So we have seen the examples of ignika possessing some sort of “consciousness”, however Toa Ignika was less of a conscious, intelligent being and more like avatar of the mask.
My questions are:
Is it counsciousness in the same manner as characters have their own consciousness in their AI brain, or is is only sopisticated programming operating on nested “if” commands, like “if being is destined, then can use Ignika, of not it will be cursed”?
And second if it is alive as intelligent consciousness, like a character, has it always been, or has it resulted fron the incident with Great Being, when GB touched it, gb becaome cursed with bringing every inanimate object GB touched to life, so could it be possible, that when GB got cursed power that GB was still touching Ignika and therefore that cursed power brought the mask to life as a living intelligent consciousness?
The Ignika is clearly alive - it demonstrates thoughts and feelings, desires and emotions (from things like developing a fondness for Matoro from across the universe, down to things as simple as the fact that it likes the color green).
It was also always alive - it consciously made the decision to give that Great Being the power to bring things to life, thinking it would be a blessing:
The Kanohi reacted. It sensed this being was not the one destined to make use of it – still, it was willing to share its gift. The mask flooded the Great Being with life, so much that everything around him became alive. Furniture, equipment, the stones that made up the walls and floor, even the rays of light that illuminated the chamber became living, feeling entities. Each had needs and wants and each now found voice to demand them. It seemed to the mask a wonderful gift to bestow, especially on someone who prided himself on his ability to create.
So it would seem the Ignika was always an adaptive AI character with unique personality, though contained within the mask without a body, that could be used as a traditional mask, but can also refuse to be used. Toa Ignika was then only the extension of the Ignika’s mind.
However an argument could be made that the development of it’s intelligence/personality/experience/etc might be less of a “grown-up” and more as an immature form of some sorts, to make a parallel to humans.