4 Machine and Man

The Logic of Love

"Ms. Amelia! Are you... alright? You seem... troubled," Amy approached her creator with inquisitive eyes. Those eyes scanned the other woman's slouched form, and they were instantly able to detect uneven breathing, as well as an increased temperature, heartrate and blood pressure, particularly around the face. Amy knew at once that Amelia was crying, she didn't even need to see the other woman's face to know.

"I'm fine," Amelia tried to lie, but Amy was too perceptive. She heard the hollow tone in Amelia's voice, which gave her away. Amy could also detect tension in Amelia's vocal cords, like guitar strings pulled so tightly they were about to snap, an apt metaphor for Amelia.

"You always say that whenever you aren't," Amy said knowingly. For a moment, there was only silence, then Amelia sighed in defeat.

"You're right... As always..." Now Amelia sounded darkly amused. Amy took that as her cue to step closer.

Amelia was currently sitting at their kitchen table, so Amy took the seat across from her. Once she was sitting down, she folded her hands and placed them politely on the table. Next, she leaned forward and tilted her head in concern, finishing it off by moving her eyebrows to accentuate the concern. Every single move she'd made was a carefully calculated decision, done in order to maximize Amelia's sense of trust in her. Amy knew all about the power of body language, so she made sure every action she made gave off an atmosphere of warmth, acceptance, support and invitation.

"You know you can always talk to me, right?" Amy asked gently. She normally wouldn't have pressed Amelia for details, especially when it was apparent that Amelia didn't want to talk, but Amy knew that, sometimes, humans needed to talk, even when they didn't want to. It wasn't healthy for people to bottle things up, but that's exactly what Amelia was doing. Sometimes, a gentle but corrective and coaxing hand was necessary.

"You can tell me anything," she promised. Her voice was so soft and smooth that it could've lulled a less troubled soul to sleep. "You made me to be a companion just as much as an assistant," she continued. "I am more than just a robot. I am also a friend and confidante. You can talk to me and I will help and comfort you to the best of my ability. I have many resources at my disposal, and you know I will be nothing but sincere and-"

"But that's just it!" Amelia burst out, cutting Amy off. Amy felt silent at once, knowing that she had just tricked Amelia into a confession, even if accidentally. She instantly made her face as neutral as possible, so that Amelia would continue speaking. A normal person might've given Amelia a surprised look at the interruption, but that would've thrown Amelia off. But since Amy wanted Amelia to keep talking, she returned to a completely neutral state, subconsciously opening up the door for Amelia to rant. And rant she did!

The robot instantly activated all of her sensors in order to better study Amelia as she spoke. Nothing would escape her analysis of her creator. Like she had said, she had been built to be a friend. She could read humans just as well as any psychologist could! All the while, Amelia began to open up about her plight. Amy focused in on Amelia's tone, speed, word choice, articulation, posture and gestures. From what she could understand, Amelia was dealing with guilt over her affections for Amy. This was because, as kind and caring as Amy was, she was still just a robot.

Every good, honest thing Amy had ever done happened only because Amelia had programmed it into her. It wasn't necessarily that Amy, herself, was good. It was that Amelia had programmed her to be. And that made Amelia feel bad. She felt guilty because she'd built Amy from the ground up, meaning Amy never got the chance to develop on her own. She'd taken away Amy's free will, so how much of her love was genuine?

Likewise, was Amelia's love genuine? Or was it only because she'd created Amy? Did Amelia actually love Amy? Or was it only because Amy was an extension of her will? In a way, it felt like an imaginary friend. That friend seemed perfect, but only because they were made that way. An imaginary friend didn't actually have agency in a relationship. Furthermore, they were entirely their creator's brainchild. They weren't real, per se, just their creator's thoughts in a "corporeal" form. So, was Amy "real"? Or was she just something Amelia made up to feel better?