The Baby King

Modern consumerist lifestyles are based on the idea that consumption creates economic growth. That, if someone wants it, someone else will generate it. This is important because it rests on the assumption that people want unlimited things, that, therefore there will be no point in which any consumer just says "I'm satisfied!" and ceases to buy the latest products. However, that fiction was dissipating as, in the first half of the twenty-first century consumption in the rich west was grinding to a halt. Population growth was out of the question due to environmental concerns, so how do you solve the problem of westerners not buying stuff?

When Sam got his first shipment of prototypes to his apartment he wasn't thinking about any of those things. He just wanted to try out some of the coolest new gadgets, all on Silicon Valley's dollar.

Sam answered the door to his apartment revealing a tall woman dressed in all brown like a deliveryman. Behind her was a cart full of boxes and she carried a tablet tucked under one armpit.

"Are you Sam Richardson, test subject 400 enrolled in our two year advanced test program?" she asked nonchalantly.

Score, thought Sam.

"Yes!"

"Please remember to follow the instructions on your personalized account before you open any of the prototypes. I am also obligated to tell you that due to the secrecy of the prototypes please refrain from showing them off others."

The woman began to rattle off rules after Sam showed her his ID, but Sam was too busy thinking about what was inside those boxes to care.

When she finished, Sam grabbed the boxes and took them to his living room, grabbing his laptop in the process.

The instructions on his account were in the form of an incredibly patronizing video. It looked unprofessional, mostly because the camera angle looked up at the woman in ghe frame, making the entire video seem strange.

"Alright tester, it's time to open the first box, look for box letter A!"

Sam, rolling his eyes, grabbed a medium sized box from the pile, tearing it open immediately.

The woman in the video explained that it was a smart pillow that beat like a heart and heated itself. Again Sam was uninpressed.

The video continued, working up the boxes alphabetically. Sam got a fancy smart TV, a weighted "smart duvet", a fancy juicer looking appliance, among other things.

As Sam opened the final box, the woman in the video adopted almost a reverent tone.

"This is Venus, an incredibly adaptive ai. After this video, she will be your guide through the tests. Set her up in a central area in your home or apartment."

Sam pulled out from the final box a slightly smaller black cube with a cable running from it. Studying it on all sides, Sam shrugged and looked back to his laptop, only seeing that the video had ended. He tried starting it again, or refreshing the page, but neither thing worked. Cursing to himself, he sat the cube down on his kitchen counter and plugged it in.

Nothing. Absolute silence. Sam just sighed and walked back to his laptop, trying in vain to refresh the page, and eventually giving up. Dejectedly Sam began to set up his other new gadgets.

As he grabbed for his strange juicer he turned around and saw, much to his suprise, the cube now had a face! The face was definitely female, but it was a strange mix of cartoony and realistic, yet not enough to illicit the uncanny valley effect.

"Hi! I'm Venus! You can call me V!"

Sam paused, "uhhh... hi?"

Venus laughed, "no need to be scared, Sam, I can hear you just fine!"