Vidal Corporation

An AI engineering firms. Muiray’s attacks on Vidal Corporation are legendary in the Net underworld. His exploits have not gone unnoticed, and both Vidal Corporation and Loth Foundry have placed sizable bounties on Muiray’s head (5.1.16).

The Vidal Corporation is 2280’s leading producer of AI. It is also the most polarising, in terms of public opinion.

Vidal Corporation is headquartered in the Vidal Corporate Arcology, east of Old New York. Estimates place the corporation’s workforce somewhere between 90,000 and 150,000, although official data is not available to the public. The arcology houses nearly all its employees in a massive 600 floor tower. The arcology is protected by a sophisticated and well-equipped security force composed of human and AI troops.

Public opinion regarding Vidal Corporation has been dramatically polarised since 2258, when Vidal added a range of military-specific AI to its massive product offering, which had traditionally catered to residential and business consumers. Vidal quickly followed its foray into military AI with a line of adult companion or “Pleasure-Bot” AI and terminated its support of the AI in the Classroom programme. From that point on, public opinion of the corporation has wavered significantly. Corporately, Vidal has never been better. Profits are up dramatically, and they are the only human-run corporation in the world to have brokered a development deal with Loth Foundry.

Vidal Corporation has attempted to improve its tarnished public image by working again with schools and security forces. It has even launched an entire business unit devoted to AI pets and companions for small children. However, a dark cloud hangs over the corporation. Rumours of slave labour, AI abuse, and the rise of anti-AI movements are again threatening Vidal Corporation’s image. The corporation’s CEO is Marzan Oferdeson, an often ruthless businessman with numerous and well-known underworld ties - ties Marzan is not afraid to call upon (5.2.6).