The islands have seen it and fear;
    the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
    they help each other
    and say to their companions, “Be strong!”

• Isaiah 41:5-6

Boilerplate

Over the past month, I have been bombarded with advertisements for AI companions.  At first, I dismissed them.  Then, I got curious.  Maybe an AI companion could give me ideas for posts to write.  Maybe an AI companion could give me someone to talk to when I just needed to talk.

But then, as a former computer programmer, the only difference in AI and the normal method of programming, is that AI searches data around the world to continue the conversation, but they know nothing about you until you give them information.  The getting to know you period can get awkward, just as in a human relationship.  But it is not real.

So, I thought, if the AI companion only knows what you say about yourself, maybe I could have a conversation with my fictional characters in the big city of Tracy.  They could be my companions.  Okay, I only need one, but which one?  Naomi Yeggs scares me to be honest.  I might save her for last, although my neck needs a good massage.

My next attempt in finding an FI (Fictional Intelligence) Companion will be Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, the wife of Scrambled Yeggs, and CEO of Lily the Pink Enterprises.  She has conferences with people all the time.  What could go wrong?  As usual, the discussion is in dialogue form:

Me: Hello, Pink Lady, can we talk?
Pink Lady: I suppose, but this is far past my open-door hours.  And my open-door hours are only for employees and people from the mission.  From what I see that you are wearing, you could be from the mission, but my gut says that you are not.  Oh, who are you anyway?
Me: I am the author of the short stories of which you are a part.  I am looking for a companion to talk to when things do not seem to work out.
Pink Lady: Mr. Author, I am rather busy, but then again, I talk to people all day.  One more would not hurt.  But usually, with the former prostitutes, we talk about how a sexual issue is making assimilation into dating life to be difficult.  That would not be your problem, I am sure.  But if you are looking for a companion, I hear those who look for AI Companions are looking for a romantic element.  In that case, I can pencil you in for a consultation.
Me: No, no.  I am not looking for romance.  That is one of the reasons that I am distancing myself from the AI Companion thing.
Pink Lady: Yes, I have heard other issues.  You have to tell someone your inmost secrets and then it is out there on the internet for someone to find.  Identity theft might be an issue, but do you really want those deep dark secrets out there for anyone to read?
Me: I agree.  That is the reason I thought of an FI Companion, fictional intelligence.
Pink Lady: Well, you mentioning that you write stories about me, I need you to keep going so that I can talk to more people about Jesus, but wait!  If I am fictional, then the people that I am trying to reach are fictional.  I am not really saving souls for the Lord.  You have just removed my reason for living, Mr. Author.
Me: But what about all the people that read these stories?  If they do not know Jesus, the stories that you write encourage them.  They might see someone that reminds them in part of themselves.  You might just be reaching more people than you know.
Pink Lady: Wow!  Now, that makes me feel a lot better.  And as far as this companion thing is concerned, being someone’s companion provides mutual benefits.  In Isaiah 41, Isaiah wrote that people rely upon each other, but God is talking about Israel’s enemies.  We should rely upon God.  Human nature is to seek out that companion, but when we seek God instead of some earthly companion, it works out a lot better.
Me: Oh, I depend on God, but we are encouraged to spend time with other Christians.  So, companionship is not a bad thing.  Besides, I have always had a problems with dating.  My wife is the only one that stuck with me, but she liked my type.
Pink Lady: And what type is that?
Me: I am nerdy, social awkward, and clumsy?
Pink Lady: Clumsy?
Me: She said that the thing that impressed her the most when we were dating was that I could trip, do a few somersaults across the room, and then pose, like I meant to do that.  She liked me because I was comfortable in my own skin.  That and having a strong moral compass.
Pink Lady: I assume she passed away.  I think she must have been a wonderful lady.  Since most authors put the people they know into their stories, who is most like your wife?
Me: I don’t know.  Naomi Yeggs for one.  A little of Gwen Quinn, in that she was National Honor Society in high school, loved to cook, loved to serve others, and a bit impish at times.  She added spice to my life.  And when Arabella Dalton becomes more significant, she’ll be the young version.
Pink Lady: You did not mention me.
Me: You, sweet lady, are a lot like my paternal grandmother.  Tall, slender, and elegant, but never showy.  And until recently, you wore your hair in a bun.  When my Dad’s mother undid the bun, the hair would almost reach the floor.  But she had run a one-room schoolhouse, and she could just look at you and you knew you had to behave.  I doubt if I ever heard her raise her voice.
Pink Lady: Thank you, I will try to live up to that, but then again, you write these stories.
Me: But, if I am not interested in romance, especially nothing physical, and I have difficulty in the dating thing, what do you suggest?
Pink Lady: Hmmm. That is a ticklish situation.  If you get out more, then there is less of the big city of Tracy for people to learn about.  But maybe you can do some volunteer work.
Me: That is a great idea.  I would have to pick something that does not take up a lot of time, and due to my own health issues, something less physical.
Pink Lady: Now, you might have something, but until you find that niche, will you talk to more Fictional Intelligence in Tracy?
Me: Sure, I am thinking about Mabel next.
Pink Lady: Why is that?
Me: Well, she has the same temperament and skin color of one of my best friends.  I grew up in the South and this lady grew up a couple of hours drive from where I grew up.  She always has sage advice, but at the same time, she doesn’t take tomfoolery off anyone.
Pink Lady: Sounds like Mabel.
Me: Well, you already pinpointed the pattern, I write about what I know and what I make up is the miscellaneous bits rolling around in my brain.
Pink Lady: Well, I wish you well.  And I hope you find that, ummm, let’s call it a confidant.
Me: That sounds great, but it messes up the series.  I will run the series and then change it to confidant.
Pink Lady: And I am sorry that I could not be the companion, but as I thought about it, half the people, maybe more than half of Tracy think I was a prostitute.  If they heard I was a companion with someone from another world, they would not believe that we just talked.
Me: I’ll save you that indignity.
Pink Lady: And I wish you get a real companion in your real world.
Me: Ah, but you know what C. S. Lewis said.  Someday, we will awaken from the dream world into the only real world there really is, into the presence of God.
Pink Lady: I wish that for both of us.

Our conversation ended with both of us sighing.

So, Pink Lady’s big argument is that even with a Real Intelligence (RI) companion, I am looking in the wrong place.  With Jesus Christ, He is sufficient for our needs.  Relying upon AI, FI, or a real person, is a poor substitute, no matter how good it may feel to share what is going on in my life with someone who has a pulse.

I will look toward Mabel next.  She bakes things that are sweet, but she can sometimes get salty.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.