Doktor: Well, UGs take many more forms: Aerial drones, treaded tanks, armored transports… "True" Metal Gears, with a pilot and nuclear payload, were huge, and very expensive. They were not practical. It turned out the greater need was for smaller, cheaper units, deployed more easily and in greater numbers.
Raiden: But aren't there situations where you'd want Gear-level power, but also a human pilot there to make decisions? UG AI has gotten better, but it's still terrible at handling anything unexpected.
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Raiden: Makes sense. The AI wasn't good enough until just recently, right?
Doktor: Correct. Target location and course correction were not a problem, of course. GPS solved all that. But target selection, or base defense -- these types of objectives require extremely complex AI routines. It was only with the advent of optical neuro-AI that such a thing became possible. Neuro-AI was developed using a completely new paradigm in computer architecture, you know. Not the Von Neumann model, which served as the standard up to that point. Neuro-AI was modeled after the human brain: it can grow and mature entirely on its own.
Raiden: Like the Patriots' AI, just on a smaller scale.
Doktor: Indeed. It cannot copy or rewrite data, but the structure does solve several problems quite well. The frame and symbol grounding problems, to be exact. It gives the AI flexibility within unknown states. But such a system still lags behind the average human in speedy decision making. Also, as they cannot converse, they cannot demand or accept surrender, or avoid such unnecessary conflict. And, as you know, such tactics are often the most effective strategy for victory. So yes, the fact that they do not require a human soldier as a pilot is an advantage, purely in terms of resources. But, in a hypothetical battle between two identical UGs, the Remote Gear tops the autonomous model, no question.
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Doktor: (chuckles) No, I realize combat is about more than the equipment. Situational awareness, predictive ability, nerves... One must determine a course of attack or defense, and execute on a moment's notice. Reaction time is key. Cyborg enhancements do not change that.
