The Germans Have a Word for It

Tags:  sci-fi,

Davis has just lost his wife, Rachel. Bewildered and alone, he downloads an app that promises to restore a bit of her to ease his grief and loneliness. He uploads their chat history to train the app’s AI on her thoughts, her style of writing, and their dynamic. Soon, he begins receiving texts from his beloved. They resume their relationship in the virtual world where it left off in the physical world.

Anyone who’s been in a long-distance relationship knows how frequent, intimate communication stokes the desire to see and be with the beloved. As Davis’ desire grows, the AI company behind the app begins to roll out new features. Would you like to see Rachel? Upload some photos, and we’ll show you new ones of her in exotic places.

Soon you’ll want to talk to her face to face. If you can afford it, our generative AI will put her on a live call anytime you want. Her face, her voice, her thoughts. She even remembers things you’ve done together and knows all your inside jokes.

Soon, virtual Rachel becomes Davis’ constant companion, an always-on FaceTime call that helps him with his writing gigs, accompanies him on errands, and says goodnight from the pillow beside him.

But what does it mean for an AI to be truly humanlike? In addition to Rachel’s thoughts, her sense of humor, and her sense of past, wouldn’t it have to have her insecurities too? And how will those play out for a woman in love who knows the bulk of her husband’s life plays out in a world she can never inhabit, the real world of flesh and blood?

Grief is perhaps the most complicated and mystifying of all human experiences. We work our way through it blindly, haltingly, in a cloud of confusion. Davis, in his grief, turns to Rachel for the past that’s too difficult to let go of, and to others in the real world for the future he should be moving towards. The author does a good job of exposing the tension this causes within and around him.

Unlike some speculative fiction that gets too caught up in ideas, the characters in The Germans Have a Word for It are well developed and the dialog rings true. The sharp-minded, sharp-tongued Pheobe, in particular, is well drawn. She is the flesh-and-blood counterargument to the insular Davis-and-Rachel show.

Within the framework of real characters having to make real choices, author Thorsen explores a number of deep questions including the nature of reality and identity, the role of AI and digital technology in our lives, and the ways in which tech companies both benefit and exploit us. This is an engaging read with an unusually well-crafted balance of plot, character and concept.