The rules for a AI leans heavily in the direction that a AI is running 24/7 in Hotsim. This is important for a few reasons but the main point would be when fighting say a Black IC, or jacking into a Drone with pilot origins. In both cases the tests you must take when rigging or participating in Cyber Combat require the player to use the Biofeedback program. Can the AI use a program? Absolutely and they load it just like any other Agent.

The problem with fighting Black IC is when the games calls on you to take a Bio-Feedback test do you simply take it with the understanding that the AI is running hotsim (or can indeed experience full simsense)

If the drone takes damage while you are jacked into it this can cause problems as well. When jumping into full VR you need a simsense rig, I would assume the damage heads over to its Matrix Condition modifier, the following is a quote from SR4A...



" You “jump into� a drone via full VR. This requires a subscription to
the drone, vehicle, or device and takes a Simple Action. When jumped
in, the rigger essentially “becomes� the drone, perceiving through its
sensors and operating it as if it were his own body. A rigger who has
jumped into a drone can issue commands to other drones, but cannot
control them remotely.
A drone controlled in this manner acts on the rigger’s Initiative—
the rigger and the drone are treated as a single unit. Any tests are
made using the rigger’s skills and the drone’s attributes (substituting
Response for Agility and Reaction and Sensor for Intuition). Hot sim benefits the rigger as much as the hacker. All actions by
a rigger who has jumped into a drone (or other device) are considered
Matrix actions, and receive the benefit of the +2 bonus due to hot sim
VR use. This advantage cuts both ways: when a jump-piloted drone
takes damage, the rigger operating with hot sim also suffers biofeed-back through his motor cortex. In hot sim, each time the drone suffers
damage, the rigger must also resist half that amount (round up) in Stun
damage with a Willpower + Biofeedback Filter Test; if the drone is
destroyed, the rigger is dumped from the Matrix (as with jacking out)
and immediately suffers the effects of dumpshock (p. 237). "

Here is a quote from Pilot Origins..

"..the character
with this quality can interpret rigger signals and may “jump into�
rigged vehicles as would a rigger..."

Maybe I am over analyzing it, or missing something entirely. What do you think? Are AI's always in Hotsim?

I, for one, would think it's hard to suffer brain damage from bio-feedback when one has neither bio nor brain.

By any chance, do you currently or are you thinking about playing an AI?

Aye true, but the game makes no distinction

Not currently, but I was looking to make a bad guy AI. Its been so long since I made one I am having to relearn the rules. As mentioned it heavily implies that the AI is running Hotsim but never actually says so.

I respectfully disagree. "The only Condition Monitor that applies to a metasapient is the Matrix Condition Monitor, which starts at 8 plus half the AI’s System rating (rounded up)." (p. 89, Runner's Companion)

Aye he would take damage to his condition modifier instead of his physical damage track. At least that would seem the logical conclusion.

Why? Biofeedback specifically targets either the Stun or the Physical damage track. The programs themselves are not designed to damage programs (And it should be noted that they have no effect on Agents. And AI are basically really good Agents.) The Biofeedback Program is very specific code. It plays with your Simsense Module (which AIs dont have (or need)) and makes it melt your brain.

Okay good, I was just wondering on it if would switch over.

Well a counter argument could be that it takes it to it's condition monitor, after all the AI basically emulates the programs needed to control drone. What is biofeedback from unhandled errors (which are basically what a attack program does).

That'd be my take.

I dunno about that, Lurker. You mentioned that it's about emulation. I can put an Apple ][ emulator on your computer and then tell it to eject the main disk; this doesn't cause your hard drive to pop out of your machine.

Heck, that probably wouldn't even crash the emulator.
(On a tangential note: why do virtual CD drive programs allow you to eject the tray on a virtual CD drive? It's as if you unmounted the CD image (i.e. its unreadable), but it's still mounted and have to both unmount and close the tray before you can mount and use another image)

Do AI's get the +2 bonus for hotsim?

Why wouldn't they?

AI have so many disadvantages... lets just give them the +2 for hot sim and immunity to biofeedback (I would say stun, physical and psychotropic). I would.

So do we give Sprites the +2 hot sim bonus? Agents?

Nope. And yes, i agree that normaly AI won't get it either. But they are really underpowered in some respects (Well they can run very high programs from their home Nexus (You use a Nexus, right?), but they can't take ANY improvement, Cyberware, get only 3 turns and need much karma to improve their inherent programs. Just this +2 will not hurt anybody.

EDIT: While i am interested in the AI's (I made one, but had no chance to play it) i am surprised that they are the slowest thing in the Matrix. Technomancer are stealthier, better with their buffs. Hackers can do more and are faster... And AI have raw power... but only because of their homenode. (Well and the qualities for AI's are awesome)