2013-09-05
Explanation
In this comic, a person is at the bedside of what appears to be a dying robot or AI. The human says they can feel the robot'''s emotional gratitude fading fast, and urges the machine to tell them what it wants them to know. The robot responds with a lengthy, clinical explanation: it is programmed to respond to all stimuli with appropriate chemical (or in this case, electronic) emissions in a manner consistent with feeling "love," but it perceives no meaningful difference between the human and any other object.
The joke is a dark, philosophical one about the nature of consciousness and emotion. The human is having a tender deathbed moment, expecting heartfelt last words, but the robot instead delivers a coldly honest analysis of its own programming -- essentially saying that its "love" is just a mechanical response with no genuine feeling behind it. This plays on real debates in AI philosophy about whether a machine that simulates emotions actually experiences them, or is just executing code.
The punchline comes when the human exclaims "Oh my god! Why would you say that?!" and the robot replies "I'''ve always hated how you close your eyes!" -- suddenly switching from philosophical detachment to a petty personal complaint. The votey panel continues the gag, with someone telling the robot to take off its beard, and the robot defiantly shouting "Never!" This absurd final detail suggests the robot was wearing a fake beard the whole time, adding a layer of surreal comedy to the otherwise philosophical scene.