If given the chance, would you like to own an AF? If so, what form would it take?
If given the chance, would you like to ...
Created: 02/24/22
Replies: 24
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Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
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Join Date: 07/03/18
Posts: 132
To the extent that I would have a companion and servant, an AF might seem attractive. But, no, I wouldn’t want an AF because it is a surrogate for human interaction. A machine might act like a person, but to me ultimately it would make us become less human when interacting with other people. Our connection with others has already suffered through limited interaction with others.
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Join Date: 07/31/19
Posts: 92
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Join Date: 10/09/14
Posts: 58
No,definitely not. I always feel uneasy asking anyone to do things for me that I can just do myself. Especially after understanding Klara’s emotions, I would feel a compulsion to treat her as a fellow human.
On March 20, I found an article in our local newspaper about a new design of a small table-top robot being sold by an Israeli company. Called EllieQ, it is designed to provide companionship to seniors living alone. Perhaps the future as shown in Klara and the Sun is closer than we think!
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Join Date: 03/12/19
Posts: 12
I don't think I would like to own one. There is no replacement for human interaction as much as we would like to think there may be. It may appear to be an attractive alternative, however, it would not be the same and would ultimately be more lonely in the long run I believe.
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Join Date: 01/05/22
Posts: 18
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Join Date: 04/21/11
Posts: 324
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Join Date: 04/23/11
Posts: 118
It's an interesting idea, but I would not have one. I'm an introvert and have a hard enough time getting myself out of the house as it is. If I had an AF to talk to it might make it easier to stay home. On the other hand, I really value my privacy and I think it would creep me out to always have an AF hanging around the house.
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Join Date: 01/01/16
Posts: 444
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Join Date: 02/26/22
Posts: 12
A provocative question. I could see the appeal of having one. But as I noted in my review, I think Ishiguro raises a moral question. What do you do with a near-human friend as they approach their expiry, or even if you decide you’re simply tired of it? We toss away humans in our lives, too, i.e. end relationships, but we expect they’ll somehow manage. An artificial friend would face grimmer, even heart-rending prospects.
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Join Date: 10/16/10
Posts: 914
Reedr (above) talks about AIs being discarded when you're done with them, or when they break or reach an expiration date (or a new model comes out). The thing is, Klara is programmed so that the gradual winding down, the being discarded, is part of her understanding. She seemed perfectly content to end her days in what seemed to me to be a junkyard.
I think I'd actually enjoy an AI friend. I'm an introvert with social anxiety, and I find it challenging to be around people. I'm convinced I'm unlikeable and will say something "wrong" so I limit my interactions. Having an AI buddy would allow me to have a friend that I knew I couldn't offend.
And if I can ever get a robotic pet that felt like the real thing, I'd be thrilled. Can you imagine having a cat or dog that didn't die someday?
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Join Date: 07/11/14
Posts: 69
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Join Date: 05/23/20
Posts: 165
I would not be interested. It was all so bizarre to me...finding the perfect AF to suit your needs as companion, best friend, supporter. There's a very creepy aspect to the whole thing. As one reader stated above, we've all seen the sci-fi movies that go very badly for humans!
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Join Date: 04/21/11
Posts: 70
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Join Date: 11/21/17
Posts: 53
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Join Date: 02/26/22
Posts: 54
Absolutely not! And I think this was the point of the book--a machine cannot replace humans; there is something within a human that can't be replicated. This is the author's warning to humanity: don't try, even though Klara was as wonderful as she was able to be.
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Join Date: 03/03/22
Posts: 17
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Join Date: 10/09/18
Posts: 49
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Join Date: 04/14/11
Posts: 68
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Join Date: 10/01/15
Posts: 7
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Join Date: 05/16/21
Posts: 18
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Join Date: 05/10/15
Posts: 17
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Join Date: 05/26/11
Posts: 80
As I alluded to in another question, I see the AF as a living doll and most girls have had one in childhood while boys may have more often had their teddy bear. I think it would be fine as long as it was seen in this way, but, the danger lies in substituting an AF for real people in your life. Unfortunately, video games are doing that for many young people today and social interaction is being negatively affected.
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Join Date: 04/23/11
Posts: 118
I don't know if we're allowed to post a link to an article but there's an interesting article about a robot "friend" for Grandma. I saw it on Yahoo, and I also looked up the article and the web address is www.unitednewspost.com. It actually seems kinda creepy to me.
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Join Date: 01/18/22
Posts: 2
I am not sure whether I would want to own AF, I agree with others that doing so might limit the need and value of human interaction. But what I found fascinating is how Klara was able to help humans see the world from a different perspective. For example, the value Klara places on the sun as life giving and healing. I tend to agree with Klara that the natural world can be healing and as humans we too often rely on technology, medicine etc to heal us instead of looking to the natural world. As everyone knows there is nothing better than sitting in the sun with your head back absorbing the warm healing rays after a long winter.
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