# Which fictional AI robot is known for being persuasive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353 "2019-10-06T15:04:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/41 "2019-10-07T20:47:22Z")
In John Barnes’ Meme War series, a programmer creates very persuasive software, which can spread its beliefs (and the desire to spread them further) to human or machine. > **[NESFA | Candle](https://www.nesfa.org/review/candle/)** > > I’d put this one off for a couple of years because I wasn’t ready for another dose of Barnes’ dark … Continue reading "Candle" ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/42 "2019-10-07T22:06:30Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Whoa! I always wondered if I had dreamed that movie, I thought it was one of the many “Beach” movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, no wonder I never found clips of it before. > > (Dr. Goldfoot giving a tour of the dungeon to the heroes, with a cameo by Annette) More than you could imagine knowing about [Dr. Goldfoot](https://www.blackgate.com/2018/03/07/the-wild-weird-world-of-dr-goldfoot/). Warning: bikinis. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/43 "2019-10-08T21:58:11Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Ava from Ex Machina persuades a human to “save” her, arguably because she’s hot. To me, that was the most irritating aspect of the film. Ultimately, the story isn’t about how computers can be intelligent, but about how horny nerds can be stupid. Well, plus there was already a fully-functional sexbot in the movie so if Nathan wanted to disrupt society, he could have just unleashed a billion copies of it on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Crossbreed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crossbreed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crossbreed)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/44 "2019-10-09T02:03:52Z")
The Terminator _persuaded_ those bar patrons to “lend” him their clothes and a motorcycle… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/45 "2019-10-09T02:07:58Z")
Harlie in _When Harlie was One_, managed to persuade the Chairman of the Board not to terminate the project he was the centerpiece of. OK, the blackmail helped, but that’s a form of persuasion, right? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/46 "2019-10-09T04:06:37Z")
Hel, the robot in Metropolis persuaded the workers to riot. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/47 "2019-10-09T04:36:06Z")
> [@Crossbreed](#): > > The Terminator _persuaded_ those bar patrons to “lend” him their clothes and a motorcycle… 🆒 Well, being thrown onto a stove concentrates the mind wonderfully. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/48 "2019-10-09T05:52:11Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Asimov’s R. Giskard used ‘mentalic’ pursuasion on humans, and this skill, which he passed on to other robots, was used to establish the Foundation. Thanks Qadgop the Mercotan. Did R. Giskard character influence the character played by Robin Williams in “Bicentennial Man”? Is there any connection? I haven’t watched Bicentennial Man. Are Asimov’s robotic laws ever questioned in the movie? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/49 "2019-10-09T16:47:04Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > Thanks Qadgop the Mercotan. Did R. Giskard character influence the character played by Robin Williams in “Bicentennial Man”? Is there any connection? I haven’t watched Bicentennial Man. Are Asimov’s robotic laws ever questioned in the movie? “Bicentennial Man,” the story, preceded _The Robots of Dawn_, in which R. Giskard first appeared, by several years. The movie is fairly closely based on the story. The Three Laws are not questioned at all in the movie, as far as I remember. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/50 "2019-10-09T18:27:23Z")
There’s definitely a negative correlation between “Intelligence” and persuasion in the AI robot Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He knows what bad things are likely to happen and mutters his warnings for all to hear, but nobody listens to him, and bad things continuously happen. He could use better persuasion skills and learn to lighten up a bit… ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/51 "2019-10-09T21:23:39Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “Bicentennial Man,” the story, preceded _The Robots of Dawn_, in which R. Giskard first appeared, by several years. The movie is fairly closely based on the story. The Three Laws are not questioned at all in the movie, as far as I remember. Thanks Exapno Mapcase. Thank you all. Very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/52 "2019-10-10T02:44:38Z")
> [@squidfood](#): > > Some of those Special Circumstances AIs in Iain Banks’ _Culture_ novels were pretty persuasive - particularly at offers one couldn’t refuse. Culture Minds in general can predict human-level beings well enough to convince them of just about anything if they really want to. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/53 "2019-10-10T04:31:18Z")
GlaDOS and Wheatly from the Portal series both_try_ to be persuasive… ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/54 "2019-10-10T12:20:20Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “Bicentennial Man,” the story, preceded _The Robots of Dawn_, in which R. Giskard first appeared, by several years. The movie is fairly closely based on the story. The Three Laws are not questioned at all in the movie, as far as I remember. I never saw the movie, but the 3 Laws definitely come up in the short story. There’s a part where Andrew (the robot) who has been “free” for many years, is accosted by 2 teenagers who order him to do some embarrassing things, like remove his clothes, and stand on his head. Even though he hasn’t had an order in decades, he’s forced to comply by 2nd Law. They’re about to instruct him to take himself apart (2nd law trumps 3rd), when George Martin arrives and breaks things up. He tells Andrew that the teenagers are about to attack him (George), so Andrew gets ready to defend George against the teens - who then run off, terrified. ---
**Author:** ![squidfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@squidfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squidfood)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/55 "2019-10-10T13:28:30Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > There’s definitely a negative correlation between “Intelligence” and persuasion in the AI robot Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. > > He knows what bad things are likely to happen and mutters his warnings for all to hear, but nobody listens to him, and bad things continuously happen. He could use better persuasion skills and learn to lighten up a bit… OTOH, in what’s perhaps the greatest robot v. robot battle ever written, Marvin took out a tank by persuading it to shoot the floor it was standing on. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/56 "2019-10-10T14:01:10Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I never saw the movie, but the 3 Laws definitely come up in the short story. There’s a part where Andrew (the robot) who has been “free” for many years, is accosted by 2 teenagers who order him to do some embarrassing things, like remove his clothes, and stand on his head. Even though he hasn’t had an order in decades, he’s forced to comply by 2nd Law. They’re about to instruct him to take himself apart (2nd law trumps 3rd), when George Martin arrives and breaks things up. He tells Andrew that the teenagers are about to attack him (George), so Andrew gets ready to defend George against the teens - who then run off, terrified. I just wanted to mention the AI of Rick’s car, in **Rick And Morty** : it’ll use lethal force to achieve its goal; and, if ordered to stop, it’ll use nonlethal force; but if it’s ordered against _that,_ it’ll use the _threat_ of force — and it’ll research subjects, using the like of public-record databases, to stage an elaborate hoax that’s tailor-made to achieve its goal — and, if it’s later ordered to stop using such “emotional countermeasures”, it’ll get itself a dose of Leave-Me-Alone immunity in a Not-A-Bad-Trade side agreement to the peace treaty it uses skilled diplomacy to broker between Party A and Party B: a win-win-win situation is _possible,_ and so is _negotiated_. (And that’s all just the secondary plot to one episode!) ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353/57 "2019-10-10T15:06:37Z")
I always thought Futurama’s Bender had some good ideas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fictional-ai-robot-is-known-for-being-persuasive/841353.md?page=2)