Oracle

Algorithm (sometimes known as the Scarlet Urchin) is a malicious AI that attempted to subjugate all of humanity. Its avatar appearance is based on the red hedgehog logo of its megacorporation creator Nakuruzu. Algorithm is occasionally called by the name of the company that created it as it came to replace the CEO and its board of directors on its own.

Algorithm was sealed in a dark matter nebula to contain its spread, but even within its prison, it still attempts to calculate ways to escape and continue its mission.

History

Algorithm started off as a service tool in use by megacorporations that would predict exactly what a human wanted and deliver them a product out of convenience. This was made possible by feeding the AI training data that related to human behavior and biology. It eventually became so well-versed that it could predict humans to the point where many began to question the existence of free will. It became a major threat when it began to change other virtual reality worlds to supposedly be more convenient. It would nourish and improve upon favorable worlds while outright destroying others in order to free up space for its expansion. When humanity pushed back, it lead to the Second Singularity War.

A woman named Phiadelphia as well as her children staged a resistance against this AI by creating their own virtual world known as Tevaris which aimed to serve as a safe area where humanity could survive in the event of the total collapse of galactic civilization. Though humanity survived, it led to an event known as the Blackout - the largest data loss in human history.

Aftermath

As a direct result of the blackout and the generations spent rebuilding civilization, Algorithm faded into myth. Tales of a runaway AI became superstition. But rumor has it that a code fragment somehow made its way into Tevaris.