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  • Subject: Cortana lifespan theory
Subject: Cortana lifespan theory
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Sorry if this has been posted before, I usually dont haunt the Universe Forum.

I was reading a science magazine the other day in the waiting room at the doctor's office when I came across a short article talking about how people with a high IQ can essentially "fight" mental diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease.

Since Cortana is the smartest AI humanity has produced, perhaps we can assume she is "fighting" her degrading mental state and therefore extending her own lifetime? Just a quick thought.

  • 10.07.2011 2:05 AM PDT

Very likely, IMO.

  • 10.07.2011 2:35 AM PDT

Canon so far supports that theory.

During her time with the Gravemind she is already on the brink of rampancy and she fights through that to become the Cortana we know from Halo 3. In other words: she's "fine" at that point.

Also: she was supposedly one step beyond any other Smart AI. Mainly due to the fact she was made out of the smartest human out there (Halsey) and was appearantly constructed with Forerunner technology input (the Journal and the end of Reach hint at that).
My guess is the events she's gone through did speed up her rampancy, but she is fighting it and can survive it. Will we see a very stable Cortana? I don't think so. But my guess is she fights her way beyond rampancy, and is capable of doing so because she is far more advanced (and: unique! So we don't know how she reacts to rampancy compared to other smart AI) than the other Smart AI.

  • 10.07.2011 5:36 AM PDT

Posted by:ScubaToaster
Posted by: HipiO7
This man, this man right here put it so eloquently that I actually cancelled my own 2000+ word long post.
/slow clap for respect


:)
The person who said participating is important, not winning, obviously never won anything.

I belive Cortana at the end of Halo 3 had achieved metastability, thus making her a stable smart AI.

  • 10.07.2011 7:23 AM PDT

How is that likely? It's the fact that she thinks so much that is making her unstable to begin with. If anything, her intelligence would decrease her lifespan. There must be another reason, like Gravemind using his knowledge of AI to increase her lifespan so he could interrogate her and she wouldn't die on him.

  • 10.07.2011 8:54 AM PDT

No, ExcessiveFaun6 is not my real gamertag.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cortana: The message just repeats. "Regret, Regret, Regret."
Miranda: Any idea what it means?
Sgt. Johnson: Dear Humanity... we regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!
Marines: Hoo-rah!

My canon is rusty, but because she is that "one step beyond", isn't she much more susceptible to destabilization?

  • 10.07.2011 11:48 AM PDT