本体剧情解读

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• 科学家Sun Wei-Yang和同事们正在研发一台机器人，这台机器人具有自主行为的能力，虽然达不到人工智能（AI）的标准，但已经具有很强的续航力和韧性。当时这台机器被命名为SOMA。
  

  From: Sun Wei-Yang
  To: Arkady Chernyshevsky
  Subject: Names
  Names are a funny thing. I remember how much we struggled to come up with a name for our project.
  All serious scientists name their projects by just translating them to Greek or Latin, right? “Corpus” made me think of some horrible disease, so we used the Greek word instead. Soma. Quite appropriate!
  But then, since we needed corporate funding, we had to come up with a backronym. Corporations love backronyms, you know? They even sent us a list of buzzword-heavy suggestions to help us get started. Stuff like:
  Self-sufficient Orthostatic Modular Android
  Sustainable Observant Mechanized Anthropoid
  Skeuomorphic Omniadaptable Mobile Anthropomaton
  &/() After a while, we got so frustrated that we started getting silly.
  Sabertoothed Overexcited Murder Android
  Sentient Orthopaedic Monkey Automaton
  Strange Olga’s Menacing Assassobot
  Superb Octopod Marinades Apelings
  Satisfying Overcooked Mint Alligator
  Stinky Ornithological Mule Allocator
  Skroink Oof Minky Ack
  Stupid Obscure Meaningless Acronym
  In the end we all ended up hating the name SOMA just because we had so many fights about it with the sponsors. So when Alexandra told that story about the Talos Principle, ()%§$/%5& caught on.
  I don’t know whether it really fits, but I kind of like it.

  
  
• 游戏公司Croteam（同时也是本游戏《塔罗斯的法则》的实际开发者）所开发的游戏引擎 - Serious Engine 7.5 -十分稳定，易于模块化，并已得到广泛测验。
  

  
  From: Alexandra Drennan
  To: IAN Mailing List
  Subject: Progress Report 3
  Hi all,
  As per the last meeting, we’re going with an existing game engine for the simulation. This gives us a whole slew of advantages:
  - stability
  - ease of use
  - modular, easy to integrate
  - large amount of pre-existing assets
  - inherently aimed at testing users
  - designed for iterative processes
  After some back and forth, we’ve decided to use the Serious Engine 7.5. which Croteam have kindly made available to us.
  All the relevant documents are attached.
  - Alex

  
  
• 世界的某处存在着一所设施，它由七所世界顶尖大学共同建造（7这个数字大概也是圣经梗）。当时的目的是制造出世界上最强、最持久的超级电脑。项目代号为EL，即Extended Lifespan。为此，这个设施拥有最先进的硬件，由水力提供电能，并能防轰炸，完全自给自足。
  

  EL, short for Extended Lifespan, is a groundbreaking initiative by seven leading universities to create the world’s most stable and most durable supercomputer. With its custom-made hardware, bomb-proof casing, and near-inexhaustible hydroelectric power supply, EL represents a unique step forward in the evolution of human technology.
  The brainchild of Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Arkady Chernyshevsky,
  EL will&<BR>
  Links:
  - Download Press Kit
  - Meet the Team
  - <a href
  - Apply
  - < a href=”
  - Contact

  
  
• 有一所名为IAN——Institute for Applied Noematics——的机构，机构的目的是制造人工智能。机构的一位年轻女性研究员，Alexandra Drennan，是人工智能方面的新星和权威。
  

  From: Nadya Sarabhai @ Institute for Applied N%
  To: Alexandra Drennan @ &&/ed Noematics
  Subject: Welcome to the team!
  Hi again,
  I’m sorry if I was a little odd at the meeting. I know you were nervous, but the truth is that so was I. This may be hard to believe, but you intimidate me! You’re so young and you’ve already accomplished so much... if the situation wasn’t so grim, I might even be jealous. :)
  There’s also something I wanted to clarify. I realize that, nominally speaking, I’m head researcher here. But this is your project and everyone will respect that. And yes, I know, you’re not used to working like this… but as of today, you’re in charge.
  No pressure. *g*
  Let’s do this,
  Nadya

  
  

A medical journal has published a startling new theory about last year’s sudden, shocking extinction of the orangutan [see our award-winning video of the last orangutan at this link].
They suggest that the virus responsible was not a new mutation, but a very old one - an ancient virus buried until now in highlatitude permafrost, set free by global warming. The virus may have plagued the ancestors of the modern great apes more than one hundred thousand years ago. Several important questions remain unanswered, including &$%§&
/// ERROR /// more importantly, the study suggests that, based on samples taken from locations around the globe, the &%%$& incubation period may ///
If you liked this article, you may also like:
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* How To Easily Beat Any Infection (sponsored link)

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RELEASE YOUR PETS
While it’s true that not all pets will be able to adjust to living without you, many will manage, and the least you can do is give them a chance.
Just remember:
- Release your pet before you become incapacitated.
- If you notice any locked-in animals in your area, please take the time to free them.
- Leaving the doors and windows of your home open will turn it into a useful shelter.
- Setting out large quantities of dry food may help your pet through the transition period.

Archive continues to grow. Attempting to maintain a semblance of order as difficult as expected.
Lost 7 people this week. Statistically speaking, trend should increase. Must focus on realistic goals.
Too little time to grieve.

From: Rob Maclean
To: IAN Mailing List
Subject: Norwegian Blue
Hi folks,
I’m sorry to say that a few hours ago I experienced the first symptom. I’m going to work until the end of the week to make sure EL is in perfect condition, but after that I’ll be going back home. I will remain reachable via email and phone for as long as possible, but I’m confident Satoko can deal with anything that comes up.
If you want to do me a huge favour, spare me the drama tomorrow, OK? I love you all but I don’t have the strength for sad smiles and hugs. The best remedy for sorrow is to get the job done.
And now for something completely different! :)
Cheers,
Rob
Link Attached: Dead Parrot Sketch

To be honest, I thought that the net would be completely abandoned at this point. But internet activity has actually surged massively in the last couple of weeks! Everybody’s talking. Trying to find solutions, exchanging stories, saying goodbye. It’s like the entire planet is reaching out, all the disparate threads of humanity pulling together, idiots and geniuses alike, to be as human as possible one last time. It’s almost like what we were always told the internet was going to be. And most of it is free now, because who cares about money at this point? Might as well have some fun.
If any of you would like to talk, especially people I’ve known online for a long time, send me an email. I’d love to say goodbye.

Like everyone else on the internet these (last) days, I just wanted to say bye, and thanks for reading my little blog for so many years. It’s been fun, hasn’t it? So many deep conversations,
so much philosophy… OK, OK, it was mostly cat pictures and bad puns, but still. I kinda regret spending so much time at the computer - not when I was doing stuff, just all the sitting around, checking my emails a million times, reading pointless status updates by people I didn’t like… but I don’t regret the friends I made here or the laughs we had.
You’re all good people and I’m glad I got to know you. Have a nice end of the world.

1. 
   
2. 制造一个足够合格的人工智能
   
3. 收集并保存人类已有的知识
   
4. 将前两者传输到SOMA
   

From: Frank Ngatai
To: Miles Ngatai, Dan Ngatai
Subject: IAN!
My first day at the Institute for Applied Noematics. On the way to work, I’m terrified. What if they don’t like me? What if they’re all geniuses and I’m a complete buffoon? Maybe they were just
kidding about letting me work there?
Trembling, I walk in, and right at the entrance there’s a lifesize poster of Jeff Goldblum. What the hell? Then I get it. Institute for Applied Noematics. IAN. Dr. Ian Malcolm from the Jurassic Park movies. Jeff Goldblum. Dr. Sarabhai shows up, smiling. “We were trying to find a cool acronym, back when the Institute was founded,” she says. “INAN? IAPN? INAPNO? It all sounded stupid, but we didn’t just want to call it IAN, because, well, that’s a name. Then someone made a joke about calling it JEFF, and... it kind of stuck. So we’re officially called IAN, but if you hear anyone referring to JEFF, that’s our... internal name, I guess. I know, I know. Bloody geeks.”
After that conversation, I wasn’t so scared anymore. :)

We’re blessed to have so many people contributing to this project, but we’ve got to make sure everyone is on the same page. Please refer to the following people when ...
Alexandra Drennan - Project Lead / AI Module
Nadya Sarabhai - Institute Coordinator
Rob Maclean - EL Software
Trevor Donovan - EL Hardware
George Jameson - Generation Module
Alan Jameson - Scenario Module
Bob Rakovsky - Simulation Module
Radhia Bricmont - &%§$&()
Aurora Calvin - Link Hardware
Omar Gharib - Link Software
#a&( Lanning - Maintenance Module
J.E. Harrison - Diagnostic #()§
Frank Ngatai - Memory Module
Jared V. Shmilev - File Sys%&//)
Sun Wei-Yang - Talos Unit (formerly Soma)
Though not directly part of our project, the Archive team is sharing both physical and digital space with us. If there are any technical issues to resolve, please contact their project lead,
Arkady Chernyshevsky. Don’t worry, he’s nice.
Through inaction allow humanity to come to harm

From: Nadya Sarabhai
To: IAN Mailing List
Subject: Progress Report 1
Hi all,
Everything’s been moved to the EL facility. I know it’s been sad to leave the good old JEFF building behind, but it makes sense for us to be on-site, especially as there may be severe power
outages in the coming weeks.
Arkady’s team are already working Life uh finds a way but you really don’t need to worry about the teams getting in each other’s way, the facility is genuinely humongous.
Let’s get this show on the road!
- Nadya

Officially began work on Archive today. Contributors from every country on Earth while network connections last. Team intimidated by project scope but working hard.
Will be sharing space with Drennan & Sarabhai team. Look forward to meeting them.

From: Alexandra Drennan
To: Noematics Mailing List
Subject: [NML] Talos Principle
Have you heard of the Talos Principle? It’s this old philosophical concept about the impossibility of avoiding reality- no matter what you believe, if you lose your blood, you will die. I think that applies to our situation more than we’d like to admit. We could close our eyes and pretend that everything’s going to be all right... but it won’t change the physical reality of what’s going to happen to our
I think that, as scientists, it is our duty to face the truth, and to ask ourselves the most important question: how can we help?
I think I have an idea
No man is liberated from fear who dare not see his place in the world as it is; no man can achieve the greatness of which he is capable until he has allowed himself to see his own littleness.
Regards,
Alexandra

THE COMPRESSED FILE CANNOT BE ACCESSED.
NAME: classical_philosophers.lz19 (EL-1)
DESC: An extensive collection of works by the ancient philosophers of Greece and Rome. Annotated.
ERROR: Compression algorithm LZ19 not available in system EL-0.

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• 使用Serious Engine 7.5 这个游戏引擎作为测试AI智能的基石。
  

  From: Alexandra Drennan
  To: IAN Mailing List
  Subject: Progress Report 3
  Hi all,
  As per the last meeting, we’re going with an existing game engine for the simulation. This gives us a whole slew of advantages:
  - stability
  - ease of use
  - modular, easy to integrate
  - large amount of pre-existing assets
  - inherently aimed at testing users
  - designed for iterative processes
  After some back and forth, we’ve decided to use the Serious Engine 7.5. which Croteam have kindly made available to us.
  All the relevant documents are attached.
  - Alex

  
  
  
• 使用一个初级的AI程序来监督和调节AI测试，这个程序被称为HIM，即holistic integration manager。
  

  From: Bob Rakovsky
  To: Alexandra Drennan
  Subject: HIM
  Hey Alex,
  I agree that we need something that’ll keep all the modules
  working together, evaluate &() a final test.
  And I think I have the perfect solution! It’s called the Holistic Integration Manager - a fancy name for something a lot like a Dungeon Master in pen & paper RPGs. We created it to help run some MMOs back in the day. We needed something that would be able to unite procedurally-generated and user-submitted content into a coherent whole so the game wouldn’t become too chaotic and inconsistent.
  It’s a genuine AI, somewhat limited in its ability to grow, but capable of parsing and understanding text, images, audio, even video. It takes all the information it can find, interprets it, and then builds and maintains a world based on that. It’s not perfect, but we don’t have a lot of time, and it would be easy to adapt the code for our purposes.
  In fact, come to think of it, some of it is actually based on routines that you suggested in that paper on

  
  

Officially began work on Archive today. Contributors from every country on Earth while network connections last. Team intimidated by project scope but working hard.
Will be sharing space with Drennan & Sarabhai team. Look forward to meeting them.

• 
  
• 智能 - 能够利用工具达到目标，能够学习新工具的使用方法，能够进行反思并且重新尝试；
  
• 自我意志 - 机器人能够通过思考，违背对其下达的命令（三原则什么的，不存在的）。
  

There are… flaws in the system. I think sometimes it accesses the wrong databases. Pulls random data. I don’t know… I don’t know how bad it is. It all seems to be stable, but I can’t tell what kind of impact this is going to have on the process, and… I just don’t have the strength to go over all of the code again.
I just…
I just… I just don’t want it all to be for nothing. I spent all my time here. I didn’t visit my parents. I didn’t see my friends. I did nothing but work. And I’m so scared that it didn’t mean anything.
That I just wasted it all because I thought we could…
we could save the world.

The role of mutation in evolution is particularly fascinating. Mutation is essentially an error in the organism’s central database: a variable gets changed, a piece of information is accidentally doubled or combined with another. Most of the time, the result is the equivalent of a bug, causing anything from minor problems to complete system shutdown (i.e. death). But sometimes the new information is functional, giving the organism an advantage against the challenges it faces, in which case it has a much higher chance of being passed to the next generation.
If you consider how unlikely a beneficial mutation is, and how long it takes for such a mutation to propagate, this process can give you an amazing insight into just how vast the genetic history of each living organism LIFE FROM ERRORSimultaneously, it is intriguing to consider what a major role random errors have played in the evolution of life itself. The same process that has killed so many of us, often in horrific ways, is also responsible for our very
existence.

I don’t know if anyone’s ever going to read this, but if you do, if we succeeded, then I want you to know that Alexandra stayed until the last moment. I’m leaving, too tired, too broken, desperate for a few moments of peace with my remaining loved ones. But she’s still there, and she won’t give up. And yes, there are thousands like her all over the world, giving everything they have because they believe in humanity... but she’s the one that I know, as a real person, a colleague, a friend. I know that she likes peanut ice cream and hates strawberry, that her favorite band is Pink Floyd, that her favorite poet is Blake, that her favorite TV show is Futurama, th studied at Cornell, that her dad’s name was Carl, that her mom’s name was
I don’t know if I should be ashamed for leaving, but I know that I’m proud of her. She was the best of us. Remember her.
But does a human form display To those who dwell in realms of day

Dear Ms. Drennan,
I heard about your project - it’s the talk of the scientific community - and I’d like to make an argument for why you should abandon it.
It’s not that I think your idea won’t work. It very well may. But we have to look beyond purely practical questions to the issue of morality. Especially at this turning point of our spiritual ecology. By what right can we put living beings through all that suffering, just so they can serve our purposes? Why create these pale imitations of our fatally flawed species and force them to reenact our sordid history? Why &$&//
What you are building, Ms. Drennan, is a prison - even if there is a way out. I believe you mean well, but your idea of what is valuable is rooted in the dogma of Western civilization.
We’re lucky enough to be able to end our global crime spree relatively painlessly, if you consider the harm we have caused the Earth. Why not be satisfied with that and let this planet go on in peace?
I hope you heed my words, and let your “Talos” bleed out before it’s too late.
Respectfully,
Chellis Jensen

I… I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. I think this… this is it. The end of… me. I… I don’t believe that I will continue to exist. I would like to think there is a… a soul or spirit. Some part of my… consciousness that will persist. But all… all the evidence says that when my brain dies, I will be…
Gone.
I’ve lived my life never turning away from the truth, even if it scares me. And… I can face this… face… my own end… and… and say… with absolute conviction…
that it was good to be human.