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Mom's New Apartment.

May's Employment Attempts.

Relationship Issues (take your pick as to whom)

Hanners and her HAAAAAAATTT!!!!

The Band!

Harriet officially joins the cast (with her pet bird YB)

Insert Meme Here (space ham, space tea, waffles, etc.)

Something completely different.

[jwhouk]

Another week lays out before us like a rug that is in serious need of shampooing.

[KOK]

A virgin week, pregnant with posibility.

[Loki]

Like Lady Mary.

[FunkyTuba]

or Lovely Rita?

[Kugai]

There are a Trillian things that could happen

[cesariojpn]

Like Lady Mary.

Til her husband dies, leaving her a widow.

[Mlle Germain]

Is that a Downton Abbey reference? If not, never mind.

(click to show/hide)

(I will admit that I thought of Downton Abbey first when I read the first post about Lady Mary. I still need to watch the end of the third series and all of the fourth, but I read too many spoilers in newspapers, so I know the most important things that happen.)

[Detachable Felix]

There are a Trillian things that could happen

It's a land of Infinite Improbability.

[jwhouk]

There are a Trillian things that could happen

It's a land of Infinite Improbability.

I only put up eight options, not 42.

[Rghfrgl]

@jeph

Huh. Things took an unexpectedly dramatic turn in Monday's comic.

Hanners, stop killing everyone.

[Mlle Germain]

  Ohohoh... Sounds bad. Dramatic is usually bad.

[jwhouk]

My money's on Marigold.

[ankhtahr]

Plot twist: they didn't release May, she broke out!

[Method of Madness]

Hanners, stop killing everyone.

Hey, they're the ones who woke her up

[jwhouk]

Comi...


Oh wow.


Uhm, ladies, gentlemen and others: I think we just saw the first case of bigotry in the run of QC.

[Near Lurker]

She changes fast.

[mustang6172]

Yet another example of why civil rights for robots is a bad idea.

[SuctionCup Caper Two]

KABOOM

[Neko_Ali]

I do believe that's the first time I've ever seen a Drama F-Bomb.

[GarandMarine]

Tell'em May!

She looked cute as hell in the tank and jeans combo though.

[Is it cold in here?]

Momo had a lot of trouble finding a job, but Jeph said at the time that it had more to do with the economy and that anti-robot bigotry was not widespread.

On the other hand, Marten was prejudiced about AnthroPCs being able to make coffee.

[Northern Light]

First time poster here, sup?

Now, addressing the comic: there are many incredibly valid points to not hiring AI employees, the first and foremost of which is the most obvious - they aren't human. When there are fully qualified people applying for the same position, the decision to instead "hire" an AI is, frankly, immoral. The employer is making a conscious decision to contribute to poverty and human suffering, even if his intentions lie elsewhere (the road to Hell and all that); most likely with his profit margins. It is comparable to self-service machines taking the place of people, or assembly lines being staffed with robots.

Frankly, I agree with the boss in today's strip. On top of being literally inhuman, May exhibits other qualities which would be red flags for any intelligent employer - she has a short fuse, she curses, she is confrontational, she has a sarcastic streak a mile wide, etc. Moreover, the idea of any kind of Robot Civil Rights is outright ludicrous. Machines are our tools, not our equals. We make them in order to accomplish things we cannot on our own, and if we gave them the ability to both think for themselves and Freedom of Action, we would be stepping into our graves. These are not genetically engineered humans, which is a whole 'nother kettle o' fish, these are constructs of metals and composites loaded with data made to enhance our lives, nothing more.

Empathy is reserved for living beings. Machines are not alive. A mimicry of a human mind contained in a robot is not alive, it is merely a simulacrum of life - a testament to its engineers' ability, to be sure, but that is all.

[ankhtahr]

It's been made well clear, that in the QCverse AIs are considered to be alive, and have been granted civil rights at our side. AIs are as alive as any human being, and are in all aspects considered like humans.

[Is it cold in here?]

Anyone who can knowingly ask for civil rights, and agree to the responsibilities that come with them, is a person whether she's implemented with transistors or with goo.

Jeph said there's not as much competition as you'd expect between AIs and humans for jobs. A lot of AIs displace less intelligent machines, like the toaster. A lot of the rest don't want to work.

[hedgie]

It's been made well clear, that in the QCverse AIs are considered to be alive, and have been granted civil rights at our side. AIs are as alive as any human being, and are in all aspects considered like humans.

Not to mention that they have bills to pay, and can also experience the same level of suffering as any human.   Denying an AI employment on that basis alone is certainly lawsuit worthy in the QC 'verse.  Now, denying *May* a job might make sense, at least in any service job that isn't CoD-like.  She might work as a bartender at some dive where surly service is expected.

[Loki]

On top of being literally inhuman, May exhibits other qualities which would be red flags for any intelligent employer - she has a short fuse, she curses, she is confrontational, she has a sarcastic streak a mile wide, etc.

Those may well be valid reasons for not hiring May, but the boss doesn't hire AIs on a general basis.

Which means that if, say, Momo came along (who is the most hospitable AI person we know) she also wouldn't get a chance.

[techkid]

May exhibits other qualities which would be red flags for any intelligent employer - she has a short fuse, she curses, she is confrontational, she has a sarcastic streak a mile wide, etc.

Your argument on AI rights aside (which is actually kind of central to QC (see here, here, here and here), May is no more surly nor belligerent than people can be. Hell, look at any forum or social media page, and you will see instances of rudeness that border on sociopathy. Do they also not deserve the same rights to employment? They do, but they need to pull their heads out of their asses if they are going to be dealing with people on a daily basis (although, once they're promoted to manager or something...).

On comic: it's the same sort of inflection when people say "I'm not racist/sexist/homophobic etc., but <insert derogatory comment about aforementioned group here>".

[Mad Cat]

I love how Utopian the QC-verse is. With the real world America seeing fewer than 2 in 3 available workers seeking work, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-number-of-jobs-grows-but-not-labor-force-participation/2014/06/06/aa0ee18a-ed9e-11e3-b84b-3393a45b80f1_story.html the QC-verse can worry about job opportunities for sentient machines. That is why I would rather live in the QC-verse than any other fictional universe barnone.

[Mad Cat]

"I'm not racist/sexist/homophobic etc., but <insert derogatory comment about aforementioned group here>".

The proper way to punctuate any such sentence is immediately after the word "but", by placing your fist in the speaker's face.

[Kugai]

So, it exists.

I've often wondered if it did.

Stands to reason considering Humans will be Humans

And on occasion douchbags.

[hedgie]

Anti-AI prejudice in the QC 'verse is in fact canon.  Has been for quite some time.  This is just the first time that the bigotry is so overt.

[Ben]

Classic Liberal Left attitude. I wouldn't hire May, but I wouldn't hire a human with her attitude either unless they demonstrated some skill I wanted pretty badly.

But; we know May and Momo don't sleep or eat, and could stand in a broom cupboard indefinitely, or even - probably - just out in the yard, and come to no lasting harm. Any damaged or malfunctioning component or sub-assembly can be replaced, assuming someone is willing to pay for it. They have no elderly parents, no dependants and don't age as far as we know, although presumably their joints wear out eventually. They can simply transfer into a new body, and do so as the situation requires.

I'd say they have rights and abilities so far beyond anything the human characters have that the humans should be suing THEM

[ZoeB]

First time poster here, sup?

I'm glad that this is the kind of place where views like yours can be aired without rancour. I think you'll find them unpopular, but I hope no-one will descend into rudeness should they try rebutting you. Fingers X'd.

The primary reason that your views are likely to be unpopular is that in the QC verse, AI's are people. Both de facto and apparently de jure.

You'll also find a number of readers and forum contributors who have been treated poorly, for very similar reasons to the ones you gave for robots generally, rather than May in particular. They have been in exactly that situation. Consequently, they are unlikely to be sympathetic to your argument.

For an example, you may wish to look through this thread. It's long, but you may find it informative.
http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php?topic=28457.0

[Ben]

Anti-AI prejudice in the QC 'verse is in fact canon.  Has been for quite some time.  This is just the first time that the bigotry is so overt.

But, but, but... the Idoru outlet appears to be entirely staffed by robots and AIs and no-one seems to regard this as exceptional. I don't doubt that if asked, Idoru would produce a business case in short order, that their business is robot-centred and demonstrating that AIs can do the job is a business-driven decision. By the same token, I'd guess the number of humanoid AIs walking in the clothing shop are pretty small and human staff were good for business.

It's a basic characteristic of political correctness that it functions by excluding people who have no reason to support it.

[techkid]

Okay. Say being a Caucasian somehow magically became a "minority group" (calling this a stretch of the imagination is an understatement, I know). "Whities" as they are known are... tolerated, most people may actually befriend them, but there is stigma hanging around them still. Say then, as a Caucasian seeking employment, you go into a neighbourhood that looks pretty friendly and accepting, and the person at the reception says "Sorry, but I wouldn't try. The boss doesn't hate Caucasians, but, well...". How would that feel to you, personally?

Even if there was some sort of context to it, would you still accept it as a sentient being, when you are the one being prejudiced against?

[Ben]

I don't know about "somehow, magically", because there are plenty of places in the UK where that's exactly what has happened, and it isn't popular.

Political correctness is great, for as long as you can sit there feeling smug about about it on your parents' money, or the tax-payers' expense. It ISN'T so great when you are thinking, oh wow, THAT'S a days' wages? Or tbe government is telling you they are closing hospitals to pay for benefits to people in another land, or you read about "Operation Bullfinch", Rotherham and "Trojan Horse" (non-UK readers can do their own research, GIYF ).

AIs are the ultimate aliens; manufactured by unspecified, unaccountable third parties to displace humans, and allowed to run around free for no reason so far stated.

OF COURSE there are people who don't like them. Closing your eyes and ears and crying "racist, bigot, yada yada, four legs good, two legs bad" is no answer

[cesariojpn]

Second to last panel.....the clerks words don't seem to flow properly. What exactly was she trying to say and invoke?

[Loki]

AIs are the ultimate aliens; manufactured by unspecified, unaccountable third parties to displace humans, and allowed to run around free for no reason so far stated.

(emphasis mine)
There is no canon evidence whatsoever that their purpose is to displace humans. How AIs came into being in general was, I believe, linked to numerous times in this thread; how or why, indeed, specific AIs come into being we do not know.

Your sentence is a bit difficult to understand to me; at first I thought you had said that aliens (as in, foreigners) have the purpose to displace the current population and should not be allowed to run around freely.
I should not need mention that such views, were they indeed expressed, would not be tolerated on this forum.

OF COURSE there are people who don't like them. Closing your eyes and ears and crying "racist, bigot, yada yada, four legs good, two legs bad" is no answer

I do not believe anyone here was saying that in the manner you described.

[Schmee]

AIs are the ultimate aliens; manufactured by unspecified, unaccountable third parties to displace humans, and allowed to run around free for no reason so far stated.

"No reason so far stated"? How about the fact that AIs in general seem to be sentient, functioning members of society? Pintsize and May are exceptions to the rule; they get more coverage in QC because they're good for laughs.

If your problem with AIs stems (as it seems to) from the fact that they aren't human, then in the world of QC you would be considered a bigot. In this fictional world, AIs haven't stolen people's jobs, they aren't replacing people, and as far as we can see there isn't any downside to their existence at all. Opposing them simply on the basis that they aren't like you is not justifiable.

Closing your eyes and ears and crying "racist, bigot, yada yada, four legs good, two legs bad" is no answer

People keep on ignoring what you have to say and calling you a racist and a bigot? I wonder why.

[Ben]

So..... the sentient control unit for a self-driving forklift ISN'T displacing the human who would otherwise be driving it? The robot sales staff in the Idoru outlet AREN'T doing jobs that would otherwise be done by humans? AIs don't breed, they are manufactured. They clearly aren't cheap, and someone must be financing their construction for a clearly defined purpose.

Station is clearly doing a job which no human could do, and Pintsize is clearly meant to be understood as a gadget along the lines of an iPad, but Momo and May?

I know its much easier to chant "racist, bigot" than discuss the implications rationally, but to simply wave the question away saying "no downside at all" is naive in tne extreme. The later Discworld books have quite a nuanced image of, for example, golems. Golems clearly have a history of being resented, but they clearly DO displace human workers under certain circumstances - at the foundry, for example. In some cases they do jobs no human could physically do - pumping water in a shaft is a common example. Their agenda of purchasing each other by cooperative effort is clearly something few humans care about, because either the golem remains at its task for wages, or another one replaces it. There is a specific example in one of the later books, in which tbe Patrician rules that they cannot be employed within the City because they would collapse the economy, essentially by removing much if the currency from circulation

Dwarves are different; much if their activity consists of selling things not otherwise available, working for quite high wages or pursuing enterprises such as the "mine" in Thud! Which no human would wish to pursue. Trolls are different again; they appear to have few marketable skills and serve as unskilled labour, although whether they work for lower wages  than humans, isn't specified.

[jwhouk]

Second to last panel.....the clerks words don't seem to flow properly. What exactly was she trying to say and invoke?

She's explaining why she puts up with the bigotry: money.

[jwhouk]

AIs don't breed, they are manufactured. They clearly aren't cheap, and someone must be financing their construction for a clearly defined purpose.

You seen the price of what it costs to raise a child to age 18 these days?

[ankhtahr]

Also I'm not quite sure where it was, but if I remember correctly, then AIs aren't manufactured. Their bodies are.

[Soylent Green]

Honestly I have to agree with Northern Light.  Moreover, most of the posters in this thread seem to be completely ignoring the issue for the sake of appearing politically correct in regards to an issue that shouldn't exist in the first place.  Really, the idea that equal rights would be given to AI is quite a horrifying idea.

You seen the price of what it costs to raise a child to age 18 these days?

For the most part children are concieved either on accident or to pass on ones genes to another generation.  Why exactly and by whom are the AI being produced?

She's explaining why she puts up with the bigotry: money.

I would be more accurate to say that she is putting up with it because life has placed her in such a position.  Though I wouldn't call it bigotry since the AI isn't even alive in a truly meaningful way.

[jwhouk]

Dangit, my record of threads created without a lock is going to end this week, isn't it?

[Mad Cat]

Okay. Say being a Caucasian somehow magically became a "minority group" (calling this a stretch of the imagination is an understatement, I know).

It's actually projected that in the 2043, "Non-Hispanic Whites" will drop to less than 50% of the U.S. Census population, at which point there would be no true majority, and America will become a "majority minority nation". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_racial_and_ethnic_demographics_of_the_United_States#Projections_for_2020_through_2060 Of course, when you add Mono-Racial Whites to Hispanic Whites to Multi-Racial but identify as Whites, those white people will remain in the majority until well into the 22nd century. But the fact remains that the majority minority America is coming.

Warning - while you were typing Earth was invaded by aliens from space and the Moon exploded. You may wish to bugout to the hills.

[Thrillho]

Shopgirl did not deserve that attitude. At all.

[TheBiscuit]

Shopgirl did not deserve that attitude. At all.

I'm not sure if I can agree. She could have just given May an application, without opening the discussion about AI employment. A discussion which the law has already closed, making the store owner wrong.

I don't know about "somehow, magically", because there are plenty of places in the UK where that's exactly what has happened, and it isn't popular.

I dare say it isn't popular with racists and the type of people who vote UKIP - but I repeat myself of course. Anyone else has no reason to care.

White is still the overwhelming majority of people in the UK. Over 87% according to the last census.

[epmin]

Shopgirl did not deserve that attitude. At all.

This quote made me want to chime in with my tuppence worth.  Having worked in clothing store for a number of years, I feel i should point out that, whilst shopgirl could have worded herself better, May is positively polite and pleasant compared to the usual attitude from 'humans' when they hear something they don't like during a clothes shopping trip.

[Loki]

Dangit, my record of threads created without a lock is going to end this week, isn't it?

Moderator Comment

I very much wish to avoid that. As such, I request that the discussion about projected demographics of whatever country stops here, as it is hardly relevant to the topic of AI rights and opens up a whole new can of worms. (This is not a statement about whether other discussion here does or does not, mind.)

So..... the sentient control unit for a self-driving forklift ISN'T displacing the human who would otherwise be driving it? The robot sales staff in the Idoru outlet AREN'T doing jobs that would otherwise be done by humans? AIs don't breed, they are manufactured. They clearly aren't cheap, and someone must be financing their construction for a clearly defined purpose.

I was making no statement about whether the forklift is indeed displacing a human - I was postulating there is no evidence someone is creating AIs for the express purpose of replacing humans. Are you saying there is evidence someone is doing so? To what means would they be doing that?