Cianave Systems
A titan in the Umbrian Republic's AI and predictive analytics market, Cianave Systems achieved early success by developing artificial intelligence platforms which were lightweight enough to be used to manage everyday electronics and other personal devices. Up to that point, artificial intelligence had previously been restricted to large scale endeavors, such as running complex machinery or assisting with the management of utility grids and other data heavy applications where the physical hardware requirements needed for the AI was not unduly burdensome.
Umbrians had long grown accustomed to their devices measuring their usage and preferences, but concerns around privacy had long stymied efforts to enhance the interoperability of said devices. Cianave would break the logjam by accepting this reality instead of trying to change their customer's preferences, creating a proprietary closed network system which, while not foolproof, would still provide enhanced protections and limit outside collection of customer data.
They would create the 'household of the future,' where all of an individual's amenities included simple AIs which were then networked together to leverage their collective capacity to understand their user's preference and even predict what might appeal to them next. Everything from the water temperature of the shower to the viewing habits of the Hub would be studied and understood to provide the most beneficial experience possible.
Initially, this bold vision of a future where Umbrians would be seamlessly doted on by software that knew them better than themselves faced resistance. The complexities involved in the AIs themselves generated concerns, but a commitment to radical transparency and giving users greater controls over what information their devices captured and how it would be used helped to ease the uncertainty around Cianave's idea of the future.
Before long, almost every major manufacturer in the consumer goods industry had agreed to partner with Cianave on adding its technology to their own products. Cianave would develop a loyal base of customers who rushed out to be the first to purchase the latest and greatest gadgets to hit the market. For a moment, it looked like nothing would stop Cianave's meteoric rise.
The onset of the Ascomanni War, and the recession that followed, would prove to be more than enough to stall the company's growth. The war put a crimp on consumer spending, which recovered very slowly. As customers began increasingly worried about the future, demand for high end luxuries declined, and Cianave resigned itself to the inevitability of retrenchment.
Unbeknownst to most of its consumer base, Cianave was not idle. For decades the company had run a secret department which worked with the Umbrian military to adapt their advances in AI for the battlefield. That work picked up pace, and Cianave quietly created a number of unique applications for its technology.
The most important of these efforts would spawn a game changing addition to the Umbrian Republic Army’s arsenal, the Scutia battlemech. The Scutia, or scoots as they were affectionately called by the Republic’s legionnaires, was effectively an autonomous light tank, with sufficient firepower and armor to handle Ascomanni infantry. First deployed at the Battle of Tivoli, these machines would grant added flexibility to the commander on the ground, and their ability to fight without direct intervention meant that they could serve as a disposable rearguard as flesh and blood soldiers retreated.
Cianave increasingly found itself in the company of some of the most well-known and successful mega-corps in the Republic. Without its own native experience in military procurement or the manufacturing of heavy equipment, the company created a web of partnerships to leverage other firms' unique skills and expertise.
When news of the company's involvement with the military broke, Cianave would again find itself at the center of conversations involving the propriety of the way it used AI. However, as stories began to emerge of the Scutia's performance in combat, concerns over the morality of killer robots abated.
This revelation would not be cost free though, as studies in brand perception increasingly show that consumers increasingly see Cianave as a military contractor first, and a consumer goods manufacturer second.