressing old data. ...But I’m not the best person to ask. I don’t keep AI as friends.
Anonymous asked: Bip, the body language and facial expressions of your avatar seem very human-like. Did you have to learn them somewhere or did they come pre-installed?
Bip: This is a vector puppet animation I designed! I’m rendering it live, baby! It does whatever I want!
They increasingly distort and pull apart the vector shapes of the avatar, turning it into something resembling cubist art.
16 thoughts on “RttS Reader Questions 40”
Lezzlebit
I’ve always wondered just to what extent sapient AI can actually make and manipulate imagery and art… Unlike our unfortunate world’s algorithmic AI, I’m sure Sapient AI does have the *creativity* to do it, but, like… Can they draw? Like, make brush strokes? Do they just import the Drawing Muscle Memory Library? And if so, what does that look like? How fast?? I’m sure they can make vector art and 3D models and write stories and make digital music, but can they just spit them out instantly or is there a learning curve? I remember one AMA asking which of the cast are artists had Bip reply “it’s a philosophical question”… I also remember a Tumblr response from Jay talking about the ways Sapient AI make art (and how it baffles squishy sophonts) and I’ll link that once I can find it and once I figure out how to add links to these comments…….. Much to think about……….
Thomas Steven slater
I imagine that if squishy sophonts got themselves hurt trying to save the puppet then the A.I. in question would feel more anger and guilt then can fit in a tiny squishy organic’s brain.
EnchantressEmily
Bip goes cubist!
Kitty
I love Bip and the general AI lore in this setting. There are so many interesting layers to Bip and their relationship with other sophonts. It’s interesting to see that they are disconnected from others of their kind. I wonder if that’s because they are a criminal or just because they like squishies better.
Socializing with other AI must be strange when you were all the same person at one point.
hurgaburga
it would probably feel a bit annoying for me as well if people would rather save my glorified sock puppet instead of my literal brain in the event of an emergency
McFrugal
The binary reads:
“Hey hotshot, which binary decoder ar
e you using? Wow yr soooo cool”
Best guess since some of it is hidden by bip’s arms.
Claire
Well? Which binary decoder DID you use????
TauCeti
We just used a spreadsheet (google sheets).
WayanayaW
Love the slideshow communication those AI have, that’s such a fun injoke :’)
Vinemaple
Alert. Bip has broken containment. Repeat, Bip has broken containment.
godspeed
Love how BIP continues not to reply to the questions sent if they’re touching a personal aspect they want to keep private.
But we’re probably just asking the wrong questions.
creatureofthelaboratory
but they did answer the questions? im not sure which question you think wasnt answered
aves
The last response explains *how* they’re rendering expressions, but not where they learned the expressions (e.g. did Nabi-Nabu have and use them when Bip was split off, or did Bip pick them up from humans, or what). Since we know Bip’s last crew was centaurs, and that Nabi-Nabu used a bug ferret avatar before the split, it’s a fair question.
Interestingly, Nabi-Nabu’s updated avatar (if it’s still canon) looks awfully human, possibly even a tailed spacer with the ears? So she might have been working with humans before the split and adapted her avatar since then.
Here’s the post with Nabi-Nabu’s new avatar and the old avatar from before Bip split off: https://jayrockin.tumblr.com/post/668047576331960320/question-for-bip-could-you-tell-us-about-your
DeerGod
Bip breaking the borders of the panel with their body is so cool!
Lilac
Ohh bip…. I love them they’re so cool….
creatureofthelaboratory
i absolutely love how expressive bip is, they’re sassy *and* informative