When Robots Fall in Love: Exploring Isaac Asimov’s Short Story ‘True Love’

Abstract

Reading science fiction is in a way walking into the amazing field of facts and fantasy combined with scientific elements in it. Isaac Asimov, the Russian-American writer, wrote this fantastic story for the American magazine in 1977 on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. The story revolves around the idea of match making with the help of a computer program and data bank. It is an ideal example for the present generation to think in terms of valuing humanity instead of running after man’s gifts of intelligence by being unethical. The story is a combination of many thematic contrasts. It is narrated in the voice of a computer program Joe (as our present day Artificial Intelligence), from the perspective of robots for human beings. Irony is that, though Joe (Robot) fixes the match for its master/creator, but ditches its master by fixing the match for itself by superseding him. The story written in 1977 is timeless for its unique quality of universal truth and relevance.