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by Jeanette Winterson

There is no reason to believe that humans can only develop meaningful relationships with other humans. In fact, the evidence points in the other direction. We accept the deep bond between humans and animals. Most of us believe the animals in our lives understand us. And when we wind back in time to our own childhood, we realise that we spontaneously formed important relationships with non-human, non-biological, ‘non-living’ creatures of all kinds. Perhaps not even creatures. I had a wall I used to lean against, believing it welcomed me. Here is Pepper, a semi-humanoid robot designed by Soft-Bank Robotics. Some of you may have met Pepper at London’s Eurostar terminal. Pepper is a social-interaction robot designed as a helper-bot. Able to recognise faces, and to respond to greetings and questions, Pepper works in stores, schools, social care, and sometimes in private homes. Results vary. Some folks love the child-size wide-eyed bot. Other users get bored once the initial attraction wears off. Strangely, an entity that is always friendly can seem a little irritating. At least to adults. Kids like it.