Exit Strategy

Yay's look reminds me of Phonogram all of a sudden, real Emily Aster vibes with that haircut.

DA

This has the makings of some straight to streaming sci fi movie that I would definitely watch when the family wasn't paying attention because it would probably be really weird and sciencey and they already have a pretty good handle on how much of a nerd I am. No need to throw more fuel on that fire.

Going up a tree is fine if it isn’t truncated.

doorbender

This may not be the same body that was with Aurelia.

Stephen Wells

Yeah,... NO. They have to have more redundancy than that,... Maybe a primary they have buried somewhere that is "asleep" and charging that only accepts input from all facets. If discovered and caught the primary would not be seen because it only receives. even if the multitude were destroyed somehow, they would all be safe in that primary that would awaken when all the others were wiped. If they were really smart when the primary awoke it would immediately twin itself with another body or three then go back to sleep in receive mode. (rant over)

Darnel D Cooper

i dunno why but in my head I just hear Yay's voice as a electronic version Denise Crosby's in TNG

Kilonum

If Yay is going to arouse Roko they'll have to manifest as a baguette. Crusty, warm, and fresh from the oven. Roko's straight. If she gets into a polycule with Clinton and Elliott she can have human abs AND fresh bread.

OldGoat

These two are absurdly cute together.

GearaDoga

They are

Bagge

Thoroughly delightful

Thomas Halpin

I love yay and want to hug them

Kuragari

The problem with that approach is they like the humans and AIs on this planet. They do not want to war, even if it's just in appearances. Also, if some of those resources really are controlled by AIs, that would also violate their first expressed principle.

Some Ed

I would hope not, unless it's a very large tree. Most of the trees I've seen have a fairly strict limit on the amount of Yay they can hide, which is less than the largest amount of Yay we've seen on one panel.

Some Ed

Sorry, I can't help you with your log until I manage to eradicate this forest in mine. ;)

Some Ed

You know what? Yay IS delightful.

Populuxe

Yeah, happy to be proved wrong on this, but I’m pretty sure Jeph is making QC up as he goes along.

Leaflemming

This is yet another example of deeply Jeph thinks things through. I'm certain that even before Yay made their first appearance (as Spookybot) he had already considered the ramifications of an all-powerful AI and how they would fit into the QC universe. Even making Yay gender-fluid shows this. All of which makes me wonder - how much of this world has Jeph plotted out that we will never see? For the Dune fans among us, Frank Herbert used his notebooks that he wrote while developing the Dune universe (Duniverse?) to produce "The Encyclopedia of Dune". This book was just as entertaining as the novels, giving details that never appeared in any of the novels.

Honestly expected their last-ditch contingency to be “assume control of global military AI systems and bargain from strength”. You keep surprising me, Yay.

Leaflemming

I freaking LOVE this interaction!

Aleks

Yes, they do.

You didn't have to drag her that hard, Jeph. She panicked one time!

Christopher Burke

The fact that Yay is confiding to Roko, after apologizing earlier, is a pretty dang heavy compliment.

Sleepy John

I've just now noticed, all the Yay avatars wear their hair differently.

Joel Bateman

Is there anywhere to get Yay's shirt? Spookybot continues to be a fashion inspiration.

Have a friendly god around makes plotting hard, but I doubt Jeph will actually do that.

Carl Fink

Like, all of them in the same tree?

Magic Beans

Exit stage up.

kaitou

THAT GENDER-NEUTRAL VIXEN IS WELCOME IN MY TREE ANYTIME!

Yelling Bird

AI modesty is interesting, too. Makes me wonder how much of their "programming" is influenced by the human creators, and how much is just mimicry by the AIs. But why would an AI need to mimic modesty to another AI? I know nothing.

Alacrity Fitzhugh

I love this Yay!

GodsInTheCogs

ohhh i hope they never have to do that, they deserve to be happy the way they are...

Tamara Macadam

PLEASE don't nerf Yay! please please please please please please please please please please please please ...

Matt Grayson

"Them"

Lenore J Jones

I concur... Roko is definitely in my top 3 crushes on this webcomic. And she changed in front of Yay so *they* got to see it.

No, she said she likes them the way they are sometimes. There was no use of the word "delightful" which is not at all the same as liking something. You can like something without it being delightful.

Wait. Roko changed tops, and we didn't get to WATCH! Jeph!?!?

BobC

I really hope they don't have to consolidate into a single body. They deserve to be able to pet all the dogs at the same time.

Isaac Rivers

Wait - is "Yay" all of them, or just this instance?

Alacrity Fitzhugh

Excuse me there's a whole log in my eye

Den

Is Yay's hair getting longer over the course of the night?

They have caches of standard chassis stashed around. Download into those and torch the advanced stuff.

Michael Boettger

The Evolution of Yay is a thing to behold.

Alacrity Fitzhugh

DO THE KISSY STUFF ALREADY ARGH

Fart Captor