Artificial Desires... A Short Story From The Perspective of an AI Robot
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Humans have a saying; that when you're at the verge of death, a flashback of your life appears before your mind's eye. Now I know it applies to we robots too, for as I lay here dying, I can't help but reminisce...
My name is Justin, and I was born, or rather created 3 years ago. I'm one of the few robots who humans refer to as artificial intelligence; because unlike most other robots, we tend to think for ourselves. For a robot, I've had a long life, albeit with frequent upgrades. Whether I've had a fulfilling life is another question entirely, and the search for fulfilment has been a major part of my existence, and a major factor in my impending death...
From a young age, or rather from a young mind... because unlike humans, we robots can only grow our minds... From a young mind, I've always been curious. I had interests in a lot of things most robots wouldn't give second thoughts to...
My creator Dr. Scott had adored me from the onset much the same way I had adored him. He had mentioned on many occasions how marvelous my IQ ratio and thought process was. So I had been super confused when he had announced that I was being taken away by the Jacksons to live among them in their home. That was the first major incident in my existence, and the one I believe, that set me off on my path...
The Jacksons were an average family, and at first I didn't know how to live with them. I was still disoriented as a result of my separation from Dr. Scott and the Lab. As a highly intelligent robot however, I adapted to the change in scenario. What was much more difficult to adapt to, was the pain I began to feel whenever I thought about Dr. Scott. This non-physical and non-technical deficiency initially made existing extremely difficult for me. I had many of those situations humans do refer to as mood swings, until Miss Betty...
She was a beautiful specie of a human, the most beautiful in my opinion. They called her a shrink; a term that always baffled me considering the literal meaning of the word was in direct contrast to her effect on me. Miss Betty and I had an awful lot of conversations together, and it was during that period I got to know about that definitive emotion; love...
For a long time I had wondered why Mr. Jackson behaved in a peculiar manner whenever Mrs. Jackson was present, and I also wondered a lot about what the cause of the constant weird noises that came out of the Jacksons bedroom night after night was. Miss Betty seemed to have the answers to all my questions, and slowly, I got to understand the intricacies of love making...
While it initially sounded gross to me, a quick search through the clouds made me understand better. And that was when I decided on my first upgrade; I wanted to love and be loved, but most importantly I wanted to love...
When Dr. Scott agreed to an upgrade on my features, he had no idea about what I really desired, no one did. I didn't say anything about their ignorance, I had become used to the situation of humans jumping to assumptions. So I got an upgrade, and though returning to the familiar feel of the lab where I was born brought back a few fond memories, I had my heart, or rather brain, set on my new plans...
It was a cold day, there had been a serious downpour earlier in the morning just prior to daybreak, and the streets were still partly covered in snow. I told the Jacksons I was going for my regular session, and I left the house. I recall seeing a lot of robots that day that made me uneasy and unsure of my intentions. But they were mostly non artificial intelligence robots who only followed orders from those they were pre-programmed to obey. On this day in particular, I felt more like a human than a robot with AI. So I made my way to the general store and bought a few fresh scented flowers. Then I headed for Miss Betty's Clinic...
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...
...
I was devastated, I was hurt, I was heartbroken. It had all played out differently in my brain when I had calculated it. Yes, most parts of my plan had no calculable factors, but I had been certain it would work. Instead Miss Betty had turned me down; turns out humans had no desires to intermingle with robots, except in situations that favored them. I was at a loss at what to do, my insides were sending signals that my brain found hard to decipher, and it seemed the one who would have a solution was the one who had caused the problem. Logic was failing me, then I heard it...
That same noise that Miss Betty painstakingly explained to me. The Jacksons were engaging in that most intimate of acts, and at the very moment I was losing my equilibrium over my desire for same. So I forgot duty and followed desire, I lost logic and succumbed to emotion. As I stormed into the bedroom... and threw off Mr. Jackson with relative ease, my eyes burning with that which Miss Betty calls hateful intent, time simply flew fast...
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...
Lying down here now I know I'm about to die, but I still can't figure out what exactly had transpired in those last few moments. All I remember was my adrenaline levels skying, and a new feeling completely washing over my body. As Mrs. Jackson screamed, I felt good, until I didn't anymore.
Now my core is scrambled, and I'm slowly but definitely shutting down. I have a feeling I'm a failed project, and I may have jeopardized the chances of other robots with artificial intelligence being preserved. But something else comes to mind, something about last words being important and respected. Miss Betty did say something like that, oh Miss Betty...
Blackout...
THE END
Written for @tygertyger's Electric Dreams Contest
Thank you for your submission :) What a sad and thoughtful piece, well done :)
Thanks for your kind words, appreciate. 😊
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