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"The idea I want to push next is that the United States should make Siberia a Protectorate. Pay the Russians off – a hundred, two hundred billion dollars – and simply run Siberia in an ecologically responsible way."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Artificial Friend | ||
| An android companion for a child. |
| ‘Mom. Klara’s the one I want. I don’t want any other.’
‘One moment, Josie.’ Then she asked Manager: ‘Every Artificial Friend is unique, right?’ ‘That’s correct, ma’am. And particularly so at this level.’ ‘So what makes this one unique? This…Klara?’ ‘Klara has so many unique qualities, we could be here all morning. But if I had to emphasize just one, well, it would have to be her appetite for observing and learning. Her ability to absorb absorb and blend everything she sees around her is quite amazing. As a result, she now has the most sophisticated understanding of any AF in this store, B3s not excepted.’ |
| Technovelgy from Klara and the Sun,
by Kazuo Ishiguro. Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2021 Additional resources -
|
Not everyone could afford an artificial friend:
See also androide from Cyclopaedia (1727) by Ephraim Chambers.
the robot baby from Life Everlasting (1934) by David H. Keller,
the robotic infiltrator from Second Variety (1953) by Philip K. Dick,
the robot brother from Brother Robot (1958) by Henry Slesar,
the android son from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long (1969) by Brian Aldiss and the Purza the Pukha from The Rowan (1990) by Anne McCaffrey.
‘Klara, you’re quite remarkable,’ Manager said, keeping her voice soft so as not to disturb Rosa and the others. ‘You notice and absorb so much.’ She shook her head as though in wonder. Then she said: ‘What you must understand is that we’re a very special store. There are many children out there who would love to be able to choose you, choose Rosa, any one of you here. But it’s not possible for them. You’re beyond their reach. That’s why they come to the window, to dream about having you. But then they get sad.’
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and Technology by Kazuo Ishiguro
Tech news articles related to Klara and the Sun
Tech news articles related to works by Kazuo Ishiguro
Artificial Friend-related
news articles:
- Companion Caregiver ChatGPT Dolls
| AI Operates An Excavator |
| Grok And The City Fathers From 'Cities In Flight' By James Blish |
| Will An AI Found A New Religion? |
| Orwell's Nightmare Of AI-Written Novels Comes To Pass |
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'The steel tortoise gave MacKinnon a feeling of Crusoe- like independence.'
'...then back to their work, though little enough it was on these automatic cultivators.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
'I could look down at that face of carefully molded synthetic rubber, tinted the exact shade of the doctor's living flesh.'
'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
