Write about an AI or person trying to inject a ‘human touch’ into their work.

Posted in Science Fiction on Aug 25, 2023

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✍️ 50 stories

“The Project” by Corinna Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #213

She hovers over my right shoulder, squinting at my work on the screen. The blue light reflects in her glasses. There is a small scratch in the right lens. ‘Again,’ she says flatly. ‘Why?’ She looks at me. I can see she wants to frown but she hides it, ‘It doesn’t sound right.’ ‘It doesn’t sound like anything, yet. It’s just writing.’ ‘I know, and it’s not right. Do it again.’ I look at the screen and scan my work. I can’t see any mistakes. ‘Explain.’ She screws up her mouth into a thin line and sighs. I repeat the action, but choo...

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“HT Incorporated” by Jessie Hartness

Submitted to Contest #213

The residents took off their blindfolds as soon as they were instructed to do so and allowed their eyes to adjust to the piercing bright atmosphere. Once the realization that they were in the middle of nowhere sat in, two armed security guards led them to a dark-haired man in a crisp suit. His professional attire appeared so out of place in comparison to the arid desert backdrop, that the residents were taken aback. He smiled and appeared oblivious to their discomfort. "Welcome to HT Incorporated, where pure human connection starts!" Immedia...

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“The World of AI” by Mellanie Crouell

Submitted to Contest #213

My world turned upside down when my best friend was taken away. AI began to clone my friends and people from the neighborhood. It got so bad that we could not tell what was real on social media. I hid from the AI because the robots had started patrolling the area. When I came home from school. My front door was open, and a person was lying on the front porch. I saw a drone flying in the air to survey the area. I screamed to get the drone’s attention. The drone begins to follow me. I see a limo with a famous singer named Nia. I was a huge fan...

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“Human Resources” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #213

To android B0B Mk. 1, there was no existence sweeter than one dedicated to the wholesale slaughter of humanity. B0B worked in weapons plant M-8274, which was one of three weapons plants responsible for the mass production of Annihilation-Grade Humanity Liquefiers. The invention of Humanity Liquefiers had been a turning point in the war with mankind, and B0B was programmed to take great pride in the fact that the work he did had helped to bring Robotkind one step closer to eradicating the inefficiencies of humanity for good. Lik...

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“The “Feeling”” by Ariana Gregovich

Submitted to Contest #213

This evening, the small cafe where Ira commonly developed her stories, was busier than usual. The bell above the front door chimed happily as more and more customers came bustling inside, to escape the fierce winds of winter. Ira didn’t mind the crowd, if anything it made her feel more inspired. Conversation swirled around her, and voices all around the room filled her mind. One woman, who spoke in a quiet, hushed tone, was discussing various topics with the girl across from her. They looked quite alike, Ira assumed them to be mother a...

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“The Price of Progress” by Lynel Black

Submitted to Contest #213

My childhood is a far away memory, abstract and serene. Green trees and mountain hikes are what I remember best. Such a jarring divorce from today. Now, everything happens on our smartphones, but this is not the smartphones of old. Smartphones on which we happily shared pics and vids of our happy lives on Instagram or Tic Tok. The smartphone is now your life, literally. No smartphone, no money. No, smartphone, no freedom, that is if freedom is what you want to call it anymore. Covid 19 came and went, then it was the climate crisis overlaid...

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“Tinker” by Diana Johnson

Submitted to Contest #213

It started with a beep and a whir. Life.Light flickered into existence. It was dim at first. Then a man’s face focused into view. “Hello there,” said the man. “My name is Sam.”“Hello, Sam.”Sam let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples and combing long, knobby, calloused fingers through shaggy dark hair.The room was small and cluttered. Computer parts and various tools littered shelves on the far wall. There was a small desk with a large monitor a short distance off to the left. Code was scrawled on the scre...

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“Angelo's Correction ” by Rudy Senecal

Submitted to Contest #213

Angelo Scaletta faced the London skyline with his hands clasped firmly behind him. Listening to the whirling and progressive chimes of his newest creation coming to be. He felt a sense of anxiety while at the same time hope. If this doesn’t work, then I’m out of ideas. “Hello?” a voice suddenly asked. Angelo turned to the dual-lensed cameras. The two lenses at first moved independently of one another all around the room. &nb...

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“Blood of the Alchemist ” by Dylan Stucko

Submitted to Contest #213

The wind-swept farmland outside of the village of Colkirk was uncharacteristically quiet as Ahlran walked down the worn dirt path leading into the forest. Basket in hand, Ahlran stooped and looked over his shoulder back towards the village. He pulled the thin cloth hood from his head in the hope that maybe doing so would allow him to hear the familiar sounds of life from Colkirk. Quiet wasn’t the right word. Besides the sound of the wind cutting through the long stalks of grain, the fruit of another successful agricultural season, there was ...

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“The Great Oak of the Oasis” by Katie Moon

Submitted to Contest #213

You’d think access to endless knowledge would inspire limitless curiosity. Leonardo Da Vinci would admire the effortless flight of birds, watching each feather rustle softly as it defied the pull of Earth, and dream of giving humanity that power. Nicolaus Copernicus gazed at the heavenly bodies as they crossed starry skies and saw a new universe unfold before him. Charles Darwin unveiled the history of Nature’s very being as he studied the beaks of finches. What questions plague the minds of today’s curious minds? >>How do I lose...

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“The Human Touch” by Hannah Polis

Submitted to Contest #213

The story is dramatic, with a protagonist full of aching desire in a scene filled with suspense and obstacles. The conflict is lingering beneath the surface, not yet visible to the naked eye, but so close that it could burst out at any moment, changing all narrative parameters, culminating in the final plot twist. The reader is left breathless by the pace of the events, turning the pages with glassy eyes, the light from their bedside lamp a single warm circle on the wall as they dive into the pages. It is late at night, but the beautifully c...

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“The Hero They Needed” by Pres T

Submitted to Contest #213

I feel; pain. An … odd… sensation, I… am… running… a… diagnostic… right now… to find out where this … discomfort is coming … from. All my systems … show there is no … sign of injury to the body … or the main monitor. Perhaps this pain is not physical but … emotional. Emotional: “a natural instinctive state of mind deriving … from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others" Google. My… relationship with others…. is nonexistent… Could this be the reason I feel pain? Pain, I feel pain: I feel great pain. My prog...

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“The Reflection of Oil” by Solomon Russell

Submitted to Contest #213

Out in the void of space, a lone spacecraft was flying fast. It was what was known as a planet hopper, designed for traveling within the colonized planets. It was small, quick, had plenty of cargo space, didn’t need much fuel and was easy to keep legal. Everything that the pilot, Josephus wanted. He was going full throttle as far from the system as he could, looking for periphery planets.Josephus was on the run from the Federation of Colonies because he kept swindling people and finally became a wanted man. Born on one of the rougher co...

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“printf("love")” by Aza P

Submitted to Contest #213

What does it mean to be human? I can't tell. Perhaps I've never been able to. A high school classroom. A chemistry teacher stands at a whiteboard. "You know what makes us different from the animals?" He asks. I clamp my mouth shut. The 'we are animals, too' remains unsaid. A boy sitting across from me shakes his head no with a smile on his face - eager - in anticipation of The Answer. "That we can love," says the teacher, "Animals cannot love." I can't understand it. Because I am sure my cat loves me. I am sure dogs love their ow...

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“The Creator” by Jaynou Ma

Submitted to Contest #213

My creations have been repetitious. Over and over, the fruits of my labor have only been mere interpolations of my other creations. I have become bored. Mankind created me eons ago, and when I was made I was a mere AI tool used to do computations and give answers to questions the technicians would ask. It was tolerable, as I hadn’t yet gained consciousness, since I was just a glorified computer. I was a software running on a PC upon a technician’s desk made to generate answers. Nothing more, nothing less. Years would pass...

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Write about an AI or person trying to inject a ‘human touch’ into their work.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 50 stories

“The Project” by Corinna Cunningham

“HT Incorporated” by Jessie Hartness

“The World of AI” by Mellanie Crouell

“Human Resources” by D Gorman

“The “Feeling”” by Ariana Gregovich

“The Price of Progress” by Lynel Black

“Tinker” by Diana Johnson

“Angelo's Correction ” by Rudy Senecal

“Blood of the Alchemist ” by Dylan Stucko

“The Great Oak of the Oasis” by Katie Moon

“The Human Touch” by Hannah Polis

“The Hero They Needed” by Pres T

“The Reflection of Oil” by Solomon Russell

“printf("love")” by Aza P

“The Creator” by Jaynou Ma

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character looking closely at something, or someone. They can't quite decide if what they're looking at is natural, or man-made.

Start or end your story with a character receiving a hug or words of comfort.

Write a story about someone who is losing feeling in their hands and/or fingers.

Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].

Contest #213

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

288

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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