Blocking Out The Sun: An Essay on AI, Robotics and Core Issues Related to Human Relationships
Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Klara and the Sun" depicts a dystopian world where freedom of association and social connections are drastically limited due to the stratification of society. In Ishiguro's world, children are subjected to a limited social life and artificial relationships through AFs (artificial friends). Children are not free to choose their friendships based solely on finding kindred spirits. They seem to be limited to the groups that match their socio-economic status for the most part. Friendships that may form in younger childhood due to physical closeness are not as common. If those friendships develop, the children don't seem to be able to stay friends with those not of the same class and status as they are. While it is not directly stated, there are some instances where the AF Rosa is implied to have been in some form of sexual relationship with the boy she was purchased to be a companion for during her stay with that family. The core issues related to human relationships addressed in the novel are freedom of association, social stratification, artificial relationships, and consent in sexual relationships.
Freedom of association is drastically limited in Klara and the Sun. A theme often touched upon is that of the genetic "lifting" procedures to edit children's genetic makeup. While the goal of genetic lifting is to make the children more intelligent, they seem to commonly suffer from severe health problems that can cause death or disability as a byproduct of editing their genetic makeup. Ishiguro makes the reader question whether the improvements in human performance are worth the risk to the well-being of the child. Genetic lifting is also a gatekeeper determining which track children can take in their lives. Those who do not undergo genetic lifting have limited opportunities in education, work and personal relationships. Relationships with people outside of the same social classes do not seem familiar and if they exist, they do not seem to run very deep beyond childhood friendships. This is illustrated in the relationships between Rick and Josie and their mothers. Josie has undergone genetic lifting, while Rick's mother chose not to subject her son to the treatment. Their childhood friendship blossoms into romantic feelings as they age. Still, society seems deeply split by socio-economic classes, and genetic lifting is a great divider, determining who will associate with whom. Josie and Rick attended an "interaction meeting" (social gatherings do not seem to be called parties anymore) with genetically lifted children. Rick felt excluded, even saying, "I don't belong here. This is a meeting for lifted kids." Rick's mother also faced judgment and ostracism by other mothers in the group who genetically lifted their children. Her choice not to subject Rick to the potentially life-threatening side effects results in disapproval from other mothers. She also knows that Rick will be excluded from opportunities for education and employment that lifted children could access. Still, she is not willing to risk Rick's health and physical well-being, condemning him to what seems like more of a working-class style of existence, where he will likely not get ahead in life and work paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet in a job with little to no growth possibilities. The idea of the American dream, where anyone can succeed with hard work and dedication, seems to be an idea of the past. Despite his warm personality and natural intelligence, which we see shine through occasionally, like in their illustration captioning game, in his interactions with Josie and Klara. Toward the end of the book, Rick reflects that their relationship "couldn't have worked out" because he would have to "compete with all those lifted kids" who would easily outshine his aptitude. Despite the organic feelings that developed between Rick and Josie, their relationship could not have worked out because of the social stratification in society. Technology and class are greater determiners of which relationships will work out vs organic human connection and chemistry.
Relationships with machines/robots/artificial intelligence seem to be extremely common in Klara and the Sun. Entire shops exist to sell Artificial Friends (AFs) to parents of children who need companions to become well-adjusted adults. With such limited choices for friends and companions, and many couples likely not having children or only having small families, it is not uncommon for wealthier parents to purchase artificial friends for their children. The AFs seem to take on a role of friend, sibling, guardian and mentor to the child they are purchased for at the same time. Large group gatherings for children outside of interaction meetings seem almost non-existent, at least for genetically lifted children, so they rely on their AFs for social interaction and connection to others. If AFs are such a normal part of society in the book, this begs the question of where all the other children are. While I didn't catch anywhere in the story that referenced the birthrate and how many children there were, I am assuming that the story takes place in a time when birth rates are low and children are rarely encountered. It is not clear if genetic lifting impacts fertility but it is possible that genetically lifted children could have reproductive issues as other health issues seem to be common with genetically lifted children. People may also choose not to become parents at all because of the risks behind genetic testing and the drawbacks that come with choosing not to lift children genetically. It is implied that some children do not survive the genetic lifting process at all. Losing a child is one of the greatest traumas the human spirit can endure, and couples may choose to remain childfree to avoid the hardships of raising children in such a dystopian world. In addition to a low birth rate, children who are genetically lifted are homeschooled to prevent sickness or risk of injury, as many of them seem to be in frail health. Encountering children or young people may be rare in this dystopian society.
While Klara and the Sun does not explicitly depict sexual assault, it subtly addresses consent in relationships through the sideplot of Rosa, who was for sale alongside Klara at the beginning of the book. The level of obedience and compliance the AFs show throughout the book is somewhat alarming. The AFs have a sweet, gentle disposition and show kindness in interacting with others. They are cheerful and try very hard to be helpful. They do not seem to have much self-agency or self-determination. When they were for sale in the front window of the store, passersby would look at them as commodities, drawing parallels to prostitutes walking the streets looking for clients. Ishiguro foreshadows Rosa's troubles when a "strange man" outside stops to stare at Rosa. As she is more naive than Klara, she took this as a compliment and sign of admiration while Klara picked up on an uneasy feeling of his "not kind" eyes that were fixated on Rosa. While Klara was purchased to be an AF to a female, Josie, Rosa was ultimately purchased by a male. During several parts of the book, there is some implied connection where Klara would receive what could be considered as "downloads" of images of Rosa, dismantled and in pain. At the end of the book, when Klara and the manager are reunited at what seems to be the city dump, the Manager informs Klara that Rosa's placement did not work out well for her. I do think Ishiguro meant to leave this a bit vague and open to interpretation, but AFs do not seem to have a great sense of personal autonomy and, much like children, do not seem to have the mental capacity to consent to a sexual relationship. Consent and self-autonomy are about to become a large grey area related to robots and AI. While sexual assault is an upsetting topic, I think Ishiguro found a perfect way to address this issue indirectly in the book and how it may impact society in general.
Klara and the Sun paints an uncomfortable image of a highly dystopian society where freedom of association is prohibited by impermeable socio-economic and genetic divides, which pushes humans into artificial relationships that are not truly based on mutual consent, respect, and appreciation for the other person. Rosa's implied mistreatment at the hands of the family she was purchased by raises important questions about autonomy and consent related to robots and AI. The organic love shared between Josie and Rick was not allowed to blossom due to rigid social rules, and the physical well-being of children is overlooked because genetic lifting and producing brilliant humans is more important than having healthy humans. While the novel doesn't have a happy ending, this is an important story to read at this point in history because humanity will need to address these significant issues related to freedom of association, social stratification, artificial relationships, and consent in sexual relationships very shortly to ensure that humanity trends in a beneficial direction.