Page 58 of Fake It For Glory

I nodded, understanding what she was saying to a point. I personally would be a little freaked out if my house asked me if I was feeling okay or tried to make friends with me. I had seen it in movies and futuristic, sci-fi shows, but that wasn’t my initial intention with the technology.

The waiter returned before I had a chance to express my concerns. It was time for us to leave. “Thank you so much,” I said, smiling at the man.

“You’re very welcome, sir.”

Merida got to her feet and I was given another full view of her in the gorgeous red dress. It was hard to focus on anything when her boobs were practically spilling out the top. I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment when the waiter noticed.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I couldn’t help but steal glances at her. She was stunning, and I couldn’t shake off the image of her cleavage from my mind.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, noticing my behavior.

I quickly shook my head, trying to focus on the conversation we had just had. “Yeah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

She smiled, seemingly unaware of my moment of weakness. “I hope you know I’m not criticizing your technology. Not at all. I think it’s really good. I just get a little crazy when I think about robots running the world.”

“Not robots,” I said as we stepped into the elevator. “My tech wouldn’t be in a machine. It’s basically like the boxes and gadgets we have now.”

“Your tech might not be, but once you put it on the market, everyone is going to be rushing to copy it.”

“True,” I agreed. “Are you suggesting I don’t move forward?”

“No! Not at all!”

The elevator doors opened to our floor. We stepped out and quietly made our way down the hall to her room. She had gotten me thinking. I hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake. My goal was to improve lives, not make them worse.

We stopped in front of her door. She looked up at me. Softness and empathy, the very things she talked about, were in her eyes. “I’ve upset you,” she said.

“No.” I shook my head. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. I won’t pretend I fully understand it, but I guess I kind of get it.”

She placed her hand on her chest, as if to emphasize her point. “You don’t get it,” she said. “Think about it this way. A dog’s love is a need, but it could never be replaced by AI. You can’t come home after work and have a deep, meaningful conversation with a robot. You can’t hug a robot and feel the warmth of another person. There are certain things that only humans can provide.”

I nodded slowly, taking in her words. “I see what you mean. But what if we could create robots that could provide companionship and love?”

She smiled sadly. “That’s the thing. Love and companionship aren’t things that can be created. They’re things that are felt. And there’s no technology in the world that can replicate that.”

Her analogy hung in the air, and I couldn’t deny that there was truth in her words. While AI could undoubtedly serve as a tool for convenience and practicality, it was a fine line between turning us all into cold drones and keeping up the human connection.

“I get it,” I said, nodding. “I think some people are always going to be hesitant, but you’ve given me some talking points I’ll have Hattie put into my next interviews. I want to make sure people can keep the tech separate from life in general. It’s an assistant, not a substitute.”

“Perfect!” Her face lit up. “I love that tagline!”

“Thank you,” I said, laughing. “You came up with it. Like everything in our world, it should be used widely with your eyes wide open. People have to decide how much it’s involved in their lives.”

She gazed up at me, her eyes meeting mine. “My eyes are wide open,” she whispered. “I see you. I see the goodness in you. I understand your motivation.”

Then, without another word, she leaned in and kissed me. The world around us seemed to fade into the background as our lips met, and for that moment, there was nothing else but the intoxicating sensation of her kiss.

As she pulled away, she looked up at me with a glint in her eye. She smiled at me, and I knew that I was in trouble. I had never been one to fall in love, but there was something about her that made me want to take a leap of faith.