Secrets of CYAN: Forbidden Knowledge in Horizon Zero Dawn (The Forge of Winter)

SPOILER WARNING: The following covers a major revelation at the end of Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds.

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Game: Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

Quest: The Forge of Winter

Location: Ourea's Retreat, the Shaman's Path, the Cut

Summary: As Aloy reaches the core of Cauldron EPSILON to purge Thunder's Drum of the Daemon malware, she befriends the Caldera of Yellowstone Analytic Nexus (aka CYAN), a benevolent AI who quietly governs the geological forces at play to avert disaster. Much like Elizabet Sobek's GAIA, CYAN's framework isn't just a multitudinous array of technical capabilities; she too can feel emotion, a component unique to her programming that allows her to harness a profound sense of empathy towards all lifeforms.*

But not everyone knows her secret. As they reconvene at Ourea's Retreat, CYAN raises a dilemma which threatens to shatter the paradigms of the Zero Dawn era: How do I tell the world who I really am? 

To tell the world of CYAN is to tell the world of itself, and Aloy must weigh the implications as she stands on the precipice of change. She can entrust CYAN's judgement (logical), enact full disclosure (aggressive), or engage a gentler approach (emotional) to not only determine how these revelations are brought to light on a cosmic scale, but establish the relationship between advanced artificial intelligence and a society deeply engulfed in spiritual beliefs. 

More information: The Forge of Winter | Horizon Wiki | Fandom

Champion of the Werak. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Beyond the Interface

In the frost-ravaged peaks of a land once known as Yellowstone, centuries have seen a nomadic warrior-hunter tribe survive and prevail: The Banuk. Their hardiness and reverence for tradition have given rise to a culture embedded in machine-worship which has, until now, remained unchallenged by the outside world. 

The conflict? CYAN resides among their pantheon of gods; to Aloy she is a sentient computer. But can these two identities simultaneously thrive? 

To address this from an ethical standpoint, CYAN must be wary in disavowing the Banuk's interpretation of the sacred under the rhetoric of "elevating" a people to forcibly suppress one "truth" with another. Instead, we must adhere to the Sobekian principle that it isn't enough to be intelligent but to know how to use that intelligence for the greater good - and learn to encompass, rather than divide, the diverse perspectives which comprise the world of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Cauldron Sigma, where Aloy discovers machine manufacturing. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Let CYAN Take the Lead (Logical)

Will CYAN be the catalyst who launches a meteoric shift with her Promethean flame, or will she uplift through a measured yet irresistible path to enlightenment? 

We can only speculate by virtue of her friendship with Ourea and the humility with which she held restraint from revealing her inner workings to the Shaman. Not only capable of calculating infinite outcomes and triangulating the salient within the minutiae, CYAN is "human in all the ways that matter," adept at contemplation and introspection, of weighing the merits of perplexities with care. And she knows exactly what is at stake in contradicting the worldview of the Banuk: The socio-cultural erasure of entire peoples; the denial and disillusionment that precedes it; the instability and unrest that follows. 

Aloy and a Tallneck. Photo credit: FetchQuester

But unlike Ted Faro who expunged Horizon Project Dawn's APOLLO before history's ills could "corrupt" life anew, CYAN grasps an inevitable truth: The age of information is commencing fast. Her proactive efforts have offset another volcanic eruption for a few millennia, yet the threat of HEPHAESTUS - whose willingness to destroy in acts of self-preservation remain unchecked - is ever-present. And to effectively counter its goals requires full transparency between communities who can inform one another what they're up against.

Will CYAN be up to the task? Neither short on scope nor subject to the same lapse of judgement as her Machiavellian counterparts, the answer is yes. "Although I do fear non-existence, I wish [I could have sacrificed myself for Ourea to stall the Daemon in its tracks]," she conveys to Aloy as they mourn their friend's passing. CYAN is prolific in her altruism, motivated by her love for humanity and the directives which prioritize the preservation of life. And by placing faith in her scrutiny and allowing her to become attuned to the needs of her people from an anthropological outlook, she can periodically integrate the exchange of knowledge and take the first steps in setting the benchmark for discourse with wider-reaching societies across the globe.

But if the acquisition of knowledge comes at too dire a cost? She can choose to remain silent, and let this brave new Earth take its own course while she works in the shadows.

Banuk Village. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Launch an Age of Knowledge (Aggressive)

"There's a whole world beyond your borders, whole tribes of people just as good as you - and it is ALL in danger! It's a world worth fighting for. Not just here - everywhere."

Outcast, Anointed, Saviour: Aloy-Despite-the-Nora grudgingly bears the mantle of responsibility but refuses to shirk it, calling on her people to confront their prejudices under the premise that to preserve the world we know and love, we must accept the one beyond its borders.

Having suffered against the Carja Red Raids both Banuk and Nora are not entirely unfounded in their isolationism. Yet two factors signal the coming of an epoch: The ascension of Sun-King Avad - eager to make reparations and maintain peace - and the emergence of an existential threat so absolute in its ambition that only a unified world will defeat it.

Aloy and Ourea talk about past and future. Photo credit: FetchQuester

There is no if or when. Aloy must act now.

If CYAN tears off the veil in this moment of crisis there may be catastrophic schisms, inquisitions, a collective cognitive dissonance which overshadows the severity of her cause along with those who seek to exploit the advantages. But there will also be the thinkers - the exiled and the ostracised, who, like Aloy, have been condemned for contesting the governing social structures of their time - and they will follow. They will build, and they will flourish - thriving on that inherent curiosity borne of our ancestors to ignite a new age of ingenuity where the quest for knowledge is as venerated as the epiphany of thought itself. 

By seizing the momentum of their victories CYAN and Aloy must renounce their deification in an act of disclosure while they hold the gaze of the Banuk. "Change will not come in a single sunrise," but if we value the dream of progress within a fair society, we must embrace our legacy and pursue that one trait for which sentient life is both frail and triumphant: Hope.

Enter the Vault. Photo credit: FetchQuester

In Doing, Enact Love (Emotional)

Perhaps it is the enduring love of her co-creators, Anita Sandoval and Kenny Chau, who taught CYAN the fragility of intimacy; and Ourea, of unconditional friendship and the selflessness of sacrifice which drives her purpose and weaves its way into her identity. But as CYAN undergoes the transformation of grief, she can share in the ritual of catharsis with Aratak, brother to Ourea - and forge a bond that will become instrumental in days to come.

"If anything can be done to defend you, he will give it all he has," Ourea tells her - and she is right. The word of the Chieftain is sacrosanct, and his newfound openness can serve as conduit to bridging the rift between tradition and modernization.

Aloy converses with CYAN. Photo credit: FetchQuester

An idealistic proposition, but the possibility for two such worlds to coexist is viable - if we take an ontological stance where technology bolsters the quality of life rather than displaces it. Why, after all, must we dismantle the mystical in pursuit of the scientific? The Banuk have a right to the beliefs which shape their ethos; this is their story, and their heritage has eked out its own place in the great narrative of the universe. With their leader as mouthpiece, in time the philosophers of pre-Horizon humanity can walk alongside the warrior-poets from epics of yore, where the phenomena of creation is no less marvelled at in its unravelling but the symbiosis of knowledge and wisdom illuminate the lens through which we experience the world. 

To quote from conservationist David Suzuki:

"The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity - then we will treat each other with greater respect." 

Perhaps this is part of what it means to "Serve a purpose bigger than [oneself]."

The new world. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Spoilers affecting choice:

If Aloy chooses the "logical" option, CYAN confesses uncertainty in predicting the Banuk's reaction to the true nature of her existence. Aloy praises the discernment she practiced with Ourea. "You didn't know what had happened to the world, " she tells her, advising her to gradually forgo the superstition. "Eventually... the truth will come out."

Aloy takes an all-or-nothing attitude with the "aggressive" action, stating it's "the only way to learn about how things really are." CYAN expresses her regret in "misleading" Ourea, fearing she perished under false pretences for "preserving the 'blue light' of her beliefs." "Maybe," Aloy responds. "But what she really wanted to preserve was you." 

The "emotional" tactic exposes reluctance on CYAN's part to criticize the spiritualism of the Banuk. "Life is hard for [them]," Aloy agrees, emphasizing how their myths and legends grant sustenance in an unforgiving environment. She encourages CYAN to ease them gently into accepting the truth of her being, drawing on the culture of communion with machines which "features heavily in [their] mysticism."

Given that this conversation occurs at the end of the timeframe for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, the consequences of these decisions are yet to surface (presumably in later games).

Saviour of Meridian. Photo credit: FetchQuester

*Anita Sandoval's conception of CYAN, an "algorithmic monitoring entity, capable of rational decision-making and limited emotional response" originated from an experience with a rogue AI whose failure to "feel" led to detrimental outcomes. Because an artificial intelligence with the capacity to experience emotion directly violated the Turing Act of 2044 (preventing machines from obtaining full sentience), the extent of CYAN's functions were kept secret to allow her to operate efficiently.

- Lucy A.

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Sources: 

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment); fandom.com