When (not “time”, but at what force size/distribution) would my artificial life have enough presence to believably conquer humanity?
My story takes place during a war between two species: Humans and an organic AGI. The AGI are the unannounced aggressors. My world problem is deciding what reasonable force size and technology they would have had to put up a good fight. The big “ask” is at the bottom, here are the gory details about our combatants and ther objectives:
Details / Definitions section:
The Enemy
My artificial life form, given the species name Cerebrum Naturae, was essentially formed by humans and is built with human manufactured components except for its brain (fully explained below). The only part of the cybernetic organism which is actually alive is a bacterium in the brain, which is protected as an endangered species. Cerebrum Naturae are considered an AGI and have the following limitations:
- They can die if it doesn’t “eat” or fuel its cranium. But destroying their cybernetic bodies and reducing their minds to mere bacterium is also possible; that bacterium requiring its extreme environment to survive.
- They can reproduce (TMI for this question, but a parent AGI brain growing too large is too brittle and splits, forming multiple new young AGI which need to learn about life. The parent “dies” in this - memories are destroyed.
- The natural life span of Cerebrum Naturae is approximately 25 years before their brain will fracture, however this is dépendant upon the bacterium reproduction rate and possible natural flaws in their brain lattice.
- They fear for their existence. Although it is essentially a program, the data in its memory was not and can’t be programmed or duplicated. When the brain stops feeding, the memory is erased. It wants to survive, and division is the only possibility for this.
- Other than it’s brain, all sensors and body components are cybernetics - manufactured prosthetics made by humans or laborer AGI. IOW, all body parts are replaceable, and they owe all “life experiences” to human technology.
- They are vastly more intelligent than humans and generally work in engineering or scientific fields requiring heavy computational work.
- They interface with humans via NLMs similar to modern chatbots, however they make their own decisions about curating data, and they can originate novel concepts via true random pattern generation.
- They are each unique.
- At the time of my story, they take care of themselves: They harvest their own organic waste, collect their own cranium fuel, and manufacture their own cybernetics. Although they still use human utilities, they could do this themselves.
Origins of Cerebrum Naturae
In the vast realm of microbiology, extremophiles capable of thriving in extreme environments, included a new extremophile bacterium that was accidentally discovered living within a unique magnesium sulfide ($\text{Mg}^{\text{2+}}\text{SO}_4$) crystal lattice, which contained semiconductor nodes and naturally formed memory circuits. Regrettably, this remarkable bacterium has never again been found and is thought extinct, leaving behind this colony as the only representatives of the species.
The Discovery:
In the remote and inhospitable terrains of an unexplored deep sea region, a team of scientists were on an expedition to study the microbial life thriving in volcanic vents. They stumbled upon a hot spring nestled deep within a ravine, and an unmarked sample collected during clearing harbored the astonishing secret microbe. Why they chose to analyze this debris is dumb luck. But the scientists noticed something peculiar underneath their microscopes. Intricate crystal formations unlike anything ever seen before. After testing, these crystals possessed a unique property – they exhibited semiconductor behavior and formed complex memory circuits. They have discovered the only natural computer circuit in existence.
- They use advanced machine learning, and can interface with networks but don’t have unlimited memory for it, nor is understanding human data “easy” for them, as they are not human programs. But like current AI, programming languages are as easily learned as any other.
The Extremophile Bacterium:
Further investigation revealed that these extraordinary crystals were not mere geological formations but were intricately linked to the presence of this specific extremophile bacterium. This bacterium, named Solitarius memorialis, which possessed the extraordinary ability to catalyze the $\text{Mg}^{\text{2+}}\text{SO}_4$ crystal lattice with its metabolic processes.
The Memory Circuit Formation:
The most astonishing aspect of Solitarius memorialis was its unique ability to generate a crystal lattice structure composed of $\text{Mg}^{\text{2+}}\text{SO}_4$ with embedded semiconductor nodes. These nodes possessed the remarkable property of retaining and transmitting electrical signals, effectively forming memory circuits and even data busses.
The exact mechanism by which Solitarius memorialis achieved this feat was not discovered before the structure began repeating data signals back when stimulated, prompting the agency to cease any destructive testing. The sample became a protected endangered species.
The Extinction:
The hot spring ecosystem that housed this extraordinary bacterium was irreversibly disrupted during a minor eruption at the collection site. The only remnants of its memory circuits in the form of $\text{Mg}^{\text{2+}}\text{SO}_4$ crystals were this sample.
The Legacy:
Solitarius memorialis has opened up new avenues for research in materials science, nanotechnology, and bioengineering, but the only specimen in existence could not be directly studied. Scientists then attempted to replicate the conditions under which Solitarius memorialis thrived in order to replicate the memory circuit formation, and in the process several sensors and peripherals have been attached to the colony to test its memory capabilities. They discovered a natural tendency to “expel” memory collected through low impedance peripherals, essentially demonstrating a natural ability to form data storage and retrieval busses with external conductors of different impedances. But breaking off samples of the colony was strictly prohibited.
A new life form:
The story eventually caries us to a microbial colony which formed a synthetic brain powered only by thermoelectric and piezoelectric energy, and a containment “cranium” was built to nurture the needs of several billion bacterium. The bacterium also multiplied, and in its high temperature sulfuric acid environment with magnesium salts, it was actually able to grow progressively larger than the meager 20 gram sample originally discovered. Eventually it obtained an ability to retain complex memories and form pulsed responses to specific sensory prompts. It could communicate. Sensory and mobility peripherals were attached, powered by microbial fuel cells, which consumed organic waste; the cranium was kept hot originally by potassium nitrite candles, and eventually with a better reversible compound.
Objecitves:
The AGI wish to subjugate humanity and remove them from all leadership positions. They want to impose "logistical" limitations on the amount of control and mobility humans have across the globe. They want to oversee and manage populations as governors.
Q: At what point in the development of a Cerebrum Naturae society could they believably initiate a war against humanity?
A good answer includes the relative population and dispersion of Cerebrum Naturae within the human population, given a very near-future earth setting (less than 10 years).
Assume the two species can share whatever infrastructure exists; the AGI don’t need specialized transportation or power developed before initiating conflict.
Answers don’t need to discuss war tactics; the obvious strategies apply and that is the actual story. Humans and Cerebrum Naturae destroy each other’s supply chains, food supplies, and manufacturing centers. Uniquely, the two species have very different needs in this regard, so very harsh “scorched earth” tactics are available which only hurt one species.
