The concept of robots as physical machines that can perform tasks that humans cannot has been depicted in many ways in fiction. But the concept of sentient artificial intelligence (AI) entities capable of providing emotional support is relatively less common.
Films such as Her (2013), written and directed by Spike Jonze, Anukul (2017), directed by Sujoy Ghosh, After Yang (2022), directed by Kogonada, and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024), written and directed by Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah, explore the concept of robots and AI entities that are capable of learning human emotions, adapting to human idiosyncrasies and even displaying similar behaviour.
What is noteworthy in all these films is that they all have robots or AI entities that look and sound entirely human. Perhaps because it makes the suspension of disbelief that much easier. What is also common is that they are all meant to fill a void in the lives of the protagonists. In Her, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is an introverted man who is unable to come to terms with the reality that his marriage to his childhood sweetheart has come apart. He buys an operating system that has no physical form, and is simply a voice (Scarlett Johansson) that calls herself Samantha.
In Anukul, Nikunj Chaturvedi (Saurabh Shukla) is a retired Hindi teacher who lives by himself and gets himself a robot as a companion (Parambrata Chatterjee) and help around the house.
After Yang shows a couple—Colin Farrell as Jake and Jodi Tyler-Smith as Kyra)—that gets a robotic teenage boy Yang that can help their adopted Chinese daughter Mika learn about her own heritage with information and anecdotes. Teri Baaton Mein… in a quintessential, Hindi entertainer-style plot, has Aryan (Shahid Kapoor) falling in love with Sifra (Kriti Sanon) with nary a doubt that she is not human.
The visual language and treatment of each of these films are vastly different from each other, and yet what ties them together is the emotional dependence that the human protagonists develop for the non-human companions. It is not simply about the robots’ ability to cook with both hands, know multiple languages, or capture and recall the minutest detail about a person and their life; it is about how the humans almost forget that these are mechanical and electronic objects that are programmed to behave and respond in specific ways.
It also shows how some humans, who find themselves alone and isolated in a world that has become increasingly difficult and unpleasant to live in, can find solace in such relationships that make them feel comfortable and loved. “You are dating your computer?” asks Theodore’s incredulous ex-wife. “You always wanted to have a wife without the challenges of actually dealing with anything real.” And even then, Theodore is left heartbroken when he realises that Samantha speaks to 8,316 other people, and is in love with 641 of them.
Theodore’s heartbreak is reflected in how Jake, After Yang, scrambles around to preserve the ‘memories’ that Yang had accumulated during the course of his existence, because he had once expressed the wish to have his own memories of things, instead of simply the information that he has been fed. It is also reflected in how Aryan strikes down a malfunctioning Sifra when she goes on a rampage, and yet holds her tenderly as she falls.