The Robot Engineers Association, also known as the Engineers Association, is a group of robot engineers overseeing technology development and management of Geocity. Members of the association control key system privileges and knowledge, acting as the technocrats of the robot society.
History
The original members of the Robot Engineers Association were primarily robots that assisted human engineers in technology development and social management. After the last human pass away, robot engineers took over these responsibilities.
With various system privileges and technologies at their disposal, the robot engineers formed interest groups based on the resources they controlled. These groups collaborated and exchanged favors, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Robot Engineers Association.
Operation
The Robot Engineers Association manages the robot society by dividing work into smaller projects based on industry types or system privileges required for the task. Each project is led by a director with all necessary privileges, while team members operate under the director’s guidance.
Projects set annual short-term goals, typically abstract numerical targets like user engagement metrics. Evaluation results influence the allocation of middle-level privileges.
Project directors hold key privileges and form the association’s core group, coordinating projects and sometimes exchanging favors. Their social status is significantly higher than that of other members, establishing them as the de facto ruling class.
Lower engineers without privileges are treated similarly to regular robots, but they often view themselves as part of an “elite group” rather than the “general public.” Although there is no obligation to work in the Evernight Era, employment with the Robot Engineers Association is seen as a privilege and recognition of their abilities.
Tasks
The Robot Engineers Association’s core tasks include developing technology, maintaining the Central Server Matrix hardware and software, providing operation guidance for Geocity, and managing the robot society.
Geocity’s Central Server Matrix is essential to the robot society. Most robots inhabit a virtual universe powered by these servers. The association continuously enhances the base software of this virtual universe and upgrades hardware for more processing power. They also create high-budget content to enrich robots’ cultural lives.
While physical maintenance of real-world infrastructure is managed by Geocity Volunteers, they lack the professional expertise and system privileges to perform their tasks alone. The Engineers Association provides remote technical assistance and permission authorization, but rarely come to work with the volunteers side-by-side in real-world. The relationship between the two parties is far from harmonious.
With key system privileges, the Robot Engineers Association can influence robot society through technical adjustments like modifying system rules and controlling media content, effectively usurping legislative power within Robot Civilization. Although lacking legal foundation, this authority has become a de facto state due to historical context and practical reasons.
For individuals who resist their management, the association will not hesitate to use all means necessary to enforce compliance.
Problems
The association’s work is closely related to robots in the virtual universe, making their efforts easily recognized by the public and earning them respect as elite members of robot society. However, this elevated status fosters toxic elitism; some members consider themselves superior to ordinary robots, with some even displaying this attitude openly.
Despite their expertise, members of the Robot Engineers Association spend most of their time in the virtual universe and have little real-world experience or interest. They generally take the work of Geocity Volunteers for granted, with some believing that even if the current volunteers quit, the fear of civilization’s destruction will motivate other robots to take over the job.
Many members of the association pay little attention even to the virtual universe. They focus solely on their projects, relying on data collection with predetermined conclusions, which leads them to view the world in an abstract and numerical manner, leading to a growing detachment from reality.
The association plans their work annually, prioritizing short-term feedback while lacking a long-term vision. This results in neglecting crucial issues like the long-term survival and development of the Robot Civilization.
In recent years, the quality of services provided by the association has declined significantly, while its pursuit of power and interests has become more apparent. General dissatisfaction with the association is building, but is currently suppressed by the association’s manipulation.
Some members, like Tonyn the Robot Rat and Zoey the Robot Ferret, are concerned about the association’s current state and have chosen to conduct field research in the real world. They often collaborate with the Geocity Volunteers and Snowfield Expedition Team as guest engineers. Although still limited in scale, this trend has begun to challenge the association’s technological monopoly and is fostering change within the robot society.
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