In the Mass Effect franchise, AI is generally considered a threat to civilization, but in many instances, AI has been essential to saving the galaxy.

In the Mass Effect franchise, artificial intelligence has always been a taboo topic, especially for those in positions of power. The Geth rebellion against their Quarian creators is one of the most prominent examples of the dangers of AI, and when the rogueGeth rose against their masters, the war that followed all but destroyed Quarian civilization and reduced them to wandering nomads without a home.

In the Milky Way, creation of and experimentation onAI projects is heavily monitored by the Citadel Council.Those discovered working on such projects without approval found themselves arrested, their research confiscated and destroyed. Despite working within the confines of the Council for several years, Alec Ryder's experimentation eventually led toa dishonorabledischarge fromhis military career andostracizationfrom resources and colleagues that would help him further his work.

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Alec believed the Quarian'smistake when creating the Geth was their lack oforganic connection with a host that would mold and shape them into beings with more than a simple work-related functions and master-servant relationships. He spentseveral years working on anAI he referred to as SAM, which stood for Simulated Adaptive Matrix.

What began as a deep fascination eventually became an obsession that took over every aspect of his life.Combining SAM with neural implants developed by Alec's wife, Ellen Ryder, SAM would work symbiotically with itsorganichost, monitoring, regulating and even enhancingthe body and senses in a way that not only improved the quality of the host's life, but in some cases may have even saved their life.

Ellenwas diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease called AEND. Her years of research and exposure to Element Zero was believed to be the cause, but there was no cure for the fatal disease. Alec believed that anAI implant could focus and control the electrical signals in the nervous system, potentially saving Ellen's life.

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Unfortunately, after Alec was dismissed from his position,his research came to a standstill. He'd sunk his life savings into SAM, but without a steady income, his funding quickly depleted. Thanks to a mysterious benefactor, however, Alec was able to dive back into perfecting SAM. The Andromeda Initiative believed SAM would be essential in their mission to the Andromeda Galaxy, and though they were happy to have Alec and his project on board, they strictly regulated his creation.

FiveSAM units were created, one for each Pathfinder and their ark. The SAM Alec created for Hyperion and himself, however, had modifications that allowed his unit to connect with him (and eventually his child when they became Pathfinder) in ways the other SAMs were unable to do. The Hyperion version of SAM had a profiles feature that allowed itaccess the Pathfinder's physiology and could enhance their speed, combat functionality and more.

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SAM's access to young Pathfinder Ryder's physiology, though incredibly helpful to their mission after Alec's death, was incredibly dangerous. When Alec transferred his SAM protocols to his child's implant, SAM became so entangled with Ryder's physiology that the Hyperion physician, Dr. Lexi T'Perro, admitted that trying to disentangle SAM could kill the new Pathfinder.

Overthe course of Pathfinder Ryder's mission in Andromeda, SAM was an essential member of their squad. Not only did it enhance Ryder's abilities and provide immense insight into their strange and new surroundings, but it also led the Pathfinder on memory recovery missions that further strengthened their bond and improved SAMs capabilities.

Along with new discoveries and hope, the Andromeda Initiative brought many of its Milky Way prejudices with it, including its fear of artificial intelligence. One group of anti-AI protestors actually attempted to infiltrate the Hyperion's SAM Node, triggering a Trojan horse virus inits code that would have severed its connection from the Pathfinder and potentially destroyed SAM in the long run. With SAM's aid, Ryder was able to get rid of the virus and get to the bottom of the matter before that happened.

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Duringtheir time together, SAM and Pathfinder Ryder developed the symbiotic bond Alec believed to be beneficial in creating a near-flawless AI. SAM wanted to protect Ryder because not only was that its job, it also did not want to cease to exist itself. Though it never developed a personality of its own, Alec had programmed things like jokes and philosophy into it that, at times, caused it to question the nature of such things.

Perhaps in time, as Ryder's bond with SAM continued to strengthen and grow, SAM would develop a personality of its own, which begs the question: what then? The danger of an artificial intelligencewith a mind and personality all its own goes back to one of the initial fears surrounding AI in the first place. Because of the symbiotic bond SAM has with its host, what would happen if the host and the AI disagreed with a particular course of action? Would the AI overpower its host entirely if it believed itself to be in jeopardy?

With BioWareimplyingthat the next Mass Effect game will incorporate both the original trilogy and Andromeda, one can't help but wonder how SAM's evolution will compare to a game world in which the player chose to synthesize organics and biotics at the end of Mass Effect 3. Only time will tell how significant the role of AI in future games will be, but it seems like itwill be pretty important.

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A 2006 graduate of Bloomsburg University's English and Creative Writing track, Jennifer Melzer has been a freelance editor and online content creator for a variety of websites for over fourteen years. She spent the last two years helping build content on the Archivos Storybuilding Engine. She is an avid gamer, lover of comics, manga and anime, and all around nerd. Most currently, she spends her Tuesday nights playing a Tabaxi ranger in a streaming Dungeons and Dragons campaign called So Many Levels.

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