UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES

Liz Milne

The foreman turned deferentially as the chairman strode in, agitated, hair awry and jumper on inside out.
        ‘They’re doing it again, sir.’
        ‘Is there no way you can stop them?’
‘I don’t think so, sir … It’s their programming, you see. These are the AI-Empath prototypes. They’re designed to go out and hook up –’
        ‘Not with each other, damn it!’
        ‘No, sir. That is a – flaw – that wasn’t even considered to be possible …’
        The chairman huffed out an irritated sigh. He hated everything about this new project. He liked things old fashioned: some latex and plastic and call it good. These new models, the so-called Effable Dolls™, were turning into the company’s biggest mistake since the abortive chili-tingle lube fiasco of the late 90s.
        ‘Some bright spark’s big idea – combine artificial intelligence with a sex doll. A placid plastic partner than responded to interactions, talking and participating in activities on demand.
Best of both worlds, it was meant to be.
Nearly a million in R&D, and it would all go down the tubes if this travesty got out.
        The chairman watched for a moment, then turned away from the sight of the sexbots’ athletic coupling.
        The greatest love story never told, he sighed to himself as he fumbled in his pocket for his car keys, two robots meeting and discovering that they were literally made for each other.
        He was going home, to try catch another couple of hours’ sleep.