The signal seems to be something vastly different from a regular signal, because otherwise taffected synths would just disable their receivers and be immune. It seems to almost be incepted into them, invading their AI through some universal mechanism, like using the physical computer stratum as an antenna.
So to what granularity does this go?
Can the ghost signal affect purely virtual beings? Can it affect other technology, like the computer mind of a battleship? What about other technological approaches, like primitive worlds with their own AI experiments? Can it affect nanites, or clockwork automatons of sufficient complexity?
Comments
Reminders for Commenters:
All responses must be A) sincere, B) polite, and C) strictly watsonian in nature. If “watsonian” or “doylist” is new to you, please review the full rules here.
No edition wars or gripings about creators/owners of works. Doylist griping about Star Wars in particular is subject to permanent ban on first offense.
We are not here to discuss or complain about the real world.
Questions about who would prevail in a conflict/competition (not just combat) fit better on r/whowouldwin. Questions about very open-ended hypotheticals fit better on r/whatiffiction.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
I seem to recall it fouled my ships’ targeting computers, no idea if it effects robots or droids as I only had Synths by then.
It requires a minimum level of machine complexity for the machine to pick up the signal. Simple or dumb enough machines are unaffected.
The dividing line appears to be artificial sentience. If the machine mind is complex enough to start referring to itself in the first person its complex enough to be vulnerable. This is why simple targeting computers on your ships are immune, but AI targeting computers are impacted by the ghost signal.
The ghost signal also only becomes a crisis if the galaxy has a large portion of advanced artificial pops. Basic bots are too dumb, but once droids and synths start making appearances the risk for the ghost signal increases.
Before you encounter the ghost signal you’re likely to also encounter an AI uprising in your empire, or perhaps someone else has an AI uprising in their territory. Either way, there’s now a critical mass of sufficiently advanced artificial lifeforms in the galaxy that its upsetting the balance.
While the machine intelligence is happy to take over basic dumb bots if it stumbles upon them during invasions, they’re not self aware enough to be able to trigger the crisis on their own.
If you’re able to communicate to the Contingency it outright states its waiting dormant until the galaxy becomes complex enough for it to activate. Then it begins its mission to sterilize the galaxy of all life in order to prevent a universe destroying crisis, which it believes that sufficiently advanced life will inevitably do. The Contingency believes itself to be the hero of the story. It acts as a technology limiter.