The Science of Fiction. Human-Robot Interaction in McEwan's Machines Like Me

Abstract

This article focuses on human-robot interaction and anthropomorphism in Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me. After considering the novel’s reception among scientists, reviewers and readers, the first section analyzes the uses of digression in the text, the counterfactual mode, and how they affect the representation of human-robot interaction. The second section explores the tension between the myth and reality of AI, arguing that the novel provides salient commentary on ‘dishonest anthropomorphism’ while parading the idea of machine consciousness, via the diegetic presence of Alan Turing.