Performative Desperation

A hallmark of mechanics is regularity. Even the most complex robots move according to their programming, and they can only become unpredictable when randomness is intentionally introduced to their behavior. 'Creatures' are different. A facet of creatureness is the ability to feel desperate; a creature will become irregular, unpredictable, even frantic when desperate. The fight or flight instinct is a straightforward example of desperation in that when faced with a threat a creature will act without planning, but with the end goal of self-preservation. Whether lashing out or clearing the area, the drive is emotional. Desperation isn't limited to the self, either, as one can be desperate to protect another creature in danger. Smaller, less lethal threats inspire desperation as well. The desperate desire to be alone, or to be in company; to cry, to find comfort.

A robot can be programmed to carry out similar actions, but can they be called the same? A robot that acts to preserve itself in the face of danger does so because someone told it to. It has no innate desire to continue existing. But if it imitates the instinct through action, is there functionally a difference?

The knife-wielding tentacle of meme fame acts out desperation without feeling it. But when faced with its pointy wiggling, one could be injured just as badly as one would be up against a particularly angry cat. A robot built to act with desperation could look something like this: all sharp edges and irrational responses to being approached. It needn't look like any existing creature, since its motion is what matters. Even a recognizable face isn't needed, though humans are naturally inclined to look for emotion there. All it needs to be able to do is mimic the appearance of desperation, since carrying out said instinct is functionally the same as playing it out genuinely.