Since Jeph went to the trouble of explaining the legal status of AIs in his world a bit more I can't help but think about it more seriously.
I'm probably alone in this, but even in the cuddly context of this comic I have no problem with a world where AIs are entirely subservient to humans, have no rights and are subject to Asimov's laws. I think anything less restrictive is simply asking for a "Terminator" scenario. Hell, even Asimov's Robots/Foundation timeline resulted in the virtual enslavement of humanity in a sterilized universe devoid of other life due to the demands of the 0th law. An outcome that's kind of nonsensical IMO, since I can't imagine there was no other AI of greater ingenuity in the universe.
I certainly think Jeph's stance on AI creates a million problems for the story. How do you buy something that is a sentient being? The newspost implies that you don't, you simply visit the shop in order to present yourself to the AI available and form a relationship. Someone still has to buy the hardware. What if after a year or three, the AI decides it doesn't want to continue in a relationship with you? It might even be justified in doing so. Suppose you're not a very nice person?
Problem is, the AI is currently inhabiting a pile of hardware that you paid for. If it wants to leave, does it get to keep the chassis? I sincerely hope
not. While the AI itself might be a free sentient being, the hardware remains the property of whoever bought it. We already established last week that AnthroPC chassis (Sony ones at least...) are an expensive investment. So if it gets to leave without the chassis, what form does it take? A wandering USB stick? Does it release itself into the internet in the form of pure data?
Then we have the flipside of the coin. What if you want to get rid of the AnthroPC? It is usually possible for us to terminate relationships that we have with others. If you tell your girlfriend that you want to break up with her, ultimately she doesn't get any choice in the matter. She can (if she should wish) try to change your mind, but if one person chooses to dissolve a relationship, then that's all it takes. Same applies to our relationships with friends. I suppose it should be the same with AnthroPCs, but Leda's reaction sseems to indicate that this is not seen as acceptable. I can therefore see three possibilities.
1) The AnthroPC is effectively a pet. It is possible to sever the relationship you have with your pets but is generally seen as reprehensible unless you have no choice, in which case it is deeply regrettable. Mistreatment of pets is in some jurisdictions governed by applicable laws and subject to penalties.
2) The AnthroPC has the status of a child. It is your legal responsibility to care for them OR to make other provisions for them which would be analogous to adoption. Mistreatment and/or abandonment the child is governed by applicable laws and subject to penalties.
3) You have no explicit responsibility to care for or provide for your AnthroPC, but emotional blackmail means that most people always will.
I'm not sure which of those is the better option, but certainly one or the other of them seems likely to be true if AIs really have any legal status other than property.
What about upgrades? If your AnthroPC desires an upgrade or a whole new chassis that you can't afford, it seems eminently reasonable to deny it to them. We do much the same with children, although their technological desires tend to be external and not internal. What if the AnthroPC doesn't agree with you on your choice of chassis? They seem to come in a wide range of aesthetic styles. If I'm the one paying, I expect to choose the style and colour. Is that fair to the AnthroPC? What if I chose a Sony KawaiiPC chassis because it appeals to me in ways that the AI might not approve of? I hasten to add that I have no such leanings, but some ronery otaku certainly
would.
Since there are apparently life-size humanoid chassis (Leda seems to be one) then that raises an obvious question. It may be rather a delicate topic, but it's an obvious implication of all that Jeph has written on the topic (in text and comic form) to wonder what about romance? Momo-tan appears to have a crush on Sven, and Winslow has certain tender feelings for Hannelore. If she should obtain a life-size chassis, then presumably it would be OK for her to pursue this. After all, we seem to be treating the AI as people, here. I can only presume that it would be forbidden for people to force... sexual behaviour on their AnthroPCs, but what if they engage in such behaviour voluntarily? Some of them seem to like their human companions a great deal, and... arguably it should be their choice.
If AnthroPCs have the status of pets or children, that neatly takes care of any questions arising out of that from a legal perspective. In practice though, I dare to say that some people might ignore the legality if both parties are willing. Momo and Leda both have fingers, and really that is all you
need for some kind of sexual interaction. Certainly for all their artificial nature and lack of any more than a superficial resemblance to human genitals, vibrating sex toys have remained enduringly popular. How much more popular an AnthroPC which with the right upgrades might conceivably be able to vibrate, and with which you can have an actual relationship? Even if the manufacturers do not fill the gap in the market for sexual upgrades, no doubt some entrepeneur would.
Arguably we could say that Pintsize has shown some signs of sexual desire. He expressed a certain satisfaction at having seen Faye's breasts and with regard to the beating he received from Marigold for his... hands-on interaction, his own words were, "It wath worth it."
I could go on all day about the questions this raises about the strip, but sadly, Bellisario's Maxim applies. I sincerely hope that this topic of discussion has remained on the right side of the line which would make me appear akin to the bearhat guy. I'm not expressing any desires, nor commenting on the anatomy (or hardware) of any character in a sexual way - I'm talking about the world in abstracts.
Now I'll actually talk about the plot of the strip. Presumably Marigold's intention was to buy Momo a $30k chassis on this fine morning. Momo seems to have misinterpreted for reasons which are
entirely a mystery to me, but I have to ask.... Marigold was (and perhaps still is...) gonna drop 30 large on a new chassis, even though it was implied in the last strip that she would have difficulty in affording it? I
really hope this is purely because she cares for Momo and would like her to be happy.
If it turns out it's because she just needs her goddamn games that badly I'm going to be dissapointed. I said last week that while there's nothing especially wrong with being a habitual gamer, a three day break is something she ought to be able to cope with. I went for about ten days not that long ago without finding much time to game. I think maybe I got in about three hours in all that time... I wasn't jonesing for my next fix, ya know?