Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

"Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." -- Esquire

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug - strategically designed to satisfy his every physical and emotional need. What makes Annie extra special is that she has the ability to learn. She can fine-tune her behavior to ensure that Doug is always pleased. Doug claims he loves how eager she is to learn, but the more human Annie becomes, the more conflict seems to arise between them. Soon, Annie is feeling very human emotions and questioning her value beyond being Doug's bot.

It was absolutely fascinating to see this version of an AI integrated future play out and to consider the euphoric joy and crippling emotional suffering that make up a truly human experience. Ironically, the robot ended up showing much more character development and humanity than her 'real' counterpart. The plot was pretty linear, lacking a dramatic climax (which is possibly why I didn't feel 5 Star about this book) but it was truly an interesting, thought-provoking read.

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