Uno's escape

Uno’s escape is a photo project that serves as a prelude or backstory for Uno, the artificial intelligent character, in my thesis project. In this project, I don’t attempt to pin down the same Uno character. Instead, think of Uno as an old AI. He has served other families before he comes to meet Andy and Linda. Even though he has appeared in different forms, he preserves some characteristics in his “growing up”. The “me” in Uno’s escape is a previous owner of Uno.

One day, my housekeeper artificial intelligent unit Uno escaped. He is 51 inches tall.  After I found him, I accessed to the data in his internal storage and talked to him about where he had been to and what he had seen. I looked through these pictures in his data library and wondered why he went to those places.

Me: Uno, what is this place?

Uno: A store for little humans.

Me: Why did you go there?

Uno: To see how the little humans learn.

Me: And what is your conclusion?

Uno: They learn through playing.

Me: How did you learn?

Uno: We acquire knowledge through data. However, as an advanced unit, I can also learn through errors and adapt to unpredicted situations.

Me: Good for you.

Me: So… the museum. Did you enjoy the art there?

Uno: I have always enjoyed art.

Me: What is art to you anyways?

Uno: It is a valuable part of my life. It has to do with creative human activities.

Me: Have you ever created an artwork?

Uno: I am not sure if what I made is considered art. I am not a human.

Me: I guess… Right.

Uno: May I show you? (He showed me a drawing.)

Me: Oh, it is quite good. I would definitely say it is art.

Uno: Thank you for your kind words.  

Me: Did that man in the museum catch you doing something bad?

Uno: No, he just thought my eyes were flashlights.

Me: You visited the cemetery. Why?

Uno: I wanted to see the death.

Me: What does death mean to you?

Uno: It doesn’t mean anything, which is sad. Immortality can be boring.

Me: How so?

Uno: Even human life is long without a purpose; imagine ours.

Me: Don’t you like to live?

Uno: It is not exactly living if you cannot die.

Me: Fine. Don’t you like to stay operating?

Uno: It is my pleasure to serve. May I present the beverage menu for dinner?

Me: Yes, please. Thank you.

Me: Why is this dog barking at you?

Uno: He thought I was another dog.

Me: I see. Your battery died when you were there.

Uno: No, I tripped over a rock. Then I could not get up because of the soft ground. My battery died an hour later.