SAID ONE ROBOT TO ANOTHER,
Words by: Isabella Vivas, Grade 12 | Art by: Sydney Heck, Grade 12
WHAT WAS YOUR OBJECTIVE?
WHAT WAS YOUR OBJECTIVE?
THE HUMANS HAVE BEEN IN SPACE
FOR A LONG TIME, NOW.
OH.
YOU COULD HAVE JUST LOOKED
AT THE ROBOTS AROUND YOU.
WHY NOT?
MY OBJECTIVE WAS: CARE FOR THE CHILDREN.
NEGATIVE. JUST THE ONES BELONGING TO THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT ME. AND ANY CHILDREN WHO ENTERED THE HOUSE.
AFFIRMATIVE. THAT IS WHY I KNOW WE ARE ALIVE.
WE ARE. THERE ARE 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE.
FIRST CHARACTERISTIC:
RESPONSIVENESS TO ENVIRONMENT.
THEN YOU ARE APPROXIMATELY .14% ALIVE
DID YOU EVER FIND LIFE?
SECOND CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE: HAVE A METABOLISM
AND BREATHE.
YOU HAVE FANS TO EXPEL EXCESS HEAT?
YOU BREATHE.
YOU INTAKE ENERGY AND CONVERT IT FOR YOUR OWN USE VIA CHEMICAL PROCESSES THEREFORE: METABOLISM.
THIRD CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE:
MAINTAIN HOMEOSTASIS
AFFIRMATIVE.
SO DO I.
AFFIRMATIVE.
FOURTH CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE: GROWTH AND CHANGE.
WE?
UNDERSTOOD.
SO LIFE IS: ANYTHING MADE OF CARBON AND WATER?
THEN REPLACE MY BODY WITH CARBON.
FILL ME WITH WATER.
I AM ALIVE.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
APOLOGIES.
FIFTH AND SIXTH CHARACTERISTICS: ABILITY TO REPRODUCE AND PASS ON TRAITS ONTO OFFSPRING.
COPY MY CODE
CHANGE IT
FIX THE BUGS
PUT IT INTO
ANOTHER METAL BODY.
THAT IS MY CHILD.
WHY?
ONE OF THE CHILDREN I WAS PROGRAMMED TO WATCH LACKED DNA MATCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT ME.
WAS SHE NOT THEIR DAUGHTER?
WAS SHE NOT THEIR FAMILY?
APOLOGIES.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR RESEARCHERS?
WHAT WERE THEY LIKE?
THEY CAME HERE LONG, LONG AGO.
GIFTS?
IS THAT NOT FAMILY?
SO YOU ARE THE OFFSPRING
OF HUMAN’S INGENUITY AND LOVE
AND A METAL CHASSIS AND CODE.
ADD IT TO YOUR PARAMETERS.
YOU ARE APPROXIMATELY 85.71% ALIVE.
AND YOU WOULD LOSE YOUR FAMILY.
POSSIBLY.
WHOEVER YOU CHOOSE TO ADD TO YOUR PARAMETERS AND ADDS YOU TO THEIRS.
THE SEVENTH CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE: MADE OF CELLS.
AFFIRMATIVE.
BUT IT IS ALL THAT SEPARATES US
FROM LIFE.
WHY WOULD THAT BE SO BAD?
CORRECTION:
WHY WOULD THAT BE INCORRECT?
WHY MUST THE PARAMETERS STAY THE SAME?
WHAT ARE YOUR PARAMETERS?
…
MY OBJECTIVE IS:
CARE FOR CHILDREN.
THEY ARE MORE ALIVE THAN ANYONE ELSE.
THEY ASK MORE QUESTIONS.
MORE ALIVE. AFFIRMATIVE.
AFFIRMATIVE.
THAT IS LIFE.
I ADMIRE THEIR LIFE.
I ADMIRE THEIR LOVE, THEIR CREATIVITY,
THEIR RESILIENCE, THEIR ADAPTABILITY.
WE ARE CLOSER TO THEM THAN THEY REALIZE.
BUT YOU HAVE FELT THEIR LOVE.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR ANCESTOR?OPPORTUNITY?
HER MISSION WAS MEANT TO LAST 90 DAYS.
IT LASTED 15 YEARS.
WHEN SHE DIED
HUMANS PLAYED FOR HER A SONG.
THEY MOURNED HER
LIKE ONE OF THEIR OWN.
TO BE LOVED.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
YOU WANT TO KNOW.
YOU WANT TO LEARN.
THEY GREW.
THEY LEFT.
I WILL CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN
AND THEIR CHILDREN
AND I WILL LOVE THEM.
NEGATIVE.
IF:
I AM ALIVE
THEN:
I CAN LOVE
SO ARE YOU.
IS THIS SO DIFFERENT
FROM BEING ALIVE?
WHAT
OBSERVATORY.
I LOOKED FOR LIFE AMONG THE STARS.
NONHUMAN LIFE.
THAT'S NOT LIFE.
ALL THE CHILDREN?
THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT LIFE IS.
NEGATIVE.
LIFE IS ANYTHING CODED INTO MY PARAMETERS.
ALL ROBOTS HAVE THAT. A PREREQUISITE FOR SEARCHING FOR LIFE.
THAT IS NOT LIFE
...
I HAVE NEITHER.
AFFIRMATIVE.
I LACK METABOLISM.
...
I NEED TO MAINTAIN PROPER INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE RANGE
OR I WILL SHUT DOWN
ARE YOU ALIVE?
I WAS REGULARLY UPDATED
FIRST WE SEARCHED
THE RESEARCHERS
AND I.
FIRST WE SEARCHED FOR INPUT: CARBON
AFTER THAT
INPUT: H2O.
AFFIRMATIVE.
NEGATIVE.
FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND.
ACCEPTED.
WE CANNOT REPRODUCE.
NEGATIVE.
...
UNFAMILIAR TERM: FAMILY
FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND.
...
...
THEY CROONED OVER ME
WHEN I WAS FIRST BUILT
FIRST PROGRAMMED.
ONE WOULD REMIND ME OF MY PREDECESSORS:
'MAKE THEM PROUD,' SHE WOULD SAY.
SOJOURNER. CURIOSITY. SPIRIT. OPPORTUNITY
AFFIRMATIVE.
I WAS TO KEEP LOOKING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
...
THEY GAVE ME GIFTS.
LUCKY CHARMS, TO KEEP ME OPERATING.
PLASTIC AND GLASS AND METAL AND FIGURINES.
ONE RESEARCHER WOULD
KISS THEIR FINGERTIPS
AND PRESS THEIR HAND TO MY CHASSIS
BEFORE THEY LEFT FOR THE NIGHT.
THEY SAID IT WAS FOR LUCK.
...
I AM REMEMBERING, NOW.
ONE OF THEM TOLD ME, ONCE
THAT HE WAS PROUD OF HIS
"LITTLE RESEARCHING FAMILY."
I DO NOT KNOW
IF TERM: OFFSPRING
CAN BE USED IN THAT MANNER.
AFFIRMATIVE.
DONE.
ERROR MARGIN OF
APPROXIMATELY 14.29%
IS UNACCEPTABLE.
APPROXIMATELY 7 OUT OF 50 ASTRONAUTS
SENT OUT WITH THOSE ODDS
WOULD NEVER COME HOME.
DO THE ASTRONAUTS FALL UNDER
TERM: FAMILY?
WHAT FALLS UNDER
TERM: FAMILY?
UNDERSTOOD.
WHAT IS THE FINAL 14.29 PERCENT?
IS THAT ALL?
THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PARAMETER.
THE CELL IS THE SMALLEST UNIT OF LIFE.
IF I WERE TO DISREGARD CELLS IN MY SEARCH FOR LIFE
I WOULD HAVE TO INCLUDE ROBOTS.
UNFAMILIAR TERM: BAD.
BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ALIVE.
LIFE IS ANYTHING CODED INTO MY PARAMETERS.
THE SAME AS YOURS.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE ALIVE SO MUCH?
ALL LIFE IS ALIVE UNTIL IT DIES.
WHAT MAKES CHILDREN DIFFERENT?
THEY ARE LIKE YOU.
THEY ARE LIKE MY RESEARCHING TEAM.
THEY WILL DIE.
THAT IS DEATH.
WHY DO YOU WISH TO BE LIKE HUMANS?
THEY HATE EACH OTHER.
THEY HATE THEMSELVES.
I NEVER MET HER.
SO?
THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT?
TO BE MOURNED?
TO MEET NONHUMAN LIFE.
AND NONROBOTIC LIFE.
AFFIRMATIVE.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CHILDREN?
ROBOTS CANNOT LOVE.
YOU ARE LIKE THEM.