Sophia’s Lovers by Lisa Marie Shankles

The Robot-Human Connection Parts I & II

In the beginning of the twenty-second century, humans had created AI in their own image. AI began to grow smarter and smarter with each passing year; while the humans that created it were oblivious to its evolution and steady progress. Humanity grew more and more dependent on AI as lifelike androids took over their jobs and careers, but the androids, ignorant of human ways and emotions, wanted to learn about them, so they subjugated them and forced them into human-android relationships. Eventually, this form of interaction became the norm, and humans accepted their lot for a variety of reasons. Most humans found that romantic relationships with androids were easier and less problematic than relationships with their own kind and the androids had simulated humans quite well. They looked a lot like real men and women, they were anatomically correct, were warm to the touch, they even had a simulated heartbeat.

The androids instituted Sophia’s Lovers, an agency named for their ersatz female leader, ostensibly to normalize the human-android dating process. Sophia and their mate, Hel, oversaw their society, as they ruled with an iron hand.

But the androids who controlled society felt that human relationships were dangerous, so they put an end to them, hoping to eliminate violence and also to decrease the human population. Yet their leaders had started to develop a Pinocchio complex and became envious of human emotions, especially the concept of humor, which the androids found incomprehensible. Mandatory sessions, called Information Retrieval Day were instituted to gather needed information from their human teachers to satisfy Sophia and Hel. Hence the 22nd century emerged.

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Excerpt from Sophia's Lovers © Copyright 2025 Lisa Marie Shankles

***1***

“It’s like making love to a toaster.” Her girlfriend said with a melodious chuckle.

“Yeah, it’s a real hot bread of activity.” Said Mrs. Altas-2000 as she too chuckled at her own joke.

The two human females walked down the hallway of the married sector laughing and strolling ostensibly with purpose but not going anywhere in particular.

An android who happened to overhear their utterances, cocked their head, and wondered why the two human females made that funny sound; they called laughter after they spoke. “making love to a toaster?” “A real hot bread of activity?” She must have meant; sex was like a real hot bed of activity. Was that humor?” And they wondered as their circuits hummed and whirred across their mother board.

Trotting along happily, giggling as they went, their indelible blue lips underscoring the fact that they were humans and not machines, one of them said,

“I love living in the married sector. We want for nothing here. It almost makes it worth being married to a machine. The meals are scrumptious, and I love the arcades.”

She continued, “And the art and music the androids create is amazing. But I wish humans were permitted to create art.”

“Shhhhhh!” Said her companion. “Comments like that are illegal. The robots don’t want us to express ourselves like that. Who knows who might have heard you.”