History Main / SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence

[[folder: Fan Works]]

** Meanwhile, the Glamrock animatronics of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach'' are nothing but pure AI, but so advanced that they are on the same levels as the haunted robots. In fact, they're so advanced they can develop, and did develop outright ''mental health issues''. Glamrock Chica has [[DoesThisRemindYouOfEverything what can be best described]] as an eating disorder, Roxanne Wolf has self-esteem issues and a InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and Montgomery Gator has anger issues. Glamrock Freddy can also have an existential crisis if he's brought to a room of endoskeletons, asking himself is he's special or is he just another Glamrock Freddy, with there being others before him, wondering if he was always a Freddy, or just "Monty with a different shell". Speaking of Monty, there are also several implications that his AI is developed enough to [[spoiler:outright ''murder'' a fellow robot just to take his position in the Freddy Fazbear band. Mind you, Monty was created as a benelovent robot made to entertain children, but he's apparently intelligent enough to willingly turn evil]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' averts this with the Grate Monkeys--in fact exactly the robo-monkeys mentioned above--well, {{magitek}} robo-[[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys monkeys]], anyway.

** And in [[Manga/GhostInTheShell the original manga]] and [[Anime/GhostInTheShell movie]] there is the Codename 2501, a.k.a. Puppetmaster, who started out as a Brick with capability to learn, and became what is described in the final volume of the manga as an information god. In the aforementioned final volume, ''Man-Machine Interface'', the semi-AI descendants of the Puppetmaster-Major-fusion briefly plan turning every human with cybernetic implants on Earth into offshoots of themselves, but instead opt to create even higher forms of artificial consciousness. It's implied at the end that the age of machine gods is coming fast.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In "Transition Show", Vice Principal Oliver Munsey shows Miss Brooks the robot he built. Definately a type 1, it's main purpose is an automatic pencil sharpener.

* A rather ridiculous example from the ''StarWars'' prequels is the Trade Federation Battle Droids who, despite being run through a central computer, still speak to each other ''in Galactic Basic''. Even though utility droids do not.

* Averted in [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]]'s [[Literature/TheCulture Culture]] novels: Sentient {{AI}}s vary from humanlike to godlike intelligence (the Culture Minds), but there are lots of nonsentient ones as well. And there are some that are sentient, but somewhat below the human level, like the self-aware but simple-minded Culture shuttle that makes a brief appearance in ''Literature/ConsiderPhlebas.'' It was advised by more intelligent [=AIs=] to ignore the immoral behaviour of some nearby humans because its mind was human-like enough that it would have been shocked, but too simple for it to have been able to deal with the experience. Culture law specifies that everything over a given level of technological complexity must have an AI. This greatly annoys a character in ''Excession'', who deliberately chooses the most stupid AI he can get to control his second-skin environment suit. This is more about a) providing a nice user interface to complex but useful devices and b) providing intelligent safety systems to dangerous devices than making the lives of humans more difficult. An exceedingly powerful weapon developed by the Culture before such a decree was made features in one story in ''The State of the Art''. Though genetically locked to only be used by Culture-descended humans, one such being is [[spoiler:blackmailed into committing an atrocity with the weapon]]. The being in question observed how weak the weapon is compared to modern day devices, but as those weapons would be too smart to allow themselves to be abused this item is potentially devastating against less developed civilisations.

** Due to the historical Men of Iron [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters starting a war]] that humanity barely won, the Imperium has a Franchise/{{Dune}}-esque ban on sapient machines. In place, many devices, perhaps most of them, have an animistic sentient [[SingleTaskRobot "Machine Spirit"]]. The largest "devices" such as ships and titans have sapient Machine Spirits that even develop personalities.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has no sentient [=AIs=] (except possibly the Necrons). Of the ones who use actual thinking machines, the Imperium has a Franchise/{{Dune}}-esque ban on sentient machines due to the precepts of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Tau haven't advanced far enough to get their [=AIs=] truly sentient yet.

* Most of [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman's]] robots are Bricks powered by animals, at least in the early years and some very recent stuff after ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]''. There are a few, however, that reach level 3[[note]]The two heroic E-100 series robots [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Gamma]] and [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes Omega]], [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Orbot and Cubot]] from ''VideoGame/SonicColors''[[/note]] or 4[[note]]Metal Sonic [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes whenever he's]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 not a straight up]] [[VideoGame/SonicCD Brick]], though he arguably reaches level 5 at times[[/note]].

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', [[RobotGirl Chachamaru]] is a more or less average human-intelligence type robot with notable hacking skills, memory, and computing speed. Her master Evangeline has other [[RobotMaid robotic servants]], most of whom seem to fall between brick and human levels; they appear to have a certain level of self awareness, but not nearly to Chachamaru's degree.

* There are several different types of robots in the ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' series.

* Averted by [[spoiler: Victor Mancha]] of ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'', who seems to be slightly more intelligent than your average teenager.

* Jude, Bucky Barnes' [[CuteMachines pet robot]] in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse story [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/1699244 Brothers In Arms]], is a low-level Robo-Monkey. He's not a particularly bright little robot - allowing for the differences between machine and organic intelligence, he seems to be at about the same level as a not very smart puppy - but he definitely has personality.

* Tin Mare from Fanfic/ADream is roughly on the level of Average Joe. In most respects she's a normal pony, just with the ability to transfer her consciousnesses into an aircraft equipped with [[MoreDakka ''really'' big guns.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has no sentient [=AIs=] (except possibly the Necrons). Of the ones who use actual thinking machines, the Imperium has a Franchise/{{Dune}}-esque ban on sentient machines due to the precepts of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Tau haven't advanced far enough to get their [=AIs=] truly sentient yet.

** VideoGame/{{Portal2}} gave us Wheatley, who's at the low end of "Average Joe Android" and was supposedly designed to be a moron in one of many attempts to make [=GLaDOS=] behave. A lot of the machines in Portal 2 (including the Enrichment Center itself) either belong or are treated as though they belong somewhere on the scale.

* VideoGame/ChronoTrigger and VideoGame/ChronoCross together have robots which may cover the entire scale (except perhaps type 2): security drones and mannequins, average human-likes (Robo and his batch), Mother Brain, and then FATE.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''

# '''Nobel-Bot:''' Just like Joe Android, but with a superior intellect capable of cracking most scientific problems in picoseconds. Basically an Above Average Joe robot.

# '''Brick:''' An automatic tool. Its intelligence is on a similar level to your average toaster.

# '''Robo-Monkeys:''' Cute and intuitive, act just like animals. That is to say, clever and surprisingly instinctual.
# '''Average Joe Android:''' Very good memories and math skills, but usually lack [[NoSocialSkills interpersonal skills]], [[CreativeSterility creativity]] and/or [[TinMan emotion.]]

* Used straight, though spread out over time, in the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. The chain goes Mechaniloid (brick or animal, basic enemy with simple programming), Robot Master (more complex, but still takes orders), Reploid (RidiculouslyHumanRobot), and ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' has some God level ones.

* There are several different types of robots in the ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog comic series.

** The Butterflies of Iron fall into the Deus Ex Machina category, although the only one we've met, Gosh, is adamant that [[AGodIAmNot he is not a god.]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'', Roofus is sentient but pretty simple-minded. Since Princess Voluptua has taken on the task of raising and educating him, it remains to be seen just how intelligent he may become.

* There are several different types of robots in the ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog comic series.

* Most of [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman's]] robots are Bricks powered by animals, at least in the early years and some very recent stuff after ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]''. There are a few, however, that reach level 3[[note]]The two heroic E-100 series robots [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Gamma]] and [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes Omega]], [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Orbot and Cubot]] from ''VideoGame/SonicColors''[[/note]] or 4[[note]]Metal Sonic [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes whenever he's]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 not a straight up]] [[VideoGame/SonicCD Brick]], though he arguably reaches level 5 at times[[/note]].

* Robots on ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' are generally low 3's, about on par with the human and alien characters (that is to say, they're kind of morons). There have been a few 4's (like [[{{Seers}} Pickles]]) and some 5's (the Galactic Entity as well as Bender when he overclocked his processors).