Almost everything* is accidentally Turing complete — I know the guy who proved that Magic the Gathering is Turing complete, even helped play-test and then bought a copy of his board game.

So yes, the fictional AI in that story would, in reality, have all kinds of edge cases and emergent properties.

But Vertebrane would also have to be Turing complete, just to be able to function.

* I jest, but not by much

I don’t mean the AI. I mean a Manna-driven society is itself turing complete.

I’m struggling to see it with Vertebrane.