"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This quote from Edsger W. Dijkstra is a fantastic example of the question surrounding the world of artificial intelligence. These technologies have become so accessible in today's society that we don't really think or consider where we should draw the line for imposing human characteristics on artificial beings. Now it's not a given that we do it only with technologies; in fact the human race has the bad habit of trying to impose its own experiences even on animals. Is it our fault if we question the relational aspects surrounding artificial intelligence? Better yet, at what point do we consider human things? Is it our ability to form relationships through thought and passion, or the way we can hold a conversation? At some point, humans found the sweet spot where we can “recognize” and “determine” what is artificial, but we are likely to be wrong. In Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, relationships and artificial intelligence are strong themes throughout. The main character, One Esk/Breq, raises many questions about the abilities that the auxiliaries, the AI, possess in the society of the space world in which the book is set. The one event that sends the world of AI into chaos is directly linked to One Esk's ability to choose favorite lieutenants. As the alternating chapters progress, readers see the attachment he formed with Lieutenant Awn while stationed on the planet Ors. When things go wrong on Ors Anaander Mianaai, the leader of Radch, asks Awn to return Toren to justice. Mianaai then orders another auxiliary to kill Awn, and the aide complies. It is important to note that all auxiliaries aboard the Justice of Toren share a common operating system, a unified label. Toren's Justice was their identity, but the auxiliaries themselves were still individuals with the ability to make intelligent decisions. That's why when One Esk realizes that Awn has been killed he becomes visibly angry. One Esk's ability to form relationships and care is more evident at this point and we definitely see the definition of "human" begin to change. If an accessory can interest him, does that make him human? To understand the analysis of another relational dynamic is fundamental. Breq's meeting with Seivarden marks the beginning of another interesting relationship. Seivarden is obviously not one of Breq's favorites, but she is still forced to take him with her and take care of him. Breq even jumps off a bridge at one point to save Seivarden. His internal dialogue provokes the thought, “I didn't know why I jumped but in that moment it didn't matter anymore, in that moment there was nothing else” (Leckie 199). With Seivarden once holding the position of lieutenant, this likely contributes to Breq's inability to not monitor him. The relationship slowly changes as Seivarden eventually transforms into the submissive figure of Breq. He follows her around and vows to never leave her side. The dedication shown towards Breq by Seivarden is something we would call a humanistic trait in all relationships. The bond between these two characters is reversed from the care and dedication Breq showed to Awn. Aspects of both of these relationships are interesting to analyze and compare. Lieutenant Awn knew and recognized that One Esk was an auxiliary. However, he still showed care for her. While his affection wasn't explicit, Awn and One Esk werethey preferred each other over the other lieutenants and auxiliaries. Awn even states that One Esk's "singing doesn't bother me" (Leckie 181) and apologizes for One Esk thinking that was the case. After Awn's murder, One Esk began his quest for revenge. Desperate to kill Anaander Mianaai, he created his human form. Was it her ability to care for someone that made her disguise believable, or was it her expertise that allowed her to hide her true identity? Regardless, when Seivarden became involved, he immediately believed One Esk to be a human named Breq. Also, do we consider Breq human? If we abandon the organic and biological definitions of the human being and look at all other aspects, Breq aligns. He has goals, reflects on life, and realizes that death is a possibility during his mission. Breq is a conscious entity, only with altercations that change his human composition to technological. She appears to be human, can speak as if she were human, and interacts with others as if she were human. A commoner didn't even recognize Breq's true identity. How could we, as human beings, say that we could easily distinguish Breq from any real living being. Our misunderstood ways of defining humanity have bridged the gap on what is real and what is not real. This concept has been around since we started imposing human characteristics on non-human things, an idea also known as anthropomorphism. Similarly, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, life is literally bestowed upon the dead. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist with a passion for reanimation, almost transforming himself into a divine figure. He tops off just that with the creation of his monster, a heinous-looking being stitched together from randomly mismatched corpse parts. Even though the monster is a living, biological, semi-organic human, others have difficulty classifying it as such. Soon after creating the monster, Victor abandons him. He tells Victor that “God in mercy has made man beautiful and seductive, in his image; but my form is a dirty kind of yours” (Shelley 142). He never truly received the care, love and understanding he deserved. This leaves the monster seeking revenge, just as One Esk did with Lieutenant Awn. Each creation in these novels was abandoned by someone who mattered in their life. The monster was left by his own creator, and One Esk by his favorite lieutenant. The similarities between the characters and their relationships in both novels continue to accumulate. The monster ends up altering itself and enhancing its humanistic qualities. He does this by moving into a shack behind a family living in a cottage. By analyzing how the family interacts and behaves with each other, the monster begins to learn. He acquires knowledge of language and speech by reading books such as Paradise Lost; thanks to this education, the monster eventually finds Victor. Victor learns all this as the monster tells his story. Their relationship begins to change at this point; due to Victor gaining a new respect for the monster. There's a new level of understanding and acceptance between the characters that wasn't there before. The monster is now more "human" like Victor, much like Breq's vision of Seivarden in Ancillary Justice. Breq and the monster both strove to acquire more humanistic qualities in order to appear human. However, the question still remains: do we define them as human? The monster is technically alive and biologically composed, but there is still the label of “monster” that it carries with it. He is not defined as a compassionate being, similar to Breq's situation. They both have feelings and form relationships, so why can't we allow them to be seen as human? The stigma.