Or Will Robots Replace Our Fairweather Friends?

ne, but because of all this talk about AI and robots taking people’s jobs, seeing the driverless Waymo taxis, and my favorite—those robo-delivery boxes. It’s hard not to be the slightest bit concerned and to consider, “WTF does the future hold?” I’m actually starting to imagine whether robots will sufficiently replace friendships once they are fully lifelike and even kissable.

We’ve come a long way since the inflatable doll, the original replacement for a human presence—for lack of a better description—lying there—silent, obedient, submissive. It worked for a certain type of individual who—well, you know what I mean. A friend of mine even used his doll for a different kind of companionship: he’d dress it in a jacket and baseball cap and plop it in the front seat of his car when he wanted to use the HOV lanes on the highway in order to avoid getting a traffic ticket.

I’m going to be honest, this year has been a huge reality check regarding........

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