Do you find people who anthropomorphize technology bizarre? I have to admit, I’ve named all of my computers. And my first car. And my pianos. I think of machines as if they’re pets. I realize this is a strange way to think about a machine. But to not anthropomorphize the relationship also seems strange to me.

I once read an article in which a scientist expressed surprise in response to his human test subjects who would interact with a lifelike android as if it was human, even though they knew full well it was not. He was in fact, deeply troubled by this finding. However, I would like to flip his concern on its head and ask, what kind of a person could not be emotionally aroused by a human image? If you can treat a machine that appears and interacts with you like a human being as if they are just a thing, what does that say about you?