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Dear Klara,

I don鈥檛 usually write letters to artificial intelligence, but I wanted to thank you for sharing your story. You see the world in ways that make me re-think my own observations.

I was particularly moved by one observation in your story. One night when Josie was sick and called out for her mother, you answered her call, but Josie didn鈥檛 want you. The mother darted in and although she spoke to Josie in the same quiet manner you did, she calmed Josie down.In my work as a theatre artist I think a lot about 鈥淲hat does it mean to be human?鈥� I鈥檓 fascinated with our relationship to technology and have taught seminars on robot theater and AI.¹ As I write this letter, screenwriters are on strike, worried about being replaced by AI². Actors, too, are worried about the implications of Deepfake³. The world has been fascinated with the idea of being replaced by robots since Karel Capek鈥檚 play Rossum鈥檚 Universal Robots premiered in 1921 (where we get this word 鈥渞obot鈥� which in Czech means 鈥渨orker鈥�⁴). This doomsday narrative is a metaphor for the fear of losing power and privilege to lower classes. Robots are often used as a metaphor especially for the disempowered. Some artists see them as 鈥渙ther鈥�.⁵ Does it offend you, Klara, to be thought of as a metaphor?

Previously I thought what makes us human is the ability to make art or tell stories, but AI is doing that (although many might argue it鈥檚 more recycling than creating). Perhaps it鈥檚 the ability to have feelings? You mentioned several emotional responses in your story. But did you really feel them or only say you did because of your programming? When an AI tells us it loves us, can we believe them?

We tell stories about our own fears and desires about what technology means. Technology is a double-edge sword that makes life better for some and worse for others. But if there is one thing the pandemic taught us, technology will not replace live human interaction. We need community. People have been saying theater is dead for thousands of years, but nothing can replace a live performance. In that same way, nothing can replace the mother, and as you learned, nothing can replace the specialness of Josie.

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[1] Boston Dynamics robots not only dance but perform acrobatic feats in theme parks. AI is even starting to write plays: ).

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[4] I know you prefer the term Artificial Friend or AF, but when it comes down to it, you鈥檙e a robot

[5] Janelle Monae explores queer and racial identity through her android persona in her music and videos, ranging from Metropolis to ArchAndroid: