Arthur 195- A Cybernetic Mind gone astray

Multifaceted

From the breakroom camera I watch my employee ARTR-195. Well "employee" may be a bit misleading he's actually an android I've owned him  for 15 years. He prefers to go by the name 'Arthur 195'. In modern terminology he would technically be a cybernetic associate. He's gesturing and talking aloud to his so- called 'friends' who are scattered around the break room couch. Friends who are invisible to me.

Beside me stands Dr. Mashovic a clinical psychologist. He comes highly recommended from Endurobotics Inc. the company that manufactures industrial grade androids. They hold the patents to the first artificial brains which are used in most commercial grade models.
Endurobotics are the pioneers of the modern day Android Industry. It's been 15 years since they first began selling them and they are starting to see some of the negative effects of long term exposure to human society. ARTR models are the robotic guinea pigs of industry. I was Endurobotics very first customer back in the Spring of 2035. I bought Arthur off the showroom floor.

       Dr Mashovic informs me that his study of Arthur 195  will be breaking new territory in the new science of Android Psychology. Knowing nothing of psychology myself I can only nod mutely and feign false interest in the subconscious mind of a robot as Mashovic drones on and on with such technical terms it may as well have been a foreign language.
Behind me I hear  the familiar distinctive tip-tap-tip-tap sound of hard leather shoes walking past my open doorway.It's Chris Diamond, my business partner, on his daily stroll through the plant. It was he who insisted that we allow Dr Alan Mashovic in and give him unimpeded access to our automated factory workers.
"But Chris," I argued a week ago, " This is an internal matter. I don't trust outsiders to be looking out for our best interest. They don't understand how we operate here at UC&R (United Cryogenics and Refrigeration)."
"Give it a chance Ron they're the experts and not being a company man will probably prove to be a plus. The way I see it this Dr Mashovic will see things from a different perspective. He might be able to diagnose what's happening to our droids."
Reluctantly I agreed but only because we had a limited amount of time.
Our bankers had given us a year to turn things around before the company would have to be declared financially insolvent. We were hoping Dr Mashovic's insight might be of some help in increasing our lackluster productivity. There was a backlog of orders and our regular customers were beginning to lose faith in us.

This year the city began enforcing new laws outlining the humane treatment of androids with a Class A or B rating. All other classes lacked the psychological makeup they considered necessary to be truly self-aware. The upper class androids are now to be treated like humans.

For me it has always been hard to look at a modern androids face and think of them as actual people. There is something unnerving about their perfectly proportioned cheeks , nose and pearly white smile that gives me the creeps. Perhaps their lack of imperfection makes them hard for me to relate to. In their eyes I saw nothing at all. No different in my mind than when I would look at the headlights of my car or watch TV.
My son Craig would often disagree with me on the subject. "Dad, don't androids work for you? Aren't they independent minded beings worthy of respect? They earn it each and every day!"
"So does the horse on a farm but you don't see us giving horses human rights."
"Androids have been a boon  to humankind. We need to acknowledge their contributions to our society. Do you realize companies like yours still treat them like slaves?"
"No companies like mine treat them like robots. "
"Androids Dad not robots. Robots is a derogatory term. It devalues the Android makes them sound like mere machines."
"That's exactly what they are son- machines."
Chris's eyes grew in shock that I would verbally say such a thing. As usual it ended the way most of these discussions did- he would roll his eyes and dismiss my words as the ignorant ramblings of a fool still clinging to the outdated mindset of a world that's fading away.
I learned long ago that my arguments with young adults about androids were a waste of time. They'd grown up in a world where androids slowly became nannies, cooks, store clerks, housekeepers and just about every other job on the lower end of the pay scale.
But they lacked perspective. I've spent time in the Robotics Industry. Seen their early failed attempts at making robots "appear" more humanlike. Their programs are just a series of numbers which they tweak one way or the other according to the norms of the times. There was no magic dust, no breath of God giving these mechanical machines a soul. Just written programs stored in digital form. There was nothing organic or original. Every reaction, every word had to be programmed in by a human at some point.
My son like so many of his contemporaries has never seen the inner workings of a robotic assembly plant. He only sees the finished product. Perfect bodies that know no pain, no illness, no want. Their physical abilities dwarfing the feeble attempts of Olympic athletes. Yes they are superior to humans in the eyes of this upcoming generation. Sadly so much so that many of them actually believe humans are not only inferior but obsolete. As if humans are supposed to get upgrades each year.