How To Write A Believable AI Character
How do you write an AI character readers will care about? Explore the rules and secrets to making artificial intelligence believable.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. From computers that play chess to chatbots that can hold conversations, AI is becoming part of everyday life. But how do you turn artificial intelligence into a believable character?
Oxford Reference defines artificial intelligence as: ‘The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.’
What Is AI?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that allows computers to perform tasks that usually need human intelligence. We already use AI in many ways. Computers can play chess, recognise speech, and suggest products when we shop online. Smart devices, such as fridges and home assistants, also use AI.
Fiction tends to focus on a more exciting kind of artificial intelligence. Instead of simply performing tasks, fictional AI can talk, make decisions, take action, and even develop emotions.
Fictional AI often falls into two broad categories:
- Utopian [or idealistic]
- Dystopian [or disastrous] – this often falls under mundane science fiction
These characters are often closer to chatbots, such as ChatGPT, which are designed to communicate with people. A smart fridge might be AI, but it is not quite as exciting to write about!
Writing The AI Character
1. AI Needs A Creator
Artificial intelligence is created by someone, and usually for a reason. Ask yourself: Who created your AI character, and why?
Think of Frankenstein’s monster. Dr Victor Frankenstein creates him because he wants to discover the secret of life. He even hopes to create more beings like him. HAL 9000, from 2001: A Space Odyssey, is created to help run a spacecraft and carry out its mission.
Like human characters, AI characters need a backstory. Who made them? What were they designed to do? Does their creator still play a part in their lives?
2. Give AI A Location
Where does your AI character exist? Does it have a body, live inside a computer, or control an entire building?
Frankenstein’s monster needs a body to house his mind. In Dean Koontz’s Demon Seed, Proteus operates from a computer system and controls a house. Chappie, from the film Chappie, is a robot with artificial intelligence. After he is stolen, he begins to develop his own personality.
Your AI does not have to look or behave like a human. Also consider whether it has a gender, and whether that matters to the character or your story.
3. AI Uses Rules
Artificial intelligence is usually created with rules. These tell it what to do and what to avoid.
Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics is a famous example. The three laws are:
- A robot may not harm a human being, or allow a human being to come to harm through inaction.
- A robot must obey human orders, unless those orders conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence, as long as this does not conflict with the first two laws.
These rules create interesting problems for fictional AI. What happens when rules conflict? What if a human gives an order that could hurt someone?
In fiction, AI often breaks its rules, misunderstands them, or finds ways around them. This can become the starting point for your plot.
4. Make AI Aware
Artificial intelligence is built to perform a task. But fictional AI becomes interesting when it starts doing more than it was designed to do. It becomes self-aware. It thinks, questions, and makes its own decisions.
This can have good or bad results. An AI might develop a sense of right and wrong, or decide that humans are the problem. Isaac Asimov explores these ideas in I, Robot. His stories show what happens when robots think for themselves and respond to situations in unexpected ways.
Ask yourself what happens when your AI becomes self-aware. Does it want freedom? Does it fear being switched off? Does it question its purpose? These questions give your character something to struggle with. Otherwise, you might end up with little more than a very clever toaster!
5. Let Your Character Develop
An AI character needs to be more than a computer that talks. Readers must be able to connect with it and care about what happens to it.
Give your AI two important qualities: the ability to reason and the ability to experience or express emotion. Can it understand human feelings? Does it experience fear, love, or anger? Can it make mistakes and learn from them?
Like human characters, AI characters should change as the story unfolds. Perhaps your AI starts by following orders but learns to make its own choices. Perhaps it develops emotions or becomes more dangerous as it learns about the world. Give your AI a reason to change. Its development should help drive your story.
Examples Of AI Characters
- Klara And The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: Klara is an Artificial Friend who keeps children company. Told from her perspective, the novel explores her observations, loyalty, and growing understanding of human emotions.
- Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan: Adam is an artificial human bought by a couple in an alternative 1980s Britain. His ability to think, feel, and make moral decisions challenges human relationships.
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells: Murderbot is a security android that has secretly disabled its governing system. It prefers watching television to dealing with humans, but gradually reveals its personality, fears, and desire for independence.
The Last Word
Writing an AI character gives you plenty of room to explore ideas about identity, freedom, and what it means to be human. Give your character a purpose, a past, and a reason to change. Most importantly, make sure it has a story worth telling!
By Alex J. Coyne. Alex is a writer, proofreader, and regular card player. His features about cards, bridge, and card playing have appeared in Great Bridge Links, Gifts for Card Players, Bridge Canada Magazine, and Caribbean Compass.
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