In Hall 4, Ranbir is shocked to see three men beating a robot dog. They have it on its back, strike it again and again, but the tail still wags in spite of the onslaught. The stand is festooned with slogans promising a brighter future, so that language seems to bend under the weight of superlatives.
‘Performance without boundaries.’ ‘Success without compromise.’
Hall 4 is for AI and Automation. It has a virtual factory with digitized assembly lines, and a smart airport simulation where imaginary passengers emigrate through online gates. The central section hosts this imposing display of robust mechatronic agents – serious tools for a dangerous world, albeit anthropomorphically gifted with facial features and distinguishing characteristics. Tails that won’t stop wagging.
“As you can see, our Go50 model can withstand all kinds of punishment.” A saleswoman with a microphone is extolling the robotic virtues. “Let’s give a big hand to our volunteers.”
The dog flips back onto its paws, and the men stop, suddenly self-conscious. Ranbir recognises their tribal markings of expensive watches and cheap cologne, knows that they are software salesmen like himself. It is amusing and disturbing in equal measure to see how easily such men are cajoled into public violence.
He feels a surge of sickness. There are faces at the back watching the spectacle impassively – cleaners, technicians, executives. An army in service of the sale of machines designed to replace them.
A woman collects visitor feedback by the exit. Her desk is opposite a virtual receptionist, created by the same company, so that her digital equivalent flickers in her eyeline all day, smile never fading.
“Thank you for coming,” the animation says as Ranbir passes.
The other woman, the real one, is silent.
Edward Barnfield is a writer and researcher living in the Middle East. His stories have appeared in Third Flatiron, Roi Fainéant Press, Ellipsis Zine, The Molotov Cocktail, Retreat West, Strands, Leicester Writes, Galley Beggar Press, and Shooter Literary, among others. He’s on X at: @edbarnfield
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