AI Dementia

AI Dementia is a phenomenon that is an side effect of the personalization AI in Super Mario 64. If the AI detects data being lost or deleted from the cartridge then the personalization AI will start to remove assets from the game and begin a series of phenomena known as AI Dementia. In rare cases of this entire levels or enemies can be lost. Data being lost from the cartridge can occur from degradation due to age, tampering with the cartridge by digital means, or physical damage.

Replacement
The first phase of AI Dementia starts because the AI notices that data is being lost from the cartridge. In this phase the AI deletes assets from the game. In parallel to this happening, the AI replaces the lost assets with other assets. This can cause objects to look the same, like the bridges in Bob-omb Battlefield having the dirt texture, enemies to behaving differently but have the same texture, levels to have the same music, etc. Most cases of AI Dementia stop here, with the AI deleting and replacing several assets and then stopping abruptly.

The Downward Spiral
The second phase of AI Dementia is very rare. The AI Dementia can get worse, eventually causing the deletion of full levels. This phase it enters is called The Downward Spiral. In this phase, it may actually delete part of the engine, rendering the game unplayable. When the AI detects that the game isn't playable, it automatically assumes that it is a pirated copy, which causes it to display the Anti-Piracy Screen. If the game remains intact, however, multiple strange things occur. Not necessarily anomalous phenomena, but occurrences like entities having corrupted animations, objects missing textures, and bugs or glitches being introduced into the game.

The AI Breaks Down
The final phase of AI dementia has no known documentation and can only be speculated about. It is predicted that if the AI has deleted most of the game, it would delete itself, causing unknown effects to the game.