Today’s writing prompt, A.I. Assistant Drama, should be fun and interesting to write. Keep reading to see the full prompt and my completed version of it.
Today’s Writing Prompt: A.I. Assitant Drama
Today, write a scene in which a character encounters and interacts with A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), eliciting drama. Try to include intense emotions in what you write or make the scene you write funny.
Completed Version of Today’s Writing Prompt
A.I. Assitant Drama, by K.E. Creighton
Samantha leaned in to console the sobbing toddler, Jamie, as she had been programmed to do. But Jamie didn’t want to be consoled. At least, not at first. After a few minutes, however, Jamie relented and let Samantha hold him and rock him back to sleep. And when his heavy head pressed against Samantha’s soft silicon shoulder, Samantha wrapped him in a blanket and laid him back down in the crib.
Jamie’s mother came into the room as Samantha was leaning over Jamie’s crib brushing a piece of hair away from his eye. She charged toward Samantha and forcefully tugged at the hem of Samantha’s uniform, pulling Samantha back. Samantha fell to the floor like a sinking boulder. She held a lamp above her head, ready to smash it over Samantha’s head (if you can call it that?) when Jamie’s father rushed in and stopped her. Samantha wasn’t programmed to handle this type of situation so stayed frozen, in a hunched position.
Jamie was standing up in his crib howling. And no one went to comfort him as Jamie’s father explained to his mother what Samantha was and why Samantha was there. Samantha was the property of the state, he said, sent to their house by the new child welfare program to assess them and their environment.
Jamie’s father turned to Samantha, telling Samantha to stand, and asked, “How long was Jamie crying when you came in here?” to which Samantha responded, “Fifty-seven seconds. Well within the acceptable range permitted.”
[All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton and Creighton’s Compositions LLC. The above work is a piece of fiction. All names and locations referred to are the product of the author’s imagination and are used entirely for fictional purposes. Any similarities to real-life persons or places are purely coincidental.]
Notes on Completing this Writing Prompt
Today’s writing prompt was partially inspired by the book Klara and the Sun written by Kazuo Ishiguro.
She kissed her husband good-bye as he left for work and walked her son to the school bus. As she came home, she saw a very handsome postman. Mr. Casey had mentioned a new guy would be taking his route today, and there he was. Something from her past made her shiver as she watched him pull his buggy to the curve.
I took until she got into the house to realize he looked exactly like her high school crush. She took her high school annual down from the shelf and found the picture of the homecoming king, Ben Green. The likeness was amazing, and he seemed to be even more handsome now than his picture.
She watched from her bay window as he made his postal deliveries. The same feelings of trying to get his attention came back like a flood. This pattern continued for three weeks, each time making her wonder if she could ever work up the nerve to talk to him. Then, instead of dropping the mail in her box, he rang the bell.
She had made a point of putting on her makeup and best sundress that morning, and the perm she got over the weekend made her feel confident. She answered the door, and the postman said, “Carrie Wood?”
His voice was slightly different than she remembered, but it was even more sultry! She took the clipboard and signed, then made a point of dropping the pen, As she bent over to get the pen, she expected to see him ogling her backside. Instead, he was sorting the letters in his bag!
Slightly disappointed, she handed him the clipboard and pen, and took the package. Her hand touched his arm, and his arm was cold. This was spring, and it was in the upper 70″s. One look in his dreamy eyes told her that this may not be the same guy she was crazy about. He smiled and thanked her, then blinked twice as he turned to walk to his truck.
Among the mail was a notice that was supposed to reach her about a month ago. It was from the USPS branch in her neighborhood. It informed everyone in her area that a new AI cyborg would be doing trial delivery for the next 6 months! It gave the website for feedback, and she immediately wrote in the comments “Thanks for nothing!”