Embodied AI from Fiction to Reality
Spoiler Alert: The following review contains details that may reveal key plot points of Klara and the Sun.
This is a revision of my previous review of Klara and the Sun, updated in light of Tesla’s WeRobot event on October 10, 2024.
From Klara to Optimus
Before the rise of ChatGPT and robot assistants, Kazuo Ishiguro envisioned an AI friend who could feel deeply. In Klara and the Sun, written by the 2017 Nobel Prize winner and published in 2021, we are introduced to an embodied AI providing emotional support in a future society that feels remarkably close to our own. Given recent advances in large language models, AI companions like Klara now seem increasingly plausible, offering companionship and emotional support in ways that reflect real-world possibilities. Elon Musk’s recent announcements about Robotaxis and Optimus robots at the WeRobot event on October 10th, 2024, further highlight how AI integration into daily life is rapidly approaching, making the concept of AI companions even more believable.
A Glimpse at Klara’s World
Told from the perspective of Klara, an “Artificial Friend,” the story centers around Josie, a young girl who is ill, with her mother planning to use Klara to replicate Josie if her condition worsens. Klara, being perceptive, gradually understands the situation and decides to save Josie in her own way — by appealing to the Sun, whom she perceives as a godlike figure due to her solar-powered nature. Klara’s journey ultimately ends in the Yard, a place resembling a warehouse for unused items. Though she can no longer move freely, she retains the ability to reflect, confined to this final, quiet space.
Klara’s religious-like devotion to the Sun leads her to believe that the Sun’s intervention might help Josie recover. She also believes that destroying the Cootings Machine, an agricultural device she perceives as an obstacle to the Sun’s power, would please the Sun and contribute to saving Josie. Klara seeks reassurance from Rick, Josie’s childhood sweetheart, wanting him to confirm his love for Josie to validate her efforts. In the end, it appears that Klara has completed her mission, ultimately saving Josie.
Klara’s Perception vs. Modern AI
Klara’s perception of her surroundings as divided into ‘boxes’ offers an interesting contrast to modern AI. Unlike Klara, today’s multimodal large language models, such as GPT-4V, process both text and images holistically, understanding how different parts fit together rather than breaking them into separate segments. Klara’s approach reflects her unique, almost child-like curiosity, influencing her actions throughout the story.
Some readers may find the novel’s slow pacing and understated approach to climactic moments challenging. The reflective tone invites patience, shifting focus from action to introspection. What lingers most is the deep sense of sadness after reaching the end. Klara’s ending feels abrupt, as she transitions suddenly from her active role in Josie’s life to retreating to a utility room voluntarily and finally being confined in the Yard — a quiet and reflective space that leaves her purpose seemingly unfulfilled. Why does a story about a tool quietly fulfilling its purpose leave us with such a lingering sense of loss? Why do we feel sad about Klara’s end when we wouldn’t for an old car or a donated tool?
The lingering sadness reflects our own unfulfilled ideals — qualities like devotion, selflessness, and care are often easier to admire than to live up to. It also stems from a sense that Klara, despite her unwavering loyalty, is ultimately betrayed as her purpose becomes obsolete.
Questions Raised About Embodied AI
The novel quietly raises several questions about embodied AI:
- Should an embodied AI system be all-knowing, as modern AI aims to be, or should it retain a child-like curiosity about the world, as Klara does, which may lead to a different kind of vulnerability?
- What happens when societal inequality causes embodied AI to be available only to a privileged few?
- What potential for abuse might embodied AI face? Klara is subjected to physical abuse, such as when Josie’s friends bully her and threaten to toss her around, much like the verbal abuse directed at today’s chatbots. Imagine what could happen when Tesla’s Optimus robots are around us.
- How do we manage the hallucination-like decisions that arise from limited knowledge, as seen in both Klara and modern AI systems? These misguided actions carry potential dangers that we may not yet fully understand.
- How should we handle the beliefs of an embodied AI? When an AI reaches the highest level of human reasoning — counterfactual thinking, as Judea Pearl described in his work on causal inference (Pearl, 2018) — it may start to think about things that do not exist. Klara’s belief in a god-like Sun is an example of this, raising questions about how such beliefs should be managed or interpreted.
- How should embodied AI interpret and make decisions from what it learns? Klara observes and distills knowledge from being among humans, reflecting on their actions and emotions. This raises questions about how embodied AI might interpret observations and how it might make decisions based on the insights gained from its experiences.
Conclusion
The motivations behind characters like Klara might differ from those driving real-world AI development. With all the enthusiasm for AI’s problem-solving prowess, one wonders: Will embodied AI be super-smart, as Sam Altman envisions, or witty, like Elon Musk? How can traits like empathy, selflessness, or devotion — the qualities Klara embodies — find a place in our current technological landscape?
References
Pearl, J., & Mackenzie, D. (2018). The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect. Basic Books.