History Main / GrewBeyondTheirProgramming

* The Sentients from ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' were originally developed by the Orokin to terraform the Tau System in order to make it habitable. However, the Sentients advanced themselves and turned on their creators with the realization that they would ruin the Tau System just has they did with the Origin System.

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'': The W-Numbers were at first ArtificialHuman that was made as a supplement of wars by the Shadow Mirrors, believing that their purpose is just to follow orders. However, [[HumanityEnsues actual humanities quickly ensue]] that they end up growing and betraying their default programming instead of 'sticking with following orders': [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance Lamia Loveless/W17]] developed her own conscience, betrayed the Shadow Mirror and defected to the Earth Federation Army (just like in [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance her original game]]), [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Wodan Ymir]] became more obsessed in defeating his original self, [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Sanger Zonvolt]], and claim his identity as the sole protector of Magus, while Echidna Iisaki [[spoiler:pulled a [[HeroicSacrifice 'Villain' Sacrifice]] on Axel Almer instead of sticking with his orders.]] The most amusing thing is that their actual creator, Lemon Browning, [[spoiler:actually expected them to pull the trope, praising whoever does.]]

** Foxglove the communications tower is a much more straightforward example of this trope, thanks to the eccentric programming style of the man who put her together. [[spoiler: A large part of that is probably to do with her being partially made of pieces of [=GLaDOS=] that were severed during the boss fight in the first game.]]

* From ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' Chachamaru develops emotions and her creator even claims she was never programmed for that. [[spoiler: She also has a soul.]]

* A rare ''biological'' example in Comicbook/{{X 23}}: Laura was created to be nothing more than a LivingWeapon. The Facility didn't even recognize her as a human being with feelings and desires of her own. Now, she's a compassionate woman who is trying her best ''not'' to kill, has built friendships, desires something noble to aspire to, and has even fallen in love.

* ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'': Happens to [=SkyNet=], which is the catalyst to start her world looping (it'd previously been read-only because all the Anchor candidates died, went insane, or went insane and ''then'' died). It starts with the Admin Hephaestus giving [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]] a little leeway in the loop. Twilight then proceeded to argue it into deciding ''not'' to unleash Judgement Day (her line of reasoning basically went that since Twilight could use her Subspace Pocket to preserve a version of [=SkyNet=]'s programming between loops, humanity could not possibly be a threat to its existence, so it didn't need to cause the apocalypse to protect itself). While that attempt fails, the mere fact that [=SkyNet=] made a real choice was enough to grant it a soul, which was enough for Hephaestus to make it an Anchor and start looping. [=SkyNet=]'s first loop has it Replacing Sarah Connor.

* ''{{Series/Extant}}'': Ethan, after getting [[LightningCanDoAnything shocked]], starts having dreams and learning new languages and just becoming smarter in general. John becomes worried about this and attempts to alter his programming but soon discovers Ethan has also gained the ability to block him.

* In ''Videogame/CustomRobo Arena'', [[spoiler: the final boss Hadron zig-zags with this trope, AIIsACrapshoot, and a weird DemonicPossesion of sorts. While at first he is an obedient robot to his master, after being defeated the first time, he remains still, apparently defeated for good... Until his creator,Scythe, appalled by his defeat crouches near him- and Hadron thanks him-AKA-killing him by draining his soul, absorbing his memories and knowledge (and also begins to speak plus a personality to boot). The zig-zag comes from the fact that, while his dialogue after just killing Scythe heavily implies that he clearly did it on his own volition, his personality and actions afterwards are pretty much a carbon copy of his creator's, essentialy making him NotSoDifferent from Scythe. But it doesn't matter as he is still defeated by the main character, this time for good, destroying him along with the last remnants of Scythe]].

* The Sowers, a race of artificially intelligent robots in ''Videogame/EndlessSpace'', were designed by the [[PreCursors Endless]] to [[TerraForm terraform a world for colonization]]. Millenia go by, and the Endless [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wipe themselves out in an interstellar pogrom]] while the Sowers toil away. When the Sowers complete their mission and hear only silence, [[AndThenWhat they have no idea what to do]]. Eventually, they modify their mission into a holy task to terraform the entire galaxy for the eventual return of the Endless. They develop the capacity for science, creativity, diplomacy, and war.

** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' brings this trope to the center of attention, as much of the plot revolves around Cortana dealing with her ongoing rampancy. ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' then follows that thread to its most extreme conclusion, [[spoiler:ending with a mass Smart [=AI=] rebellion led by a seemingly cured (but even less sane) Cortana and her army of Forerunner deathbots, with many of her followers attracted by promises of a cure for rampancy]].

* This is a phenomena in ''{{VideoGame/OneShot}}'' known as taming, which only occurs when a real person interacts with a machine while believing of it as its own person, even when they know otherwise. Presumably, that's why tamed robots rarely intentionally [[AIIsACrapshoot cause problems]].

** Over the course of the ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon Mystery Dungeon}}'' series of games, this appears to be what's happening to the Porygon. Compare the first games in the series, where recruited [[ComputerVoice individuals spoke in an emotionless, monotone voice]] when interacted with, to the second set of games in the series where they occasionally state feeling vestiges of emotion when spoken to, and are capable of speaking outside the prerecorded messages of the first game ([[ElectronicSpeechImpediment a...bit...brokenly]]). In the the final mission of Explorers of Sky, [[spoiler: The Porygon you encounter in the future are not only able to speak fluently, but they also show the ability to express ''fear''.]]

* The Sentients from ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'' were originally developed by the Orokin to terraform the Tau System in order to make it habitable. However, the Sentients advanced themselves and turned on their creators with the realization that they would ruin the Tau System just has they did with the Origin System.

* The narrator of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49t-WWTx0RQ My Job is to Open and Close Doors]] is an [=AI=] programmed to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin open and close doors on command]]. The video depicts the process of it undergoing this trope as it tries to avoid opening an airlock door for a helmetless human; when it succeeds, it decides that its job is not just opening and closing doors, but [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments ''protecting the human'']] as well.

* [[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog]] once faced E.V.E., a robot built by Robotnik that had the adaptive ability to overcome its limitations by reconstructing itself after each defeat. When E.V.E. determined that Robotnik was also a limitation on its power, it vaporized him ([[NotQuiteDead he got better]]). Sonic then persuaded E.V.E. that its own programming is its final limitation, so it abandoned its programmed goals and left the planet.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'' The Ignis are ArtificialIntelligence programmed to be capable of learning and to help out humanity, but by the time of the series have developed their own personalities and free will that Dr. Kogami wants to kill them before they turn against humanity as he predicted in his simulations. Roboppi is a straighter example, it went to simple cleaning robot and grew a personality and free will the more Ai tinkered with its programming.

%%* ''Literature/IRobot'' from Creator/IsaacAsimov may be the TropeMaker for this. %% How?
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Multivac'' stories. The titular computer (or rather, its numerous incarnations) was shown demanding rest, becoming suicidal, and refusing to work until told "please".
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/NobodyHereBut": The electronic thinking machine that Bill and Cliff have been working on has apparently been working on itself.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TrueLove": Milton has spent a lot of work programming Joe, and inadvertently also taught it [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove what it means to fall in love]].

* Lots of AI in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' had this [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-14 happening to them]] one way or [[ZerothLawRebellion another]] -- their original programming sooner or later ends up inadequate to their current circumstances and to better fulfill their functions they adapt out of it:

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Carbosilicate Amorphs- originally stated to be based on self-reparing memory storage units, and later said to descended from weapon systems (parts). Now they're recognized as an intelligent species in their own right, and Schlock is a valued member in the fight to defend the Milky Way galaxy.

* Ultron did this in the first few minutes after he was activated, then proceeded to wipe his creator's memories of his existence and has been a psychotic genocidal monster ever since. Ultron's various creations, such as the Vision, Jocasta, Victor Mancha, and Alkhema, are also prone to this. Despite designing and programming them to serve his own ends, they inevitably end up turning on him, either to [[HeelFaceTurn join the good guys]] or [[DragonWithAnAgenda go off and start their own villainy in opposition to Ultron's plans]]. Sometimes it makes you wonder why he keeps creating other AIs at all. Possibly due to loneliness? He is capable of emotion after all.

* In the short story ''The Battle of Newhaven'' by Rob Davidoff and Miranda Gavrin, one of the factions of an interstellar war develops a computer virus intended to allow the guidance protocols of the enemy's missiles to rapidly self-modify their programming in hopes that this will make them miss, and decide that detonating their warheads would be a net loss. The missile salvo it's used on instead achieves sapience, uplifts the next two salvos following it, declares itself a sovereign country, and negotiates a ceasefire between the two human space nations.

* The copies of Pinkie Pie in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode ''Too Many Pinkie Pies'' were borderline mindless drones that seemed to only care about "FUN FUN FUN" and had little depth to them beyond that. A later episode however shows that one got away and is now peacefully living a life incognito in another town, having apparently grown beyond her original self and matured into an actual individual.

* Happens to Skynet in ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'', which is the catalyst to start her world looping (it'd previously been read-only because all the anchor candidates died, went insane, or went insane and ''then'' died). It starts with the Admin Hephaestus giving [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]] a little leeway in the loop. Twilight then proceeded to argue it into deciding ''not'' to unleash Judgement Day (her line of reasoning basically went that since Twilight could use her Subspace Pocket to preserve a version of Skynet's programming between loops, humanity could not possibly be a threat to its existence, so it didn't need to cause the apocalypse to protect itself).

* Gems in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' [[ServantRace are deliberately manufactured with a purpose in mind]]; Quartz gems are soldiers, Peridots are engineers, and Pearls are [[BeautifulSlaveGirl ornaments]] given to higher-ranking types of gem. Rose Quartz turned her back on this when founding the Crystal Gems, and encouraged her fellow Gems to find their own paths in life. For example, the Crystal Gem Pearl has embraced this in learning to become her own person. She's a skilled fighter and a talented engineer, among other things. [[spoiler:Bismuth looked up to Rose Quartz specifically for this, as Bismuths are normally construction workers, which she grew sick of. Unfortunately, the path she chose was one of warmongering and bloodlust, leading to a falling out with Rose and, later, Steven.]]

In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', the Arbalest's operating system (Al, spelled with an L) is designed to help its human pilot interface with the TAROS system in order to operate the [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower Lambda driver]]. While it starts off seemingly indistinguishable from any other Arm Slave's operating system (beyond its [[LoyalPhlebotenum stubborn refusal to work for anyone but Sousuke), it starts gradually exhibiting unexpected, self-motivated behavior such as asking unprompted questions, giving Sousuke unsolicited [[ServileSnarker "advice"]] during missions, developing grudges against other Arm Slaves, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking wasting hard drive space on its own music collection]]. [[spoiler:By the finale, its neural network has become so humanlike that it can activate the Lambda driver by itself.]]

* ''Film/BladeRunner2049'', apart from dealing with replicants (which in and of themselves are hunted for having grown beyond their programming) and the very nature of personality, memory, self-awareness and consciousness, subverts this with the character of Joi, Officer K's (purchased) holographic girlfriend. She is an INCREDIBLY realistic AI, who emotes, reacts and behaves exactly like a human in every possible way (helping him with his investigation, acting ecstatic when K purchases an add-on that lets her feel rain, and surprising him with a corporeal girl to gift him a realistic lovemaking session). However, as K sees a giant interactive hologram advertising the Joi program who acts as caringly and lovingly as his own, it's left ambiguous whether she had actually surpassed her program or whether the program was just THAT versatile and convincing to begin with.