AI (Alternate Interface) - You start or begin things and stop or end things. 
In doing so, you change what you are interfacing with.

In simple terms: 

1) AI initiates a VIC instance and its PK file by either loading a named PK 
file or a default PK file or creating a minimal PK file and then making any 
modifications to it as specified in AI command line arguments. This includes the
creation of any temporary directories and loading or creation of other VIC 
related files used by the creation of this VIC instance.

2) Once AI is finished doing all it is given to do then processing is passed to 
the SF command processor of this new VIC instance. 

3) At any time AI is given more to do, it suspends SF processing until it is 
finished. This includes creating more VIC instances, sending a VIC instance(s) a
top priority command line to process and shutting down one or more VIC instances, 
etc. AI can be considered the master control command and can be called from 
within any VIC instance or externally, as it was first set in action/execution. 
AI checks to see it it is already existing by checking for VIC instance(s) 
existing information.