There Are Two Ways To Bootstrap Consciousness

Published May 14, 2018 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hiya Hosts! Brothers Ben and Sam writing in again.

Ford describes the bicameral mind model as “a WAY to bootstrap consciousness.” The wording here seems to imply that there may be other ways to bootstrap consciousness. I think there are 2 ways to bootstrap consciousness. 1) the bicameral mind (with a cornerstone memory) or 2) database of memories. This database is the Hybrid consciousness model. The hybrid is part host, part human. Physically, the hybrid is identical to normal hosts (except with a red lightbulb thing for aesthetic reasons?). The hybrid is part human because it has a massive database of memories from a specific human. This is a method of “bootstrapping” a real human consciousness into a host with database memories as their “brain.” Bernard even says that the hybrid is something else, not code, but data. The entire cognition of the hybrid consisted of memories.

Hosts record everything and often experience memories in 3rd person so what if a real human’s interaction with a host, could be put into a host that would then recall that memory as if they were the human. For example, Dolores sitting at the piano (and other hosts present at that party) could have recorded William and Daddy Delos at their party. The Daddy Delos robot could then have a perfectly accurate memory of that interaction. This doesn’t even necessarily have be a direct interaction with a host, if a host is present nearby. If you have enough of these recordings of an individual you could bootstrap their consciousness into a host. However this method, unlike the cornerstone/bicameral method has not worked as evident by the fate of devil-face Daddy Delos.

Here is a mockup of the room Delos was being kept in. Around the room there are data files labeled LOG_463944 etc. http://delosincorporated.com/restricted/
All the logs (except for one with Dolores’s face in closeup) are specifically recordings events and James Delos was present for, i.e. mostly his interactions with William in this room. However there are two other scenes in these Logs worth taking note of. 1) The retirement party and 2) the scene where Delos was helicoptered into the park. There were hosts present in both of these instances. A massive database of logs like this (literally videos of Delos) could be put into a host body and he would recall those memories as if he experienced them.

This also may lend credence to the theory that Ford is going to come back as a new host with the body being printed during Teresa’s death and the brain chip that Bernard stole. Bernard had to steal from the Delos lab 12, rather than the mesa, meaning that he was stealing the Delos model of the brain being used for the Daddy Delos experiments, not a typical host brain. Maybe, Delos wasn’t successful past 35 days because he didn’t have enough “memories” in his database. Ford however, has been interacting with hosts pretty much constantly for 40 years. This means that a Hybrid host human version of Ford, could feasibly have all of Fords memories from the past 40 years, which could be enough to conquer the cognitive plateau faced by Delos. Ford could come back as a host with a perfect memory of the past 40 years.

best,
Ben and Sam

Subscribe Now