According to The Vault, he was the founder of RobCo. He is NOT a computer, and you do see him in person. he is, however, ghoulish looking, because he is so old, and is inside a cryogenic chamber. He hires you to get rid of the NCR activity in the New Vegas area, because it lowers his own influence in the Strip.
At the bottom of the link i posted are pictures of him in his cryogenic chamber, and you can get a pretty good look at him.
edited to hide spoilers.
