Intel and Tech trading between AI

[sittingduck]

Would anyone have a fairly firm answer as to how intelligence works amongst the AI? Do they steal amongst each other? If I sell tech to an AI nation can that nation sell it on to another AI nation? Thanks.

[bcoopactual]

I don't know about selling but you will see reports in the turn messages that one AI nation is reportedly spying on another AI nation. While I don't think (but can't be sure) that selling tech from one AI to another is a thing, one of the principles of the game is tech dispersion. Once a technology or a concept (like using triple turrets) is demonstrated by one nation, it tends to spread to the other naval powers fairly rapidly in the attempt to keep pace. There is at least one game mechanism for it that I know of (the Y/N entry in the Research Areas file for the various techs) but there could be others including espionage between AI's. It's not ahistorical and it allows smaller budget nations to remain competitive with larger budget nations during the course of the game.

I would assume that if you sell a tech to an AI expect it to become known by most other AI nations a little faster than they otherwise would have through research of their own.

[aeson]

Turn messages sometimes include something along the lines of "A trade mission from Nation X has acquired tech Y from Nation Z," which I presume indicates approved technology transfers, and I'm pretty sure that I've sold technologies on that I originally purchased from another power within the game. I don't see any particular reason why the game would not allow a computer-controlled power to sell technology that it acquired from one power to another.

I cannot recall if I've seen turn messages or intelligence reports indicating that one power has stolen technology from another.

[sittingduck]

Thanks for the replies.

I was concerned that if I sold a tech to a country I had low tensions with the tech might be aquired by countries I might be at/going to war with. Evidently the answer is yes. So conversely, I might as well sell to countries I do have tensions with since they'll get it anyway...

Thanks again, guys.