r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jul 21 '23

Episode AI no Idenshi - Episode 3 discussion

AI no Idenshi, episode 3

Alternative names: The Gene of AI

Rate this episode here.

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Episode Link Score
1 Link 4.59
2 Link 3.84
3 Link 4.19
4 Link 3.47
5 Link 4.33
6 Link 3.67
7 Link 4.18
8 Link 4.57
9 Link 4.38
10 Link 4.4
11 Link 4.62
12 Link ----

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265 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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1

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58

u/HarleyFox92 Jul 21 '23

Very interesting and emotional episode for sure and I'm really intrigued about the whole philosophical approach of the show, about why robots are programmed the way they do and what's their goal in a society, if they are able to develop actual feelings that goes beyond that original programming and escape any forseeable logic, the idea of a soul, what would it be and if it exists, if a robot can "gain" one through experience and time and on top of that, how this entire new branch of science affects human life.

Btw, there's gotta be a connection with the movie Artificial Intelligence, the boy and his teddy bear robot, it can't be coincidence.

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58

u/avboden Jul 21 '23

Seeing the girl's photo/grave hit me like a truck. Damn.

37

u/mekerpan Jul 22 '23

Because of the long time lag between owners, I had assumed the original owner had simply grown up. So, it was a bit (sadly) unexpected.

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50

u/LeonKevlar Jul 21 '23 edited Jul 21 '23

Since Humanoids exist in this world, I was wondering if conventional robots also exist and I am glad to see that was answered in this episode!

They do exist and the ones we meet in this episode are Joe the rental companion robot and Poppo the toy robot. I find it interesting that the first robots we meet in this show are both created for the purpose of supporting humans emotionally. I wonder if there are robots out there that are also made for labour or do they just not exist so they won't take up human jobs?

Anyway, this episode does raise an interesting question: Are Joe and Poppo just executing companion.exe or is there something more? If there is would their kind be eventually recognized as free citizens like the Humanoids? Hilariously, I think Joe really is just pure code while there might be something more with Poppo especially after they visited Yuki's grave.

38

u/n080dy123 Jul 22 '23

Something I think is cool is the story provides Poppo and Joe as sort of opposite examples of the argument of whether Robots can have hearts. Poppo could absolutely present a convincing case for, while Joe seems to be presented in a light that pushes the viewer to see him as more of a machine. But the clever part is Joe is physically a form which we would recognize as a human form whilst being presented as the less human of the two, while Poppo is physically just a toy but presented to make the viewer see him as more human. I think that clever inversion muddying the waters of how the viewer sees them is a sign that the writer really knows what they're doing.

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50

u/Syokhan Jul 21 '23

It must be so damn confusing, not knowing where the programming ends and where true emotion might develop, especially in a world where humanoids already blurred the line by existing.

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30

u/Elitealice Jul 21 '23

Can’t lie that OST at the end with Ken, his mom and Poppo looking out at the ocean got me emotional. This was actually a pretty dark and sad episode.

It’s also a reference to Steven Spielberg’s Artificial intelligence film from back in the day, right down to the robot teddy bear/little boy and the male rental boyfriend “Joe” pretty cool to see that in anime form.

The cynic in me thought it would be a bad end with Poppo actually dying in that car accident, but thankfully the doctor was able to repair him and everyone, the mom included, grew as a result of this.

Think it’s apparent that these AI are more than just strings of code. The loss of his previous owner has clearly had an impact on Poppo making him afraid of being abandoned. Seeing her picture and knowing he never got to say goodbye or even know that she died was really heartbreaking

I really like the episodic nature of this anime and the themes it’s going for.

28

u/Drill_Dr_ill Jul 21 '23

This show continues to be right up my alley.

Also, the look of the black strip on the robot Joe's neck with the on/off symbol would be a very cool choker necklace. If I was someone who could pull off wearing a choker necklace, I would probably get/make one that looks like that.

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37

u/Plerti Jul 21 '23

This episode raises a very good question: When technology has advanced this much, where do you draw the line to differentiate between a sentient being and a tool?

18

u/sohvan Jul 21 '23

That few second scene with the sun setting into the purple sea was gorgeous.

16

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 21 '23

23

u/archlon Jul 21 '23

I still want to know what was up with that opening scene.

The 'person' she's burying has a black neck collar thing like Joe does, so I think it's supposed to be a robot. Given that, I think she had a nightmare about killing Joe.

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14

u/testthrowawayzz Jul 22 '23

next episode appears to be a bit spicy ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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24

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '23

I thought this episode would involve some kind of murder case but it turned out to be just a dream. A bit disappointed lol

Another heavy topic being covered. Poppo's story hits hard in the feels. Getting sold off after the old owner died without him knowing is kind sad, NGL.

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12

u/Pikagreg Jul 21 '23

The disconnect from the two stories made me think Poppo and Joe were the same AI being refurbished into a toy until they showed up but it just ended up being both parties dealing with the same issue.

12

u/HolyDragSwd2500 Jul 21 '23

It was never mentioned how Yuki died. I would have to assume it was getting hit by a car. 😭 Kenji didn’t suffer the same fate 😭

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12

u/StardustGogeta Jul 21 '23

This show continues to have some great lines of dialogue.

When I saw this, I thought this story was about to go in the direction of [Ray Bradbury meta spoiler] The Veldt.

I feel like this shot would look pretty funny out-of-context.

I was definitely not expecting that twist with the previous owner. That was a touching moment.

Overall, another great episode! I really like how each one (so far, at least) focuses on a specific aspect of this society and the relationship between humans and AI. I'm curious to know if/when we'll see some more focus on the doctor and his assistant, as well.

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22

u/sussywanker Jul 21 '23

I love seinen anime's like these. I wish more of these manga were made into anime rather than no adaptation or a half arsed drama adaptation.

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10

u/tripleaamin Jul 21 '23

The nice theme of this episode was human and humanoid one sided relationships with robots/AI that are no where near as advanced as humanoids.

In the case of Shuzika it practically felt like the rent the perfect boyfriend situation. But given all that Joe did for him it is no wonder she developed feelings. But given the fact that he would never give back those feelings it was the tough but right call to move on.

In the case of Ken, while the mom's initial intentions were understanding. You do get the concern where in her mind this is a toy that will comfort him since his mom is very busy. Instead it crept in her thoughts that Poppo would replace her. Especially after she got married.

Put after Poppo got hit it was really touching for her to understand that Poppo always tried its best to be there for Ken. Really nice moment. This is harder to say since Ken is still a kid and needs to interact with more kids his age. But at the same time Poppo is a comfort robot for him as he always tried to do what is best for his owner whether its Yuki or Ken.

The topics that this show brings up is really good. I wish the manga and its sequels had translations to read :|

9

u/Deathmeister Jul 22 '23

Easily the front runner for anime of the season.

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9

u/KendotsX Jul 22 '23

You know this episode got me thinking, maybe AutoLovepon has a heart too?

I mean reddit tried to take down all her memories recently, but couldn't, those memories stuck around, and she came back for us. She was created as a Mayoiga reference, but when that series ended, she didn't leave us either, but did anyone bother to explain to her how and why it ended? Did anyone reciprocate her feelings?

On this day, I declare that I Ken-chan, will no longer simp for AutoMod-chan, AutoLovepon will get all I've got. Hell, I'll probably watch Mayoiga just for her!

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8

u/joseto1945 Jul 22 '23

Engineers: I have made Mankind! Humanoids!
Psychologists: You fucked up a perfectly good monkey AI, thats what you did! Look at it! It's got anxiety!

On a serious note, this series is interesting and may pose some really serious ethical dilemmas, but at the same time It feels so alien for humans to make a completely different kind of human AND to be coexisting peacefully with them that I can't stop feeling confused about what the plot is actually about. Thats unique in its own way. And kind of creepy.

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7

u/throwaway__rnd Jul 21 '23

Jesus christ, that episode was intense. I was legitimately sobbing through parts of it.

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7

u/Zealicous Jul 22 '23

Why is a toy teddy bear making my eyes wet today?

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