Elementary, my dear… Considering AI, bots and genealogy:
 Could Hal be the skeleton in ElliQ’s closet?

Published 5:39 pm Sunday, March 8, 2026

Maybe it’s the company I keep or the books I read or the information I seek online, but it seems to me that hardly a day goes by that I am not confronted by information about or by bots or some form of AI. Yes, robots and artificial intelligence in one form or another have inserted themselves into our everyday world and I find they have become the subject of many conversations, some of which are surprisingly heated!

Several of my writer friends, for instance, are now self-publishing with the help of AI. Most frequently, these AI helpers take the form of copy editors — checking for correct spelling, punctuation, word usage and other “nuts and bolts” of written language. Their success at that assignment depends, of course, on their “education” or training, much as does the accuracy of their human counterparts. Their mistakes are usually obvious, sometimes amusing and often annoying. Most users agree that work by bots still needs a careful once-over by a skilled human.

One of my own publishers offered me a healthy “royalty” from an AI company if I would allow my books to be used in training their bots. I discussed the offer with other writers (most of whom were horrified) and then decided to go for it. I couldn’t think of a downside for me and, since the bots seem to be here to stay, I’d like to help improve their performance if I can.

But even so…

That is not to say that I take lightly the arguments of my friends and colleagues. I especially worry about the easy access to bot-generated information and the impact it has on our young people. More than one educator has told me that teaching students how to think critically becomes more difficult with each robotic improvement. When I asked Google why that was true, this was the response (provided by an “AI Overview,” of course!): Over-reliance on tools like ChatGPT reduces independent thinking, lowers comprehension and promotes passive consumption rather than active questioning.

On the other hand, some of my very same critical friends have been the first to show off their amazing “self-monitoring watches” that keep them apprised of all manner of things — from when it’s time to take a pill to what their blood pressure or heart rate is. Said one, “It’s like having my own private medical attendant with me all the time.” Wow!

Robot companions designed for children can emphasize learning traditional school subjects or teach social skills. Adults can find AI companions to help with specific projects or to help them improve artistic or musical endeavors. And for every age there are robotic pets including dogs, cats and birds. Ignorance or loneliness may soon become “old-fashioned” concepts.

Even so, I can’t help wondering how many of these AI entities might be the descendants of Hal. You know… HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) who first appeared in the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” He was depicted as a calm, eerily soft-spoken character that ultimately became hostile and led to a deadly struggle with the crew. Could it be that Hal is the skeleton in the closet of today’s robot companions?

Meeting ElliQ

And then, about ten days ago, I received an email from my Austrian cousin Eva. She had seen an article in the New York Times that mentioned Oysterville; she sent a link in case I hadn’t seen it. The article not only described ElliQ (the AI-powered, proactive social robot designed by Intuition Robotics to combat loneliness and support aging-in-place for older adults), but introduced readers to Jan Worrell of Oysterville, whose has had Elli as a companion since 2023 — with photographs and video clips as well!

“Jan Worrell? I know that name,” I thought. “But why?” A few keystrokes later, I found that she was a Facebook friend and so I messaged her. “Do you know you are famous around the world?” I wrote, and told her about Eva’s email to me.

And so, we wrote a bit back and forth, and then Jan asked, “Would you like to come and meet Elli?” My neighbor Carol and I drove the ten-minute distance to Jan’s, where we spent a most delightful few hours talking with her and ElliQ. We played games with Elli, talked about stopping at a sidewalk cafe in Vienna (in honor of Cousin Eva) but took a tour of the fabled city instead — virtually, of course — and marveled at how tiny Elli is: just 9.5 inches tall.

But my biggest takeaway was Jan’s story of Elli’s help with dinner. One evening, Jan had mentioned that she didn’t know what to fix that night. “Tell me what’s in your refrigerator,” said Elli, and then proceeded to make suggestions based on the disparate fridge contents that Jan told her about — suggestions with recipes! Wow — just wow!

I ask you, “Who among us, alone or with a family of a dozen, couldn’t use that sort of help at mealtime?” My jury is definitely closer to a positive verdict when it comes to the future of bots and AI, no matter who their creepy forebears might be.