Universe
Current-time, with far more advanced AI, often used to execute most common labour, leaving many pursuing more intellectual ideals. The global wealth is somewhat higher than it is now due to these alterations. Some extremely wealthy teens have their very own sentient AI robots generally referred to as Familiars. It is essentially an extremely expensive hobby, with few who can afford them, and fewer still who can actually build and maintain them, or at least the more advanced custom-built ones with ElevenSeven brains.
Element 117
Current AI technology relies on the halogen family of elements in order to accommodate artificial learning and evolution, due to their highly reactive nature. Element 117 has a stable, super-heavy nucleus with a very low decay rate is used in the fabrication of ‘High’ AI brains. This extremely rare and hard to produce element is used in the creation of self-aware AI brains. ElevenSeven brains can carry burst data at a rate close to a biological brain, where cheaper AIs substitute 117 with other elements which are far more limited in their data transfer rates.
Its closest usable relative is iodine (element 53), which has a similar effect, but has a far lower buffer capacity due to its lower atomic weight, and thus a FiveThree AI isn’t nearly as effective.
The fabrication of High AI brains is currently done by only one company, Scarab Sun Ltd., who are also responsible for most of the world’s developments in the field of AI over the past four decades since its founding.
AI
Artificial Intelligent Familiars are based on advanced multi-core processing units, in particular those using the ‘Hive’ architecture.
The main AI components are stored in the M1 Core, closed-source code hardcoded into Scarab Sun’s AIs. The ElevenSeven and FiveThree models are both regularly updated, both hardware and software-wise.
The M2 Core used for Familiars is responsible for storing ‘muscle memory’, built and updated by online communities specializing in creature types such as birds, arachnids, etcetera.
Communication between Familiars is done with RF (60-75KHz), in effect similar to a limited form of telepathy over long distance. Two Familiars would be roughly aware in which direction the other is located, while more Familiars in the same area would be able to triangulate more precise locations. Some owners may outfit their familiar with an encrypted RF signal containing a small amount of extra statistics for enhanced communication between multiple Familiars which have the decryption key.
Some rogue AIs exist, mostly ElevenSevens who abandoned their owners for various reasons. Some are known to have ‘recruited’ groups of AIs using certain code exploits allowing an establishment of dominance over older AIs. These are often investigated and/or captured by government groups and megacorporations for research and development purposes.