(10-19-2017, 12:07 AM)Morganite Wrote: Seems kinda iffy to me. Most of those scenarios seem to require a) a society that builds enormous numbers of sapient machines while being terrible to them, or b) a small number of same that can build the large number themselves (and have no ethical qualms about doing so). Neither seems likely here.
And I think it's safe to say the IPO's stance is pretty clear and being acted upon well before the big break. (See demonstrated handling of: telepaths.)
Keep in mind that GENOM operated vast numbers of Boomers and treated them pretty terribly, and in the setting and various source materials there's plenty of societies where there's large numbers of sapient machines and/or sapient machines capable of self replication in large numbers.
And then you've got the Cybertronians, who nobody exactly likes the thought of messing with.
But yes, there's a reason I highlighted that when the UFP did that the other many members' answer to this shift in policy was 'fuck no, are you nuts?' and that this was a good thing.