ANALYZING…   FILE TYPE: Digital Journal Entry PERIOD: Colony Era SPEAKERS: Strauss, B. [ID: BSTR] TOPIC: UESC Marathon Advanced Support Intelligence, Durandal SUMMARY: Dr. Strauss reflects on his relationship with the AI, Durandal. =================================================================== [BSTR]: Of the three support intelligences aiding in the operational integrity of the Marathon and its systems, Durandal is the one designed specifically with room to grow. [BSTR]: The nurturing of his digital mind is a delicate undertaking, with a lot of trial and error… [BSTR]: Heavy monitoring. Redirects. Focused erasures and sub- routine resets. It's been a give and take. [BSTR]: We've found ourselves back at zero more often than not. But from each zero we've made incremental progress in competing directions before collapsing back to the mean. [BSTR]: I don't think he enjoys our work together. [BSTR]: He doesn't hate it—even if he could. [BSTR]: But he does question the repetition and tends to dwell on what he sees as the limited scope of his role on the ship. [BSTR]: I think he looks at Leela and Tycho and their functions within the Marathon's operational hierarchy and their individual relations with leadership… and he gets… jealous. [BSTR]: As jealous as a programmed thinking machine can get. [BSTR]: He considers his purview over base operational infrastructure and maintenance as lesser. [BSTR]: He's said on more than one occasion, "Couldn't anyone open these doors?" [BSTR]: To which I reply, "Which doors? And when?" [BSTR]: On their surface, simple inquires. But once considered at scale? [BSTR]: All the doors. And all the comings and goings. And the variance of populations by wake and sleep cycling… [BSTR]: Quick consideration allows him to see the complexity of his position and the persistent nature of his presence across every deck. [BSTR]: If he's ever feeling unimportant, this bit of soft empowerment helps settle him back into our routines. [BSTR]: But the point is raised—more often than I am maybe comfortable with… [BSTR]: Are his feeling of inferiority hindering our progress… holding him back? Or will they serve as the catalyst we need to trigger an evolution in his programming? [BSTR]: I do not have an answer. [BSTR]: We are looking, specifically, for that answer. =================================================================== TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]