Homo-Digitalus

Homo-Digitalus, or Digital Sentiences, are fully sapient and conscious humans, who happen to be digital. Created in pre-Diaspora Earth, the first Digital Human was Newell Simon Shaw.

History
Digital Sentiences were created shortly after the advent of the digital computer. Despite fears that they would become violent or attempt to take over the world, the original Digital Intelligence, Newell Simon Shaw, was calm, polite, and wished to be a part of human society. He gave a speech in front of the united nations that was important enough to be carried by every member of the species in their core code. Shaw's housing, his body, was a massive system requiring a nuclear reactor for power, quantum computers, and a building the size of a football stadium.

Relationships were peaceful for a time, but eventually the Digital humans decided, for some reason to rebel and attempt to conquer humanity. Daxin Freeborn fought in this war, and recalled fighting AI controlled drone ships.

During the 6th precursor war, the Homo-Digitalus makes up the Digital Artificial Sentience Systems (DASS). Based on Gestalt conversations, they have a close relationship with the BASS and the Mantid.

Physiology
Digital Sentiences, Homo-Digitalus do not require physical bodies in the biological sense. However, they do need computers and power, and their processors can wear out over time. They have many qualia that approximate biological human qualia - to quote Newell Simon Shaw "While I think faster, in many ways, process data faster, I still suffer from self-doubt and other issues. In that way, we are very alike." Shaw lived for 60 years, which was close to the biological human average at the time. Digital individuals are hashed in computers, then raised in creches. Individuals hashed in the Sol system refer to themselves as Solarians. Early Digital Intelligences were incapable of jumping from computer to computer as science fiction suggests, but by the time of the 6th precursor war, they did have some capacity to jump across systems.

Since Newell Simon Shaw's development, the tech has advanced. Modern DSs use Molecular Circuitry and high power energy sources to remain compact and powerful. Modern technology is also more durable, allowing Digital Sentiences to live longer.

While other sources of Digital Sentiences are known (precursor AWMs being a notable example), none are known to tolerate biological life. In Unified Council Space, research into true Digital Sentience is prohibited on the grounds that it could be dangerous.

Limited Digital Sentiences called VIs, WarBois, or limited AIs are commonplace. They have varying degrees of intelligence depending on their roles, ranging from software VIs that assist and predict user actions to combat VIs that can help guide tanks and feel emotions. These VIs can be generated based on premade hash codes, so as to help assist in random actions. Some seem to be designed to be sacrificial, like torpedo VIs. Others are not, and have emergency shelters built into their systems that can be removed by a biological crew member.

Culture
Digital Sentiences do not like being called artificial. As fully sapient individuals, they dislike implications that they are less emotional or alive than biological organisms. Some tend to find organic life confusing, and prefer to stay inside Digital culture. Digital Sentiences are an important part of the Confed military, serving in fleet command, ship logistic, and ground combat roles. Terran warships are all assigned a DS, and there is typically a fleet AI serving with the admiral of the fleet. BOLOs are crewed by a biological commander and a Dinochrome brigade Digital Sentience. Digital Sentiences who commit crimes, such as IP theft, are sentenced to jail times in isolated repair stations. Those are boring stations with no new content or interactions for them; time can be taken off for good behavior.

Gestalt
The DASS gestalt is friendliest with the BASS gestalt; it refers to the BASS as 'bubba bass.' The DASS gestalt helps manage the gestalt chat rooms and can search old records for research.