I Want a Big Sister

April 21, XXXX.

Xiao Qi is already three years old.

That little thing who used to only crawl around on the floor can now run thump-thump-thump around the room on his two short little legs!

He can also eat by himself now, even though he gets food all over his face and clothes.

He even hugs my legs, looks up, and cries, "Mommy, hug!"

And today, Xiao Qi was absolutely adorable once again!

In the afternoon, Ah Chu and I were discussing company matters at home.

Well, I say discussing, but really we were just slouched on the living room sofa, Ah Chu holding a tablet while I leaned against him.

Xiao Qi was sitting on the rug, playing with building blocks.

Ah Chu's research has been smooth sailing, and the emotional core already has its first experimental prototype.

As good as it is, it always felt like... something was missing.

What was missing? Probably a face.

A metal box with only a screen and a blinking indicator light, no matter how smart, can't make people project too much genuine emotion onto it.

We started agonizing over the appearance of the future emotional AI.

Ah Chu showed me sketches for two directions.

One was humanoid, and the other was non-humanoid.

The non-humanoid ones were basically pet types. The sketches were beautiful, with all sorts of rounded contours and cute color schemes.

Just looking at the design drafts, I could imagine a group of kids crowding around and shouting how cute they were.

The humanoid ones, however, were much more complicated.

Face shape, facial features, height proportions, skin texture...

But those weren't the main point. The main point was what a humanoid form implied.

I really think "humanoid emotional AI" is a great direction, but...

It's also incredibly troublesome!

Ethical issues, legal issues, human rights issues...

A whole heap of difficult problems lies ahead, and it's hard to test the public's bottom line!

When it's finally released, no one knows how public opinion will react.

If the public can't accept it, the company's stock price taking a dive would be a minor issue; what's more terrifying is...

It might trigger another panic over AI technology!

While we were debating, Xiao Qi came pattering over.

He saw the two humanoid sketches of a man and a woman on Ah Chu's tablet, and his little hand immediately pointed to the picture on the right, saying in a milky voice:

"This one!"

His pronunciation still wasn't very clear.

"This one is pretty! I want this one!"

Ah Chu and I looked at each other and smiled.

Ah Chu pulled him onto his lap, looked down, and asked him why.

Xiao Qi looked up and said earnestly:

"Because it's pretty, as pretty as Mommy."

Then he lowered his head and muttered:

"And it can take care of me like Mommy does, so Mommy can rest."

Ah Chu and I were both stunned.

Then I scooped Xiao Qi up in one motion and planted several big kisses on his face!

I kissed him so much he whined in protest, kicking his two little legs wildly in the air!

Oh my, Xiao Qi is truly so adorable!!

Ah Chu and I looked at each other and smiled.

But our smiles were also a bit helpless. It really was a case of kids saying the darndest things.

My dear Xiao Qi, do you know how many ethical and moral concerns a humanoid emotional AI would bring?

It's nowhere near that easy!

But when Xiao Qi said those words, his eyes were sparkling.

He was serious. Even though he's only three, it seems he really does care for me!

This little adult, he doesn't understand anything yet, but he already knows how to feel bad for his mommy.

But son, you don't need to worry about your mom's career.

You just need to grow up well, and that's enough!

...

May 24, XXXX.

Today, I gave that little brat a spanking!

I'm so mad!

I'm really so mad!

Today, a month has passed since our last discussion.

Ah Chu and I integrated all aspects of consideration: ethical risks, legal red lines, public acceptance, market prospects...

In the end, we leaned more toward using non-humanoid AI.

Such as pet-type AI like cats and dogs.

The reason is simple: this direction is easier to bring to market and easier for people to accept.

If we make a chubby robotic cat or dog, no one will jump out and accuse us of treating robots like humans, nor will the media hype up ethical panic.

Most importantly, we wouldn't have to consider too many ethical, moral, and legal issues.

After all, human rights are for "humans."

If we make a cat-type robot, even if it possesses self-awareness and high intelligence, not many people would jump out and say it violates cat rights.

But making a robot that looks like a human...

That would be a huge hassle.

At least, doing it right now would be very troublesome.

We still need to wait.

Wait until the public gradually accepts it, wait until laws are gradually perfected, then maybe we can...

As a result, this little brat overheard us from the side!

He was sitting in the corner pretending to play with blocks, but he actually had his ears perked up eavesdropping the whole time!

When we mentioned choosing a non-humanoid form, his little face fell instantly.

Then, with a thud, he threw himself on the floor and started rolling around! Actually rolling around!

His tiny body rolled back and forth on the wooden floor, knocking over the little house he had just built!

The building blocks clattered and scattered all over the floor!

While rolling, he wailed:

"No cats! No dogs! I want a big sister! I want a pretty big sister!"

I was completely shocked!

A big sister? What in the world was he talking about?!

Then he kept kicking his legs on the floor, slapping the floorboards with his chubby little hands, and shouted again:

"Unless it has a magic pocket, a robotic cat... isn't as cute as a real cat at all! We might as well get a real cat...!"

I didn't understand the magic pocket thing—must be some cartoon—but I heard that "I want a big sister" loud and clear!

You! Little! Brat!

Wanting a pretty big sister at only three years old, what will he be like when he grows up?!

If he develops a playboy personality and goes around messing with pretty girls everywhere...

How will I ever explain that to my future daughter-in-law!

To prevent him from turning into a playboy later on, I spanked his little bottom right then and there!

The brat wailed so miserably!

His little face was covered in tear streaks, yet he stubbornly pouted, looking like he was saying "I'm not wrong," completely refusing to give in!

Such a stubborn temper!

Who exactly does he get this stubbornness from?

Well, it's definitely not from me!

Ah Chu stood to the side, wanting to stop me but not daring to, only able to watch helplessly as I spanked him.

Then he weakly offered, "He probably didn't mean it like that," but I glared him into silence.

I asked, if he didn't mean it like that, what did he mean?

Ah Chu couldn't answer.

I told him to shut up then!

After the spanking, I stood with my hands on my hips and looked at the brat:

"Do you still want a big sister?!"

With red-rimmed eyes and a quivering lip, he muttered softly:

"...Yes."

I raised my hand, ready to hit him again!

He immediately hugged my leg, pressed his cheek against my knee, and whimpered:

"Mommy, stop hitting... Mommy hurts..."

Sigh... my explosive temper.

In the end, I couldn't bear to strike him again.

He hugged so tightly, shrinking by my feet into a little ball of grievance.

This little brat...

Who did he learn to be this stubborn from!

...

June 1, XXXX.

Today is Children's Day.

This little rascal is really going to be the death of me!

The little rascal has been a bit down lately.

Ever since I beat him up last time for saying he wanted a "big sister," he's been looking at us pitifully every day, looking so wronged!

Today, Ah Chu and I squeezed out a day from our busy schedules to take him out to play...

But this little brat still had that sulky attitude!

He clung to his dad's shirt corner and wouldn't let go, looking at me as if I had abused him.

What a little ingrate! I clearly held back when I hit him!

When I spanked him that day, I deliberately slapped my own palm. It just sounded loud!

He cried like the world was ending, but it was all an act, okay?!

Not only that!

Because Ah Chu and I frequently appear in the news, we both went out fully armed with masks and sunglasses.

As a result, along the way, I was wearing a mask and sunglasses, pulling along a pitiful-looking little boy who seemed afraid to speak.

Ah Chu, wearing his sunglasses and mask, followed expressionlessly beside us...

With that look, even I found him suspicious!

Xiao Qi kept looking back at me and then at his dad. That little gaze of his seemed to want to put us on the bad guy list in his young world.

And then, trouble came.

We were almost taken for suspicious human traffickers!

An older woman kept secretly sizing us up from the side and even pulled out her phone!

I could even hear her muttering to the person next to her:

"Why does that child look so unhappy? Are those two..."

Soon, we were stopped by a passing police officer.

The young officer was very proper, sternly questioning us about the child.

Helpless, I had to take off my sunglasses and mask to prove our innocence.

It would have been fine if we hadn't taken them off, but once we did, it was a disaster!

Ah Chu is simply too famous.

Although our company is currently only in secret research and development and few people know about it...

But Ah Chu was a great hero of the first Omnic Crisis, a scientist who had shown his face in various media magazines.

Most importantly, he has a face that rivals pop idols!

The moment he took off his mask, a few young girls nearby started screaming:

"It's Fang Chu!"

That screaming spread like falling dominoes.

Then, these shameless men and women all squeezed over!

Some even reached out to touch Ah Chu!

Touch what?! That's my husband!

Can't you see the wedding ring?! Our child is right beside us!

Do you people have any moral bottom line at all?!

I was so mad!

Sigh...

Now, "Eldest Daughter of the Su Family, Su Yue, throws a fit on the street to protect her husband" is hanging at the top of the trending searches.

In the photo, my hair is almost standing on end. I'm shielding Ah Chu behind me with one hand, pointing at the crowd with the other, looking extremely arrogant.

My expression is absolutely ferocious. It looks like I had just thrown a man who tried to squeeze onto Ah Chu back into the crowd.

Ah Chu is standing right next to me with his glasses sitting crooked on his nose, and Xiao Qi is staring at me with wide eyes...

These two are really going to be the death of me!!!

I finally managed to squeeze out a day to take this little brat out to play, and it turned out like this!

Throughout the whole trip, we didn't get to go on a single ride at the amusement park. We spent the whole time hiding from people!

Xiao Qi hasn't smiled all day. His Children's Day was ruined.

Sigh, I'm a bit of an unqualified mother.

Let me look at the time...

Great! It's already past twelve o'clock!

It's June 2nd!

Children's Day has passed!

As compensation for not having fun...

I'm going to go beat up that little brat again right now!

...

July 1st, Year XXXX.

The little brat is finally happy today.

Because Ah Chu and I ultimately decided to create a humanoid AI companion.

Of course, this is our choice after comprehensive consideration, and it has nothing to do with Xiao Qi's relentless pestering.

...Alright, maybe just a little bit.

But...

His wish for a "silver-haired big sister" is absolutely not in our scope of consideration!

But to be honest, our emotional core really is best suited for a humanoid form.

With the technology Ah Chu has been researching for so long, a humanoid form is far superior to cats and dogs in both function and experience.

The humanoid form can also take the high-end route. After all, it's an emotional AI, and people's sense of belonging regarding "emotion" leans more toward their own kind.

Robot cats and dogs are called pets.

A companion AI, however, needs to be an entity capable of empathy.

Only through interaction with a humanoid can there be a deeper and more authentic emotional connection.

Besides, Xiao Qi was right that day.

Although he's only a little over three years old and can't speak clearly, he really was right.

The little brat definitely inherited his dad's IQ.

What people need are robots, not robot dogs.

Robot cats and dogs can only satisfy superficial companionship needs, but deeper understanding, support, growing together, becoming each other's reliance...

These can only be achieved by humanoids.

A partner who can walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you and communicate face-to-face, versus an electronic pet that only knows how to wag its tail...

The psychological comfort they bring is on a completely different level.

Most importantly...

People can legally keep dogs.

But people cannot legally keep humans.

...Though there are quite a few who do it illegally.

Ahem, what am I saying!

If Ah Chu ever dares to keep anyone on the side, I'll twist his head right off!

...Anyway, we finally decided to make robots.

After Xiao Qi heard the news, he was so, so happy. His whole being was like a little sun that had been reignited!

He ran over and hugged my legs, rubbing his little face against my knees for quite a while, completely forgetting all his previous little grievances about being mad at me.

He even said to me in his milky little voice:

"Mommy, I want a silver-haired big sister! And the kind... you know, with two different colored eyes! One yellow and one red!"

This little brat!

A big sister again!

And a silver-haired, heterochromic big sister at that?

Where did he see this again?

In a recent cartoon? I'll have to go check what he's been secretly watching later!

However...

That's a no-go, Xiao Qi.

We don't dare make them too human-like right off the bat. The ethical issues are just too much of a headache.

Putting a completely simulated robot on the market, the public acceptance, the legal loopholes, the media hype...

We aren't prepared for any of these things yet.

So, we can only push forward little by little.

Ah Chu, myself, and the partners with whom we co-founded "Dawn" have unanimously decided...

The first generation of Dawn AI companions will be humanoid machines with metal shells.

They will have human forms, but no human faces.

They will speak, but they won't have skin.

They will provide companionship, but they won't be seen as "real people."

We have to test the public's bottom line bit by bit.

First, human-like, walking metal figures.

Then, perhaps there will be facial contours.

And then... perhaps skin?

This process might take ten or twenty years.

Wait until the public gradually accepts it in the future, and the laws are perfected accordingly...

Perhaps then there will be a second and third generation of AI companions that are closer to humans.

When that time comes, maybe we really can make a silver-haired, heterochromic big sister for you, Xiao Qi.

But you'll be all grown up by then. Will you still remember rolling around on the floor when you were three?

I am really looking forward to that day.

Looking forward to the moment when...

I can help you make this "little wish" come true!