Ah, therein lies the trouble. You've got a will that writes the numbers for them, and abilities that are developed by Karma and not code. So in reality, the nature of data-flows can be altered by these abilities. Observe how Pax and the Dissonant Voices re-sculptured all those systems to create Dissonance pools.
Consider if you will, what all this data moving around represents in a metaphysical sense. You've got ideals, sociology, emotions, raw economics, objects and articles that represent entirely physical things. All of these things are Karma, and where Karma is spent so do spirits grow and form, regardless of their form. Take a deed for a large condominium, that deed, despite the fact that it exists as data still represents the posession of the condominium, thusly the deed is linked in a metaphysical sense to the condominium, so by the nature of these metaphysical links, as the importance of the condo grows, so does bond between the two articles, sending more Karma or mana into the system. You take enough of these links and you'll notice that such a great accumulation of ideas and thoughts make the system into something which it was never intended to be, sapient.
