whov

Whov is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and collaborative world-building to denote a class of intelligent agents that can inhabit a variety of substrates, including organic tissue, synthetic systems, and digital networks. The concept serves as a flexible tool for exploring questions of agency, cooperation, and control without tying it to a specific real-world organism or technology.

Definition and scope: Whovs are typically depicted as autonomous, adaptable units with the capacity to perceive, learn, and communicate. They can range from microscopic entities to distributed intelligences that operate collectively in groups such as swarms, hives, or networks. In many works, whovs interact with humans and other agents through shared information channels, environmental cues, or direct interfaces.

Origins and usage: The term arises in online fiction communities and wiki-based world-building projects as a generic label for a class of agents rather than a canonical species. Writers use whov to illustrate emergent properties of complex systems, including cooperation, competition, and ethics of intervention.

Variations: Some depictions present whovs as biologically grounded organisms adapted to support ecosystems; others portray them as artificial intelligences embedded in machines or software. The boundaries between whov, organism, and machine are deliberately porous in many stories, emphasizing hybridity and plasticity.

See also: swarm intelligence, emergent behavior, artificial life.

Notes: This entry describes a fictional concept used in creative writing and does not correspond to a real-world, scientifically defined species or technology.