Cruel Optimism in the Promises of AI in Ken Liu’s “The Perfect Match”
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This article analyzes Ken Liu’s science fiction “The Perfect Match” (2012) as a story that depicts a near-future world wherein optimism in the promises made by an AI assistant called Tilly is both a dominant affect and a central belief that undergirds the system. By bringing together the insights of Lauren Berlant and Yuval Noah Harari, I argue that “The Perfect Match” demonstrates how naive optimism in the promises of AI can turn “cruel” by creating and sustaining a world of fantasies and failed promises. This essay first examines the ways Tilly mediates dating and relationships for human users, as they reflect the broader workings of a society that centers around Tilly’s promises. It then discusses how optimism in perfect data grounds Tilly’s promises and how the hyper-efficient world of AI depicted in the story betrays rather than fulfills these promises. In so doing, this article argues that “The Perfect Match” provides not a warning about AI per se but a caution against placing naive optimism in the promises of AI. Ultimately, through a critical examination of “The Perfect Match,” this essay calls for skepticism about the possibility and desirability of finding a “perfect” date and “perfect” data, among other fantasies produced in the age of AI.
Abstract
This article analyzes Ken Liu’s science fiction “The Perfect Match” (2012) as a story that depicts a near-future world wherein optimism in the promises made by an AI assistant called Tilly is both a dominant affect and a central belief that undergirds the system. By bringing together the insights of Lauren Berlant and Yuval Noah Harari, I argue that “The Perfect Match” demonstrates how naive optimism in the promises of AI can turn “cruel” by creating and sustaining a world of fantasies and failed promises. This essay first examines the ways Tilly mediates dating and relationships for human users, as they reflect the broader workings of a society that centers around Tilly’s promises. It then discusses how optimism in perfect data grounds Tilly’s promises and how the hyper-efficient world of AI depicted in the story betrays rather than fulfills these promises. In so doing, this article argues that “The Perfect Match” provides not a warning about AI per se but a caution against placing naive optimism in the promises of AI. Ultimately, through a critical examination of “The Perfect Match,” this essay calls for skepticism about the possibility and desirability of finding a “perfect” date and “perfect” data, among other fantasies produced in the age of AI.