[witchdoctor]

So I may have goofed a bit during my last session where I wrote a run where the team was hired to do a data steal on a Neo-net lab where the AI bribed them to help it escape. That isn't the problem, the problem is one of my players really seems to want to bring the AI as a NPC member of the team which is a bad idea for a number of reasons mainly because I intended the AI to be in the background as an ace in the hole when I accidentally write myself into a corner. How do I keep the AI in the background while avoiding having to constantly handwave reasons why the AI won't join the team as an NPC in a drone body?

[Mirikon]

First, talk with the player outside of game time, to let him know the score. Remind him that contacts are great things, and you don't take them in the field with you.

Second, have the AI simply say that it has other things to do, or maybe is trying to set itself up as an information broker/fixer. Or anything else that would keep it 'in the know', but not going out in the field.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Or maybe it doesn't want to make itself vulnerable.  Maybe it frankly doesn't LIKE the PCs - willing to do some information business is one thing, but actively helping them out is another thing entirely.  Or - and this is the best bet - just say 'no' and as the AI, don't explain as to why not.  IRL, people don't need to give reasons why they do things; why should they in a game?

[cyclopean]

I've used a lot of AI npc's, and they can be super fun. I like to play up the paranoia that (with CFD in the mix) they might try to steal a player's body if things go sideways, as one way to keep them from relying on them too much.
But that's also a good reason for them not to go on runs, as loads or corps are looking to capture e-ghosts/AI's/etc to experiment on. They can be a really useful hacker/support character though if your group is lacking one.
Having the AI have its own personality/agenda is pretty crucial too. Have it be fairly loyal to the team if you want, but not necessarily always available.

[Blue Rose]

Or embrace the madness.

It may not be what you planned, but if the players are interested, I say run with it.  Especially if they're getting invested in the character, use that momentum.

As the GM, you don't always know which characters are going to matter.    When I've GMed in the past, I've had random nameless mooks on the players' side roll ridiculously well, and the players started taking interest.  "Well, congratulations, Ganger #3.  You have a name now."

Just because this wasn't meant to be a prominent character doesn't mean it can't be.

That said, the AI can have its own hangups.  Also, AIs don't necessarily get along well operating in the meat world with its weird things like 'friction' and 'gravity' and 'explosions.'  The AI may currently be uncoordinated to a point of utter incompetence that can't be overcome quickly if it jumps into a drone body right now.

Alternately (or, better, additionally), the AI may have a powerful interest in the real world and in people, but if it goes to the real world, wants to do it as a person.  Not a tank.  Being a steel lynx or a flyspy or a rotodrone is disgusting and utterly unacceptable.  If they want it to travel around in the real world, it would take at least a rating II iDoll, if not class III or IV.  I'm guessing the team doesn't have a class III iDoll lying around.  And if they do have one they'd be willing to give to this AI, or they're willing to go out of their way to get one?  That's a sign that they really want to build a relationship with this AI, and that, my dear, is investment!

And now I'm picturing an adorkable romance between the PC and the naive AI taking his/her first steps into the real world in this pretty little iDoll body.

Consider your options.  This interest is not necessarily a bad thing.

[belaran]

After a run on Vulcan project facility, my hacker's deck got infected by rather benevolent Xeno Sapient IA, who has become the hacker "pet" / ally. For that, I did the crunch of the IA from Data Trails and one thing I found out while playing is that the IA is quite constrained by the hardware.

So if the IA is in a rather "tiny" deck or drone, you are not going to tip off the scale that much. More / less, the IA in my game is a like a "little helper" that end up supporting my hacker and giving him a couple of more dice to some test, plus act as a "smart" agent.

So, I would go this road - if your player is really looking forward having the IA as part of the team. You can also misuse the IA to compensate for skills lacking in the team...

[witchdoctor]

Or embrace the madness.

It may not be what you planned, but if the players are interested, I say run with it.  Especially if they're getting invested in the character, use that momentum.

As the GM, you don't always know which characters are going to matter.    When I've GMed in the past, I've had random nameless mooks on the players' side roll ridiculously well, and the players started taking interest.  "Well, congratulations, Ganger #3.  You have a name now."

Just because this wasn't meant to be a prominent character doesn't mean it can't be.

That said, the AI can have its own hangups.  Also, AIs don't necessarily get along well operating in the meat world with its weird things like 'friction' and 'gravity' and 'explosions.'  The AI may currently be uncoordinated to a point of utter incompetence that can't be overcome quickly if it jumps into a drone body right now.

Alternately (or, better, additionally), the AI may have a powerful interest in the real world and in people, but if it goes to the real world, wants to do it as a person.  Not a tank.  Being a steel lynx or a flyspy or a rotodrone is disgusting and utterly unacceptable.  If they want it to travel around in the real world, it would take at least a rating II iDoll, if not class III or IV.  I'm guessing the team doesn't have a class III iDoll lying around.  And if they do have one they'd be willing to give to this AI, or they're willing to go out of their way to get one?  That's a sign that they really want to build a relationship with this AI, and that, my dear, is investment!

And now I'm picturing an adorkable romance between the PC and the naive AI taking his/her first steps into the real world in this pretty little iDoll body.

Consider your options.  This interest is not necessarily a bad thing.

As it turns out the AI managed to be helpful as a get out of jail free card for when I've accidentally written myself into a corner. Group was working for local Vory boss retrieve a shipment and was set up by a rival boss planting nukes, naturally runners have no contacts to get rid of nukes but AI hacks into the vehicle they're driving and gives them coordinates for a UCAS rendezvous as well as managing to fake credentials so they could pose as a UCAS Black Ops NEST team. Naturally the team did not trust this at all thinking it was a set up, I might use that later on.