Our imaginary friends

A substitute in each and every way 

Oh, the ersatz neuronal pathway! 

Electrons firing across the gaps 

Replacement dendrites, false synapse

In digital brains that buck the trend 

we place our trust - our imagined friends 

Google Now, let’s see what’s what 

Cortana says when something’s hot 

Siri, what is the state of play? 

Alexa hears each word you say 

We’re bonding with imaginary friends 

in a servitude that never ends

[If/then] AI fails to adapt 

expect some catastrophic mishaps 

[For/next] the algorithm fails 

Caught in a loop, the program bales 

Autonomous vehicles block our way 

on the digitally rendered fake highway 

Alexa, I asked for a coffee .... 

What the.... 

Steve Wheeler © 5 July, 2021

Image from the film Metropolis (1927)

Uncanny Valley

The first time I encountered a robot machine
Was in a deserted street in Milton Keynes.
I was making my way through a bland shopping mall
When the robot passed by, like some strange magic ball.

The sudden appearance of the automaton
Gained my full attention, and I stopped to look on
At the sleek new design and its enamelled curves
And I wondered what mission, what purpose it served

In that uncanny moment I perceived its intent
As it pressed on ahead to the point it was sent
It showed no concern at my rapt fascination
Programmed to continue regardless of humans, to its destination.

Other robots I had previously observed
Looked static and harmless, no jangling of the nerves
Exhibited in museums, and limited in their reach
Yet this device was free to range through deserted streets

And I wondered as I watched it pass eerily by
Along the darkened streets of MK, oblivious to the gaze of my eye
Whether any intelligence, malevolent or kind
Could ever exist inside such a digital mind.

Steve Wheeler © 21 June, 2020