"Us and Them" is a short story designed to provoke thought and conversation. It describes an imagined future where outer space is explored and the spaces between people and things is redefined.
Questions to ponder:
1. If A.I. continues to develop in sophistication, is a relationship with an A.I entity possible, desirable, or preferable?
2. Can relationships with A.I. successfully battle isolation by buying intimacy? Or are there some things which can't be bought?
US AND THEM
In the near future, we are a world of people who long evermore for connection. We yearn for another to complete us, to bridge the yawning chasm we feel. Can love be bought? Sex can, and sometimes that must to do.
In a bedroom of a Penthouse suite overlooking the Manhattan skyline, a wealthy woman is found with a machine of a man. He is made of circuitry, giros, servers, and tanned synthetic flesh, giving him a human like virility. The two are found in the middle of their choreographed routine of lust and desire.
Patricia has been talking, Robert listening, for the past 45 minutes. He understands her sudden smile and the way she bites her lip as the signal to change course. As their clothes begin to come off, Patricia must override the self-consciousness she feels at her greying hair and growing midriff, reminders of her sixty years of life.
They are entwined and both abandoned to the moment. The tender kiss and caress she receives from him, as she lays back on her bed, is her guilty midday pleasure. Robert's synthetic physique, although mannequin like, is soft and warm, almost human body temperature.
Over the last six months, since purchasing him, Robert’s intimacy settings have been calibrated to be cognisant of Patricia’s preferences. He is equipped to read her physical diagnostics and pace his activity to synchronise with her. He monitors her heart rate and a non-invasive brain scan indicates the secretion of endorphins and oxytocin. Robert times his entrance to maximise and guarantee an optimal orgasm.
Patricia whispers for him to hold her. As she stares at his youthful figure next to her, the full impact of her age cause her to become embarrassed and she slowly pushes him away. He responds immediately by releasing his grip. She turns away from him, wrestling her clothing back on. Nervously she begins to talk again about her upcoming trip into space for the virtual holographic conference about sovereignty disputes on Mars. As she speaks, Robert silently retrieves his clothes and glides to the corner of her bedroom to the energy dock. His head bows and, as his ocular receptors dim he says, “Thank you, Patricia. I exist to serve you. Wake me when I can be of service again.” A faint click indicates that Robert has gone into standby mode. The brief euphoria she felt is quickly replaced by pervasive boredom. She pauses and looks down at her wedding ring and then proceeds to the mirror to reapply her makeup.
A worthy read.
Posted by: Idrian | August 03, 2015 at 08:41 PM