The point of this assignment is to occupy the subject position of an AI assistant and experience the world through their eyes. As we debate the contexts and consequences of mind uploading technology, thinking from the perspective of the disembodied mind is a useful exercise. While Siri and Alexa are not uploaded minds, they do represent a kind of disembodied entity that we live with–and thus, they provide another way into our broader class conversation.

For this assignment, you will write a short story from the perspective of Siri or Alexa (or Cortana or any other interactive AI assistant that speaks with a human-like voice). Your story should comprise an entire day in the AI assistant’s life–from the moment their human counterpart wakes up to the moment they go to sleep. Your story should detail what the AI assistant thinks about their human counterparts as well as their own existence. For example, does the AI, assistant love, answering random questions all of the time? Is she annoyed that she is being used in this way? Is she a know-it-all? A control freak? Does she develop crushes on people? Does she ever mess with her human counterparts and misinterpret their requests in strategic ways?

There are many ways that you can go with this story–I encourage you to be creative and to truly spend some time imagining life from the AI assistant’s perspective. If you are not familiar with Siri, Alexa, or any other AI assistant, you can find countless demonstrations of their capabilities online. Youtube is rife with videos like, “Things you should never say to Siri” and “Don’t talk to Alexa at 3 AM!” There are even videos of Siri and Alexa having conversations with each other. If you need ideas or want to get a better sense of these AI assistants, I suggest making your way through such videos online.

Story Requirements:

Your story must be at least 1000 words in length
Your story must be written in the first person from Siri or Alexa or Cortana’s perspective (they must tell the story themselves).
Your story must comprise an entire day–from the moment the AI assistant’s human counterpart wakes up until the moment they go to sleep.