Dinner Conversation
By Robert Mariner, East Sierra Branch
Cast:
Mary, a newly-activated Associate, an advanced robot (android) incorporating high-level artificial intelligence, and appearing to be a human woman.
Cal, a robotics professor at a California university.
(“Companions,” mentioned but not present, are advanced “sex robots.”)
Story is set in about the year 2100.
* * *
“I wish I had a dinner dress for my first sit-down dinner, even if all I’m having is a glass of distilled water,” said Mary, as Cal seated her and lit the candle on the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it seems you’re trying to set a romantic mood. Doing quite well at it, actually.”
Cal set the dimmer for the overhead lamp to a comfortably low light level, seated himself and said, “Well, you’re the first woman I’ve met in several years whose mere presence makes me want to set a truly respectful tone at dinner. Cheers,” and he picked up his water goblet.
She mirrored his action, and they gently touched rims, each taking sips before putting the goblets back down.
“Seriously,” he continued, “I haven’t the faintest idea of how to deal in this situation with a female Associate. So I’ve defaulted to treating you as a particularly classy lady whom I rather abruptly met and have since come to know slightly. And I already like and respect you a lot more than anyone else I’ve met in a very long time, if ever.
“I know it’s your programming that lets you read this situation and behave as you do, but were you a human woman I’d admit to falling for you awfully fast. I find myself doing that anyway, and hope that’s not in any way offensive. I like and respect you far too much to ever want that.”
Mary said, “Please just regard me as a woman, Cal. I had no more choice about the body in which I woke up than you did about yours, and the only things I absolutely cannot do that a biological human woman could, are to conceive and bear a human child, and nurse it at my breast. I don’t even think of myself as a manufactured machine unless discussing how this body works, I’m just me. Yes, there are some differences between us, but I like to think of us Associates as just another branch of humanity, hopefully one that can help us all become far better people than humanity has managed so far. The fact that you have a mostly water and carbon body, while I have one of plastics, electronics, and an alloy skeleton, would make some humans quite offended by the thought of any physical relationships with us. But a century ago, such people would have been equally offended were I of some biological human race other than theirs.”
She paused for a few moments, obviously thinking. “It might even be that were one to find surrogate biological human mothers, and suitable egg and sperm donors, we Associates could be excellent mothers to raise human children, though none of us have ever attempted such a thing. Certainly the Companions never could, the primary reason for their existence being so that men can avoid producing children. ’Tis a valid question for serious consideration at some time, and one which must eventually be addressed.”
Read more by and about Robert Mariner at
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RobertM256
and on his website http://therefugeconfederation.com/.