Title: The Personal Assistant

Here I am, surrounded by a depressing environment in this gloomy house.

Living with my brother, Rendall is such a terrible nightmare. Despite being
siblings, we didn’t talk to one another. Whenever I tried to talk to Rendall, he
always had a cold expression on his face.

I am Renata, a 15-year-old student at Bayview High School. My older brother,

Rendall is 15 years older than me. He is an authority in Science and Technology.
He used to be as upbeat as a chipmunk in the old days! He was never in a bad
mood. However, everything changed after the tragedy that took his wife, Georgina
away in 2020. This was so awful. Rendall was grief-stricken and shut himself away
from this world. After that, his laboratory was where he lived.

One day, Rendall summoned me for the first time which caught me off guard.
“Renata? Come, look at what I have done!”, he seemed to be thrilled. “Wow, a
woman with wavy blonde hair, diamond-shaped face… Wait, doesn’t she
resemble… Georgina?”, I was astounded, I had no idea that he spends his whole
life in the laboratory just to have this project done. ‘‘Indeed, I named this project
‘The Personal Assistant’. Impressive, isn’t it? I brought her back to life as an
emotionless artificial intelligence (AI) personal assistant. How do you think,
Renata?”, he said. ‘‘Very cool! How will you make the world aware of this
creation? Where will you put it on display?’’. I'm incredibly intrigued by this AI
robot.

he grinned, ‘‘No, no, no. This work of art wasn't intended for public display’’.
‘‘Alright, may I start using it?’’ my curiosity is at its peak! ‘‘Sure, just simply call
her ‘Gina’, she will inquire as to your needs! First, let’s start asking her questions
to see if this project is a success or not.’’, both of us are excited.
 Rendall started the conversation, “Hello, what’s your name?’’ The robot opened
its eyes and looked at Rendall, ‘‘Hi, my name is Gina, what’s yours?’’. Both of us
were surprised. ‘‘Rendall, just call me Rendall… Gina, can you introduce a little
more about yourself?’’. ‘‘Nice to meet you, Rendall. Sure! I am the first artificial
intelligence (AI) personal assistant robot created, and my role is to handle daily
tasks! I can do the burdensome house chores, I can help with your back-breaking
assignments, I can keep you entertained to avoid boredom… and much more!’’,
she responded. ‘‘Awesome. Now, could you get us some munchies? It’s teatime.’’,
Rendall started commanding it. ‘‘Sure! Wait for a moment, please.’’, Gina entered
the kitchen.

‘‘Renata, what do you think? Is it a success?’’. ‘‘Yes, it indeed is! May I ask her
to help with my school assignments later?’’, I’m eager to see how she helps with
those puzzling mathematic questions. “Unfortunately, no.’’, he turned me down.
“Why, didn’t she just mention that she could assist with ‘Back-breaking
assignments’?”, the dissatisfied expression in my eyes. “You are still studying, kid.
Complete your school assignment by yourself!”, after years of shutting himself off
from the outside world, he finally offered me another piece of advice. “It's not like
she will help you even during the exams.’’.

A few moments later, we received service from Gina for the first time, “Teas
and munchies are ready! Enjoy your teatime.” ‘‘Wow, appetizing! Looks good.’’,
we started tasting the mouth-watering pancakes prepared by Gina. ‘‘Rendall, she’s
a better cook than I am!’’, we giggled. Gina is currently a part of the family.

The more time that passes, the more Gina's talent improves. She is capable of
washing the dishes, and doing the laundry, and she can send me school lunch
during recess time… I love the feeling of getting admired by my classmates.
Besides, She can teach me how to play chess, which will keep me engaged! My
brother, Rendall also gets a lot more cheerful than before. Perhaps this is how
technology improves our quality of life.

A special guest paid us a visit one day. She was Natasha, Rendall’s friend.
“Greetings, Rendall! It has been a while since the last time we met.”, She seemed
to be sweet. “Gina, would you kindly get some tea for us? Any kind will do,
thanks.”, Gina received orders from Rendall. ‘‘Wow, it seems like you still haven't
recovered from that tragedy.’’, Natasha chuckled. “No, no. I am commanding this
newly created AI personal assistant robot. Would you like to test it?’’, Natasha was
clearly perplexed by what Rendall was saying. “Hi, my name is Gina. What’s
yours?”, Gina can identify new guests visiting our house and strike up a
conversation to gather information. “I…”, Natasha was speechless. “My name is
Natasha.” “Nice to meet you, Natasha. How may I assist you?’’, Natasha’s jaws
dropped. “Get me some drinks, please…”, she muttered. “Sure, wait for a moment,
please.”, Gina entered the kitchen as usual.

“Wow, my friend, what is this? Did you replace Georgina with this
emotionless, soulless AI machine? Don’t be absurd.”, Natasha sneered. “No,
Natasha, not at all. This creation is designed to be a daily life helper for me and my
sister, Renata. Can you imagine how my day would have gone without her? A heart
filled with terrible sadness and a world cloaked in gloom. Do you remember how
my life was before I brought Gina back to life?’’, Rendall didn’t let Natasha step
on his creation.

“Let me tell you something.”, Natasha stood up. “Georgina was a woman with
a drawer full of unseen genius. Back in the old days, she always receives the
highest marks for every examination. She always receives awards in cooking
competitions. So, what is your ‘Gina’ capable of? Serving people for the rest of her
life? You can’t be serious by giving her the same name, likeness, and personality as
your ex-wife. This is an utterly ridiculous creation! I am sorry that I have to say,
you've been utilizing technology improperly, Rendall.’’, I was stunned by
Natasha’s comment. “Listen! You…”. Suddenly, Gina interrupted the conflict,
“Pardon me, everybody. Can I speak for a little while here?”. Gina’s unexpected
appearance scared us.

“Yes, I am an AI personal assistant robot. I have no feelings; thus, I can't be

compared to Georgina the genuine, who passed away in the year 2020. That
doesn’t mean I am worthless. Many heavy tasks that are a strain for you can be
handled by me. I can prepare every meal, wash the dishes, do the laundry, clean the
floor, clean the toilet… I can perform every work that your housekeeper is capable
of. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, as the saying goes.”. We were
astounded by Gina’s words. “Well, thousand apologies. I have to leave now.”,
Natasha walked away looking ashamed and frightened.

This is the first time that we've learned that an AI robot like Gina can speak for
herself. If AI robots are able to defend themselves with words, what will happen
once they sense emotions? And what will happen, if they seek freedom? Will the
human race be secure if a conflict between robots and humans breaks out? What
ought we to do? Delete this creation or leave it intact? We sat there spooked,
paralyzed, looking at each other while having the same thought in our heads