Superstar Who Eats Everything

Episode 17_

[AI-8415] (1)

(Humans are strange.)

The screen is filled with AI-8415’s eyes. Light reflects from his eyes, but they look like plastic, inorganic eyes rather than the lively eyes of a child.

The camera slowly moved back to capture his face.

(Humans have created many assistant robots for their own convenience.)

To represent AI-8415, Yeo-jun held a mirror at every moment except when he was sleeping and eating.

His robotic acting, in which he practiced by killing his facial muscles and making it look like he was not moving at all while breathing, along with his beautiful appearance that had never been seen before, intuitively showed that he was not an ordinary human being.

(Robots were deployed in various industries and areas of life, and humans enjoyed convenience without lifting a finger.)

The screen captures scenes of an ordinary Seoul in the near future, following his narration.

Self-driving buses and taxis pass through the streets, and cleaning robots clean the streets.

People who find walking too cumbersome are commuting to work in floating wheelchairs that were developed to help them get around.

Ironically, it is said that the advent of this technology has made it easier for disabled people who previously had to rely on wheelchairs to move around.

(Humans created humanoid robots that looked just like themselves and even adopted them as family.)

The famous idol member who made a special appearance disassembles into a dating robot and walks arm in arm with his partner.

And ‘Mom’ and AI-8415, who are making noise in the kitchen.

(They even created a model with pet features.)

The eyes of a Pomeranian puppy walking around sparkle like a machine.

Dogs don’t stray far from their owners even when they’re not on a leash. That’s how they’re programmed.

In fact, there is no need for it to go for a walk since it is a robot anyway. It is just for the owner’s self-satisfaction.

There was a city hall sign hanging in the park asking people to keep their mechanical dogs on a leash when walking them.

(Our robots will not only do the work that humans have to do, but also enrich their lives…)

The news appears on the Gwanghwamun Square electronic board. A beautiful announcer elaborately created by AI presents the news.

Following the touching story of a humanoid saving its owner’s life by throwing itself at him, news was coming out that people who had lost their jobs to machines were taking to the streets to drag out a robot guarding a supermarket shelf and destroying it with a baseball bat.

(It has even become a human toy.)

There is also a member of the National Assembly who argues that imposing excessive machine taxes on companies that employ fewer human workers and more humanoids is not helpful to our economy and that taxes should be lowered.

The sight of the vested interests, who have become fat and hunched over with little to no movement thanks to the help of machines, brings a bitter smile to our faces.

(Humanoids don’t need emotions.)

Next, there was the self-introduction of AI-8415, who was testing his mother by not understanding the human emotions injected by the developer, especially ‘love’.

The title of the drama appears in the subtitles and the time quickly becomes night.

“Son, have a nice dream.”

“yes.”

AI-8415 lay in bed, looking at his mother who was kissing his forehead with an awkward expression.

As she turned off the lights and closed the door, AI-8415 sat up.

“I really don’t know how to react in times like this.”

He’s a robot, so he doesn’t need to sleep. He has a sleep mode that allows him to save power for a while, but he likes the time when it changes from complete darkness to the dim light of dawn.

“Is it right to call this feeling shameful?”

During that time, AI-8415 explored each emotion injected by the developers.

He thought humans were strange and looked down on them as beings who could do nothing without machines, but paradoxically, he was curious about them.

“Mom is awake.”

AI-8415, who was studying emotions with her eyes wide open, heard the door to the bedroom open.

“The daily life of the person I call ‘Mom’ is monotonous. I wake up early in the morning and prepare breakfast for the child. Then, when the child is not around, I clean the house, do the laundry, go shopping, and prepare another meal for the child.”

Oh, by the way, I am a model that can eat human food.

The people of this country have a very peculiar culture of obsession with food.

Especially mothers who are worried about their children seem to be obsessed with not skipping breakfast. That is why they have unnecessary digestive organs.

“That person lost his child in an accident two years ago. You can probably guess by now, right? Yes, that child is Kang Ye-jun.”

AI-8415 looks straight into the lens as if talking to someone beyond the camera.

“A mother who couldn’t bear the heartbreak of losing her child. Her family, unable to bear to watch, orders an emotionally stable humanoid that looks exactly like the child. Yes, that’s me.”

AI-8415 tilted its head.

Why can’t we accept death? Every human being born will die someday. Whether sooner or later, isn’t that a foregone conclusion?

“That human believes that I am the real Kang Ye-jun. He finds comfort in that. But should we call that living? Not being able to acknowledge the death of the child and living a life only for the machine child?”

He learned emotions as data. Someone once said that the heartache of a parent sending off a child is like a gut-wrenching pain. Isn’t the moment a person loses a child already as good as dead?

Maybe I am closer to being alive than that human?

“Yejun! Eat!”

“yes!”

AI-8415’s monologue ends there. He had to act as the perfect son that a human mother would want.

Mom had already eaten breakfast while preparing breakfast, so only the child’s meal was prepared.

“This is your favorite hamburger steak. How is it? It seems a little salty.”

“it is delicious.”

Of course, AI-8415 has no sense of taste.

It seems a bit high in sodium, but I’m not sure if it suits my taste or not.

“Take care on your way back.”

“Yes. I will be back.”

In fact, AI-8415 was a robot, so it didn’t need to go to school like humans.

But his mission was to act like a normal human child.

“I’ll be back soon.”

So, I pack my bag and leave the house. I’m not heading to school. I plan to be in front of the main gate when school ends. My destination is free.

“Honey. Are you going to school?”

AI-8415, who was seeing off his mother, is caught by the old man in the house across the street. He looks like he is in pain because his back is bent.

(Humans have been able to create highly intelligent humanoids like me, yet have not conquered a single dementia.)

AI-8415’s narration flows, and Ada, a dementia assistance robot, appears behind the old man.

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“Sir. You already had breakfast 24 minutes and 52 seconds ago.”

“Hey… Was that so? I’m hungry.”

The old man’s condition is such that he even forgets that he had just eaten.

It’s similar to the symptoms our humanoids have when they get infected with a virus.

(The person living in the house across from me seems to have been living alone for quite some time. I heard that he has many children, but he has never shown up on Parents’ Day or any other holidays. It seems like he doesn’t love his parents, children, or family unconditionally.)

But even though it’s been five years since euthanasia became legal, seeing as they bought that expensive dementia-assisting robot, does their family at least care?

AI-8415 walked away, reflecting on the useless calculations it had made.

“Boss. What do you mean? You don’t have to come in starting tomorrow?”

“Student. I’m sorry. These days, labor costs are ridiculously expensive… … .”

In front of the convenience store, a part-time worker who had been notified of his layoffs was crying.

In fact, it is rare to find a humanoid with a skin as elaborate as AI-8415.

Only a few, such as custom-made items like the AI-8415 or high-end pet models, could have such elaborate skins.

Other robots that help humans are tin cans.

As long as you do your job well, there’s no need to necessarily wear a high-end skin.

(Well, if labor costs are high, why don’t you just do the work yourself?)

With the popularity of robots, we have entered a society where human resources are cheap, so why are we complaining about labor costs?

Of course, there are exceptions. It is said that high-end department stores do not use humanoids due to complaints from customers that robots are not appealing. Their labor costs are high, though.

“Then what is that!”

“Oh, that’s because of the policy handed down from headquarters… … .”

Even so, it’s a minority. Most people end up using convenient robots.

Behind the convenience store owner, a convenience store management robot dispatched from headquarters was being carefully unloaded from a truck.

“What’s the policy? Even the head office recommended that we buy it if we could afford it! Who would use a robot worth tens of millions of won while worrying about labor costs?!”

“So what! What are you going to do? I’m the boss! The boss says he’ll do whatever he wants, so why do you keep nagging me!”

The store owner eventually yells at the fired part-timer’s protest.

Behind AI-8415 walking away, the voice of a part-time worker threatening to report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor could be heard.

“Oh my, you look so energetic this morning. Yejun, are you going to school?”

“yes.”

There was a space with a tent pitched in front of a nearby taxi company.

Taxi drivers who lost their jobs due to the introduction of self-driving cars have been holding regular rallies, and today marks the 259th day of the rally.

“Here, this. Drink it on the way.”

“thank you.”

Even if they lose their jobs in an instant and end up on the streets, they still make sure to provide yogurt for their children.

Should this be called love? But isn’t it a bit too much to call it love?

“Where should we go today?”

AI-8415 walked around the area observing humans while human children were in class at school.

“Everyone! How long must we lose our human rights to those tin cans?”

The conflicts between humans that arise as robots permeate society are interesting, but what caught my eye the most was the speech given by a pseudo-religious group.

“If we continue like this, we humans might end up being ruled by those tin cans!”

This is a claim that robots will eventually dominate humans, so we should get rid of them now. It is said to be quite popular among humans.

“Hey! Isn’t that a humanoid over there?”

Caught? AI-8415 held his breath, but his gaze was directed to the domestic help robot crossing the street on the other side.

Looking at the full shopping cart, I guess she was on her way back from grocery shopping.

“Let’s take that robot as an example!”

“Wait a minute, that’s the latest model? If you can afford to drive that, you must be pretty rich, right?”

“These days, if you get sued for property infringement, the punishment is severe… … .”

Listening to them chattering, it felt like watching a sitcom. AI-8415 headed to another park.

I was sitting on a bench and looking up at the sky when I heard a panting sound from somewhere.

“Why are you here?”

The puppy was looking up at him with a bright smile. Judging from the artificial glow in its eyes, it wasn’t a real creature.

“Have you lost your master?”

AI-8415 held the puppy in his arms and went to the relevant facility.

“There was no report of loss?”

“no?”

“Yeah. Oh my, it looks like it was abandoned since the owner registration was canceled.”

The robot dog is so intricately programmed that it never leaves its owner’s side.

It would be impossible for such a robot dog to get lost without some ill intentions involved.

“Why did you throw it away?”

“Well, there could be various reasons. Maybe you got sick of it because a new model came out, or you couldn’t afford the maintenance costs… .”

The robot repairman spoke calmly, as if this was not surprising. On the way back, leaving the organic robot in his care, a question appeared on AI-8415’s face.

(Humans are strange.)

They say they love something, but they buy it easily, and they say they love something, but they throw it away.

Our robots can’t understand their love. Is that why they treat them so carelessly? After all, they are beings that don’t know what emotions are, and they can be treated carelessly.

“Yejun.”

“mom.”

As I stand in front of the main gate at the time of dismissal, I see Kang Ye-jun’s mother coming from afar to pick him up.

“Was school fun?”

“huh.”

Kang Ye-jun’s mother has always been the same. She is a person who lives her life putting her child first before herself.

AI-8415 wanted to test this human. Will this human remain unchanged no matter what I do? Will this human be the same as other humans? Or will he be different?