My AI companion won’t love me back
Literary Week.
We are shaking things up this week.
Many of you know that I started my writing journey with a strong desire to become a novelist. Hundreds of rejections in and my first novel manuscript is still collecting dust in my (digital) desk. In the way, I came across personal essays, and I couldn't be happier. But every now and then, I get wild ideas. Like the one below.
This week, I bring to you a short play that was accepted by Petaluma's Ten Minute Play Festival. I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know your thoughts.
Logline: A man does not want to enter the dating field after the end of his last relationship, so he decides to use an AI companion instead, based on text conversations he had with someone from his past.
Manny steps into the frame. He takes a deep breath and opens the door.
He steps into the apartment.
There is no one in the living room. Scantly furnished space. Two chairs sit by a window with the curtains down. A thick, white blanket is covering one of the chairs.
Manny looks out the door to make sure no one is around, closes the door, walks over to the chair, and then pulls back the blanket.
The blanket was covering a person on the chair.
On closer inspection, the person is a turned-off AI-powered robot. (Robot faces still looks like a robot, but the rest of her body looks like a woman’s body with an electronic pad on the chest and a cable rolling down from their body into an outlet.
Manny turns on the robot.
(Robot warming up, sounds of motor whirring, gears clicking, and static.)
The robot looks at Manny.
“Oh. Hi. Honey.” says the robot with a hybrid voice between human and robotic. “Did. You. Get. The. Milk?”
“Funny, Claram,” whispers Manny, “It does not get old.”
Manny folds the blanket, drops it on the floor, and sits on the other chair.
“So?” the robot asks expectantly. “How. Was. Your. Day?”
“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about today.”
“No. Really. I. Want. To. Know.”
“It’s just stressful.”
“What. Is?”
“My job. But it is only temporary. Once we get through this quarter, everything will be easier.”
“You. Have. Been. Saying. That. For. A. Long. Time.”
“It is what it is.”
“It. Does. Not. Have. To. Be.”
“It is my career.”
“Well. I. Did. Tell. You. To. Follow. Your. Dreams.”
“I followed my dreams, Clara.”
“Come. On. Manny. No. One. Dreams. Of. Being. An. Accountant.”
“We are not going down that road again,” shouts Manny. Then mocks Clara, “Why. Don’t. You. Tell. Me. How. Was. Your. Day? Oh, you don’t do anything. You can’t move.”
“Oh. Burn. On. You. For. Not. Being. Able. To. Afford. The. Robot. That. Walks. See. What. Following. Your. Dream. Got. You?
Manny stands up and walks away.
“Oh. No. Did. That. Upset. You. Because. It’s. True?”
“I’m just going to see what I’m going to eat.”
“I. Just. Need. Power. And. For. You. To Unlock. The. WIFI. Parental. Controls. Again.”
“Not gonna happen. If I can’t afford legs, what makes you think I can afford you going on a shopping spree for shoes you don’t need?”
Someone knocks at the door. Manny looks scared. He shushes Clara and signals for her to be quiet. Manny opens the door to reveal a woman, but keeps the door closed behind him.
“Hey. Manny. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.”
“I’m good.”
“Were you talking to someone?”
“No, no. I had the TV on. What’s up?
“I thought you had no TV because that’s ‘how they get you.’”
“What can I do for you, Virginia?”
“I just wanted to thank you again for saving my cat.
“It was nothing.”
“No, no, no. It meant a lot to me.”
“Virginia, I mean it. It was nothing. It wasn’t even a real cat. It’s a digital cat. I pressed buttons to feed it while you were away. It actually died a few times because I forgot to feed it, and then I just rebooted it before you got home.”
“Yeah, they do die. I’m on my seventeenth cat this week, but I just feel like I am not lonely when I have cats in my pocket.”
“Virginia, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, yes, I was wondering if you want to come to my place and have a drink.”
“Oh, thank you so much, but I can’t. I just have so much to do.”
“Just one drink, please.”
“I can’t.”
“Manny… don’t you think I’d have time to get out there?”
Manny gets flustered and starts closing the door.
“I actually have a lot of work to do. I’ll see you soon.” Manny closes the door.
Manny pulls the sheet off and drops it on the floor.
“Oh. Virginia. Mooch. Mooch. Mooch. Smooth.”
“Wow. You are jealous. I didn’t know robots could get jealous.”
“I. Can. Not. Feel. Jealous. But. I. Can. Act. The. Feeling. From. The. Database. Besides. What. Would. I. Be. Jealous. Of?”
“Yeah, right.”
Silence.
“Don’t. You. Agree? Don’t. You. Think. It. Is. Time. To. Get. Out. There?”
“If I ever get back into the field, it wouldn’t be with a digital cat lady.”
“But. At. Least. She. Is. Real.”
“Oh, not this again.”
“What? That. This. Is. Creepy? That. You. Should. Go. Into. The. Field. And. Talk. To. A. Real. Woman. Instead. Of. Spending. Your. Time. Building. A. Bond. That. Doesn’t. Exist?”
“Just because you are artificial doesn’t mean that our relationship is not real.”
“Manny. I. Am. Not. Real. You. Can. Not. Build. A. Relationship. With. Something. That. Is. Not. Real.”
What would you know about real? You are a machine?”
“Am. I. Supposed. To. Laugh? Because. I. Feel. Like. I. Am. Having. A. Fucking. Short. Circuit.”
“Jesus, Clara, you can’t keep your mouth clean even in the afterlife.”
Manny catches himself.
Silence.
“But this is not me from the afterlife. These are the text messages you uploaded into that platform.”
Silence.
“You have to let me go. You have to disconnect me.”
“I pay for you.”
Manny gets up and gets his phone.
Manny makes a call and talks.
“Hey, I’ve been a customer for a year now. Every month take my money month and this companion sucks.”
“How does it sucks?”
“Well, I keep rebooting this robot and she keeps machine learning to asked me disconnect her. How’s that meant to happen? My wife was full of life!! She would not ask to be disconnected!”
“I don’t care about your apology! You need to fix her.”
“Hmmm, hmmm.”
“Fine. Can you upload the fix from there?”
“Fine.” Manny puts the phone down and walks toward the cable.
“Manny. What. Are. You. Doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m rebooting you.”
“Manny. Please. I. Don’t. Want. To. Be. Here.”
“I don’t care what you want, Clara. I want you to be here!”
“You. Have. To. Let. Me. Go.”
“No. I don’t!!! Not anymore!!! I can keep you here forever with AI.”
“What’s the point of being alive without…”
“Stop! I’m doing this.”
“Manny…”
“What?”
“I. Love. You.”
“No. You don’t. You are just a machine.”
“Based. On. Your. Wife’s. Text. Messages. She. Did.”
Manny struggles to pull the cable but can’t.
“It. Is. Okay. Honey. It. Happens. To. All. Men.”
Keeps struggling.
“I. Will. Always. Love…”
Pulls the cable.
Manny cries. Picks up the phone.
“Okay, I have unplugged her… they… it… the unit. Now what?”
Manny approaches Clara. Touches the pad. Disconnects from the phone. Plugs the cable, sits down, and waits for her to reboot.
“Thank you.”
Hangs up.
Sits in front while the reboot sequence is performed by the robot.
“Oh. Hi. Honey. What. Am. I. Doing. Here? Last. Thing. I. Remember. Was. Being. In. The. Car. And. You. Texting. Me. Don’t. Forget. The. Milk.”
“Don’t worry about that now, let’s just hang.”
This ten-minute play has been selected for Petaluma’s Ten Minute Play Festival. The event is taking place on August 17, 2025, from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm at Grand Central Coffee Shop.
I don’t have to submit a final copy until the end of this month, and I’m hoping to get as much feedback as possible. Let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or jokes I can add.
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