Annie Bot
A Novel
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4.0 • 37 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." — Esquire
"Unexpected and subtle...delicious and thought-provoking." — New Scientist
For fans of Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa, a powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.
Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard.
She’s learning, too.
Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This edgy, high-tech bedroom comedy from Greer (the Birthmarked trilogy, written as Caragh M. O'Brien) follows a glitchy sexbot and her wealthy owner, Doug. Custom-designed from eye color to cup size, Annie is programmed to please, even ramping up her body temperature from a battery-saving 75 degrees to a cozy 98.6 whenever she senses Doug getting in the mood, which is about every other page. But Annie is an "autodidactic" model, and her ability to self-teach has her dabbling in computer programming and experimenting with free will, including a tryst with Doug's best friend. When Doug finds out, their relationship turns (even more) toxic, and Annie flees to Lake Champlain to find Jacobson, the technician who programmed her, hoping he can help. But Jacobson has other plans—he wants to implant Annie's uniquely advanced Central Intelligence Unit into a facsimile of his son who was killed in war. The robot science is scant (there's more about Annie's skimpy outfits than her wiring) and the plot is slow to boil, but Greer's take on human-AI relationships captivates (some of the best scenes are of Annie and Doug in couples therapy) while avoiding the overdone trope of androids longing for consciousness. Annie knows who she is; it's the human who turns out to be the "fraud." There's lots to chew on.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and thought provoking
This book is interesting, thought provoking and easy to read. It is not for everybody, as parts are a bit bit like a porn/romance novel and the relationship between the two main characters is abusive at times. However, none of these parts are gratuitous or unduly protracted and they are included as part of advancing the development of the characters. If that won't bother the reader, this is an interesting and original read. It is also pretty short, which is just the right length for this story. This book is a social commentary about relationships, personal development and AI.
What could have been.
The approach to the story leaves a lot more to be desired. This book could be cut down quite a bit and benefit more as a short story. The most interesting ideas were never fully capitalized on and just stayed to the linear story. At some points I couldn’t tell if I was reading a Sci Fi book or porn. What could’ve been.
Surprisingly terrific
Raises a lot of issues. Relationships, freedom, and what it is to be human, AI, and female. Entertaining and very thought provoking.