Amidst the sudden barrage of news surrounding AI and the raised concerns about the future of AI-substitutable jobs, the question of where the line between robots and humans is drawn arises way too often for a question that has a somewhat evident answer: where the tangible stops.

Suicide prevention chatbots, airport assistants, robot-waiters, Roomba vacuum cleaners, automated delivery cars — all of them have something in common: their actions are valued more when they come from a person. The attention of a person, the changing tone of their voice, the personal experiences they use to relate to you, the perhaps flirtatious nature of their character, the caring intent they carry when assisting you with whatever you need help with — these can never be truly substitutable. Of course, there is the opposite side, the negative prejudices or personal dislikes for whatever reason, but in the end, isn't that what makes personal interactions so interesting? The very fact that one person treats you better than they may treat others is what gives you the feeling of having something special.

Since the very beginning, the one thing that allowed humans to climb the food chain so rapidly — and what made coyotes or wolves so dominant in hunting — was the tendency to form communities; the opportunity to interact with and rely on others. What makes humans different from wolves, then? Judgment and intent. Consider a situation with robot baristas. You go up to a coffee stand and order a cappuccino, you are having a bad day and it's only starting. A robot arm hands you a perfectly brewed and packed biodegradable paper cup to-go, it flashes a message and reads in its most human voice possible, "Thank you for coming, have a good day!" Now, let’s say you go and do the same thing again but at a human coffee shop (sounds weird already, doesn't it). The cup is a bit bent, the line is longer, and the workers are slower; your barista may be ruder or more gentle; perhaps the coffee was brewed unevenly and it came out too dark for your liking — but at least you will feel something as you walk out of the door. Perhaps, you will look forward to going back as the cute barista left an impression on you, or make sure to ask for a milder coffee ground next time. You might never even visit the same coffee shop again and instead explore other options. Whichever way, the experience made you feel a certain way and you will remember it.

Admittedly, robots seem understandably amusing and perhaps adorable today. The flashing smiles on their screens and their somewhat awkward movements make them appealing. They also rarely offend anyone as well as people do. Humans do not have the luxury to justify their behavior on the urgency of their instincts or on programming faults; if one wolf attacks another wolf over their prey it seems natural, but if a person punches his friend over anything it's almost sickening. Why? Because it's preventable. Human imperfections and social struggles could all be considered negative traits of society that do not pertain to robots. But at the same time, these imperfections are what makes progress and life meaningful, and unless you want to be replaced by a mechanical dude because you yelled at your colleague, forgiving is also an essential part of it. You should forgive your rude barista, or a slightly boring lecturer, or even your parents for being so uptight about cleaning. Because unlike robot arms, pre-recorded lectures, or Roombas, people dedicate their time and effort to you with intent to help, even if it may be their duty. As we step closer towards yet another technological revolution that challenges our uniqueness, we should remember to value our individuality more than ever.

Remember the cute barista from two paragraphs ago? Yes, that was prejudiced on the basis of "looks matter", but that's the best and the worst part! It makes our life a spectrum of emotions. We have our own views and lives that affect our thinking. Suppose you are a complete nihilist of emotion and prefer to think of your thoughts as an emergence of neural patterns that developed from your primate ancestors. Still, you have to admit that on the way to today's version of humans, every person formed different neuroconnections which affect the way they see the world. As artist Edward Hopper once said: “Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.”