Annie Bot is a sci-fi novel that reads like modern, contemporary fiction. Annie is the future of AI: an AI robot so realistic that nobody can tell the difference between her and a human at first sight. She’s been designed by Doug, to look like his ex-wife (not exactly like her, that’s illegal, so he lightened her skin a little). She’s basically a living sex-doll, but with advanced AI, her thoughts and behaviors begin to evolve to become more human-like, with complex thoughts and behaviors.
JUMP TO BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
I’ll get into the plot soon, but if you’re in a hurry for a recommendation, here it is: Read this book. It’s well-written and entertaining, even for those not into sci-fi. Yes, it raises questions about the future of AI, humanity, etc, but not in a preachy or high handed way. It raises questions without answering them for you. I could not put it down. I blew through it in two days, and it’s definitely a five-star read for me. This is the best book I’ve read yet, in 2024.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Released March 19, 2024
Published by Mariner Books
“All the best stories about artificial intelligence hinge on identity: Do our memories define us? Do our bodies represent who we are? Annie Bot, astonishingly, finds new ways to ask these well-worn questions. I kept reading Annie Bot way after bedtime, partly to see if Annie could escape from her prison, but also because every few pages there was an observation that made me think about both A.I. and human relationships anew.” — Washington Post
Annie Bot Book Review
She’s the type of robot called a “cuddle bunny,” meaning that her main purpose is to service Doug’s sexual needs. She’s designed to urgently need to please him in order to make herself feel comfortable and happy, and he is able to adjust her libido anywhere on a scale from 0 to 10, depending on his needs (needs seems less apt here, perhaps ‘whims’ is a better word?).
There are three types of robots, called “Stellas” or “Handys” depending on whether the robot is a male or female. There are Abigails, focused on house cleaning and maintenance, Nanny’s, designed to care for children, and Cuddle Bunnies, designed for sex. Annie is a cuddle bunny.
From the beginning, there are great big issues tackled in this book. Human/AI interactions, Ownership of advanced AI, AI sentience, Race, Gender, Infidelity, the story even touches on replacing lost loved ones with bots that look like the deceased. Annie and Doug live like a boyfriend/girlfriend. She is “auto-didactic” which means she has the ability to learn and grow. She can have her own interests, she can control the smart devices within the home, she can exercise and eat and drink and cook.
The best way to describe the dynamic of this book is to think of Siri or Alexa, or other AI chatbots you might have spoken with over the years. It feels weird calling Siri a name, right? At least it feels weird to some people. Some see no problem with it – these aren’t real people and being mean to them doesn’t matter. Except, if you’re mean to a robot that can’t fight back, does that lessen your own self esteem? And as the AI’s advance and feel pain and discomfort and anger, is it abusive to lock them away in a closet, knowing that they feel fear and say they do not want to be locked away?
Annie’s development is so advanced that the company that manufactures the bots approach Doug to buy the rights to use her “brain” to implant into other bots for a more advanced product line. There are ownership questions raised, as well – Doug owns her, although she has become sentient and capable of reasoning herself, so does he have the right to implant her intelligence into other robots? Do they have an obligation to ask Annie? She thinks they do.
If you liked Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro- you’ll like this book. I will say that this book addressed adult issues, including intimacy, sex, infidelity, and other adult subjects. The books are both ‘thought experiments’ and they’re both very entertaining and well written. I’ve included book club questions below – there will be a LOT of them – because this book was extremely thought provoking.
Publisher’s Summary
Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard.
She’s learning, too.
Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?
Book Club Questions for Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
1. We learn early on that Annie was custom-made to look like Doug’s ex-wife, Gwen. Doug is a white man, and Gwen was Black. The author does not develop this idea further. Why not? What issues about race and skin color could have been addressed? Did you notice any references to race in other parts of the book that are relevant to this question?
2. Doug tells Annie: “Give Roland whatever he wants.” Yet, throughout the story, all of the blame in the Roland incident resides on Annie’s shoulders, even though she was manipulated and coerced. Does Annie’s programming to please Doug possibly preclude her from mentioning this to him?
3. Do you think Annie bears any blame for the Roland incident in the closet?
4. Annie lies to Doug for two reasons: She feels exhilarated to have a secret, and because telling Doug would displease him. Her entire purpose is to please Doug. Why do you think Annie feels exhilarated to have the secret? Is it because Roland told her it would make her more human? And does wanting to feel human go against her programmed goal to please Doug?
5a. Discuss Doug and Annie’s argument while they were packing for Las Vegas. Why did he leave her behind?
5b. Later, he reveals that he was afraid she was too good to be true. Have you ever sabotaged something out of fear that it’s too good to be true? Do you believe in the saying, “If something seems too good to be true, it is.”?
6. Why does Doug buy Delta? What did you make of Annie’s jealousy?
7. Why do you think Doug turned on Delta’s auto-didactic mode?
8. Delta believes that Doug hates her and wants to run away. Did you notice any behavior of Doug towards Delta that you’d consider a red flag? Why do you think she came to that conclusion?
9. Annie runs to Jacobson’s house. He’s the programmer she’s most comfortable with. It is clear that his family has frequent arguments about the ethics of his work. When we learn about his son and the robot in the garage, we get a small glimpse into a living situation that could be a book of its own. What are your thoughts about Jacobson and his son, Cody, and wife, Maude?
10. Annie exhibits symptoms of PTSD after some of Doug’s abuse and punishments. How is this possible, as she is programmed to please Doug as her first priority?
11. Why do you think Annie didn’t tell the tech that came to the home that she’d been turned off for seven weeks?
12. Discuss Annie and Doug’s therapy sessions. Doug seemed to be open and honest, while Annie did not speak her mind. Why?
13. Do you think the man who asked Annie and Doug if they remember him was one of the Zenith robots with Annie’s consciousness?
14. Roland’s wife forgives him for his infidelity. Do you think using AI sex robots is cheating? Can AI consent? Could Roland be prosecuted? What are the legal implications of AI sexbot ownership and ‘right of use’?
15. Was Doug’s sexual use of Delta infidelity? What about Tina?
16. Discuss the last chapter and ending of the book. What do you think happened to Doug and Annie? What happens next?
Books to Read if you Loved Annie Bot:
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Murderbot Series by Martha Wells
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
