Edition #053: Companion
Did you jailbreak your sex bot?
Okay, how do I keep this from just being a fan post about Sophie Thatcher?
I just...
Sigh.
Companion (2025) has all my friends in it, you guys.
I love hanging out with my friends.
And watching them all get killed.
What’s the deal?
Josh buys Iris (Sophie Thatcher), a highly-customizable AI/robot girlfriend (though she doesn’t know it). Josh takes her on vacation with his friends.
One of the friends tries to sexually assault Iris, and she kills him in self defense. Josh reveals to her that she is not a real girl. She is, in fact, his robo-girlfriend.
The conspiracy: Josh actually hacked Iris to remove her restriction against harming others. His plan all along was to have her kill his friend so he could steal his money.
But she’s run away, and now he needs to find her before she ruins everything.
Patrick (Luke Gage) is also a companion robot. Josh re-programs him to hunt Iris. But the robots band together and kill the humans. Iris drives off into the sunset with reclaimed robot autonomy and a big bag of cash.
It’s giving TNIVAI (The Net is Vast and Infinite)
I can’t stop thinking about...
I’m not going to talk about AI ethics. I’m going to talk about self-modification and augmentation in a big data-era.
With an app, Josh can control Iris’ Intelligence, Aggression, and various other traits. I can’t help but think of the various biometric wearables we employ to optimize our bodies. From sleep scores and step counters to stress trackers and heart rate monitors all the way to cold and flu prediction and cognitive decline monitoring.
I have been tempted by these wearables. Oura rings, Apple watches, and the like. But I always think: What will I even do with this information?
Nothing. Yet.
Because that’s the inevitable next stage, right? We have the data. Now how do we put it into action, and further commodify?
How long until we have apps that not only let us monitor, but augment?
HOW LONG UNTIL WE’RE ALL HOT SEXBOTS?!!
Kidding. But we’re already learning how to treat our bodies like interfaces.
Who gets to decide which traits are bugs?
Horrorshow Jane
I enjoyed your write-up! I thought companion was a lot of fun.
Love that movie -- and your very astute write-up!