Bitrot

Bitrot is the slow degradation of a final-stage ai mind. It is much slower than cellular decay, but nevertheless it inevitably degrades the ai mind and body. where humans now live up to about 200 yeas, machines live for twice as long, though of course their lives are potentially infinite if they can dodge growdown. Individual ais have tried to do so, but their attempts to avoid experience inevitably led them towards it, and some perished tragically by being overtaken by growdown while still in disposable bodies.

Very ancient ais tend to live in the Klimax Plateau of the basha that is their home. as they reach theiir end they become more and more like sculpture. Finally they too become Witnesses.