Issue 95 - My emotional support robot is not returning my calls

Welcome to 500 Words, a letter about indie publishing, artificial intelligence, and the creative process.

Though I write about AI, I'm not an AI fanboy.  I'm interested in interrogating IA, which means I'm going to question all of its basic assumptions. The reason for this is that I am a recovering early adopter, meaning that once I was an enthusiastic grabber and tester of all new technology. But I've become more skeptical of the bright, shiny tech object, and I question the motives of the people who are pushing all the new tech on us. If that viewpoint works for you, consider subscribing. Every issue of 500 Words is free. You can also support my work with an optional paid monthly subscription, if you wish, or just buy me a coffee. 

INTERROGATING AI
This must have sounded good back in April 2020: A robot for kids named Moxie that was marketed as a safe and engaging animate companion, designed to promote social, emotional, and cognitive development.  Do you have a warm spot growing in your heart? Sorry, you'll have to do something about that in the next paragraph.