---
title: "This AI Gives Other AIs Names Like “Ass Federation” And “Hot Pie” Because Robots Can Be Weird Too"
description: "Research scientist Janelle Shane trained a naming AI to conjure up new monikers for self-aware spaceships like those in author Iain M. Banks' Culture books."
date: "2019-07-02"
modified: "2019-07-02"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/naming-ai-ass-federation-hot-pie"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "iain m. banks"
  - "janelle shane"
  - "names"
  - "the digest"
---

# This AI Gives Other AIs Names Like “Ass Federation” And “Hot Pie” Because Robots Can Be Weird Too

![Research scientist Janelle Shane trained a naming AI to conjure up new monikers for self-aware spaceships like those in author Iain M. Banks' Culture books.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/WackyAI.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

## Ship Shape

Scottish author Iain M. Banks populated his sci-fi [Culture book series](<https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/feb/06/30-years-of-culture-what-are-the-top-five-iain-m-banks-novels>) with humanoid robots, alien races, and artificially intelligent spaceships that chose their own names.

So: Research scientist Janelle Shane thought it would be fun to use those ship names to train a real neural network to — what else? — conjure up [new names](<https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2019/07/02/this-ai-is-so-goddamn-smart-it-can-name-other-ais/>) for self-aware spaceships. The results? Hilarious. Puzzling. Generally? Great.

## Name Game

Shane is the same scientist responsible for creating the [neural network](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/neural-network-kittens-names>) that bestowed awesome names like "Peanutbutterjiggles" and "Bones of the Master" upon shelter kittens.

This new naming AI is a variation on that one, but instead of training the base neural network, [OpenAI's GPT-2](<https://aiweirdness.com/post/185085792997/gpt-2-it-cant-resist-a-list>), on cat names, she used a list of 236 spaceship names from Banks’ Culture series.

## Ass Federation

Shane lists dozens of the names churned out by the AI on [her website](<https://aiweirdness.com/post/185883998702/ais-named-by-ais>), so you'll have to head there to check them all out, but some of our favorites:

- Friendly Head Crusher
 - Mini Cactus Cake Fight
 - Happy to Groom Any Animals You Want

But if *we're* naming a self-aware spaceship, it'd be hard to pass up the opportunity to go with the complete head-scratcher that is Someone Did Save Your Best Cookie By Post-Apocalyptic Means.

**READ MORE:** [This AI is so goddamn smart, it can name other AIs](<https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2019/07/02/this-ai-is-so-goddamn-smart-it-can-name-other-ais/>) \[*The Next Web*\]

**More on naming AI:** *[This Neural Network Gives Kittens A+ Names Like "Mr Sinister"](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/neural-network-kittens-names>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)