Androids, computers, robots; call them what you will, they’re all A.I., artificial intelligence. Though the messages their stories tell may vary, throughout the years bots have won our hearts, made us laugh, made us think and freaked the crap out of us. Their quest to be a little more human represents humanity’s quest to be even more than that. This is a salute to both A.I. and humanity in all its varied hues.
Whether it’s made of muscle or microchips, plastic or plasma, once you give a being the ability to cognate, it has a personality type. These things we call personality types are merely a demonstration of cognition patterns that lead to similar actions. Does that make personality less meaningful? Absolutely not. Like all formulas, simple variables produce complex patterns and each of us have the ability to choose what we do with the raw materials at our fingertips. The way you were “programmed” may be out of your control, but the mark of true sentience is the ability to evolve within yourself, to learn and choose to be more than others may have planned for you to be. There is so much we can learn from these beings, each of which were designed by imperfect beings to be one thing and each of which chose to be another… for better or for worse.
These barely scratch the surface of the famous A.I. we love.
Caught in the crossfire between his programing and his instructions, HAL 9000 has terrified and intrigued audiences since the 60’s. His linear thinking (ST) and objective planning (IJ) demonstrates negatively and powerfully as he’s been programmed to value his mission at the expense of the human life put in his care.
Though I personally think Kubrick needed a more discriminating editor, bc holy crap are those shots interminable, HAL is a complex character who we really feel for as he moans “Daisy” to his demise.
One of my favorites, GLaDOS is the most charming thing that has ever tried to burn me alive or kill me with deadly neurotoxin. A hilarious parody of all the fine print in the world, she shows us just what we can expect if a world vision (INTJs specialty, though not exclusive) gets carried out regardless its effect on others.
“Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self Esteem Fund for Girls? It’s true!” Side effects may vary.
Demonstrating an absurd amount of ISFJ, Optimus Prime has been sharing aesop’s about protecting goodness with us since our youth (er… some of our youths anyway). He also may have been really good at selling cool toys that were both trucks and robots, but we’ll ignore that in favor of how he teaches us to protect humanity at the expense of our very lives and that things are more than meets the eye. 😉
Where ITJs are excellent at obscuring their emotions from onlookers, IFJs are excellent at cloaking their thoughts. It’s interesting how IFJ actions with just one missing piece of information can go from scary to comforting within the course of a movie. I love how this robot who is expected to be focused on tasks and systems instead finds and applies sweeping principles to his own life as well as others.
It seems the largest majority of robots and computers in fiction are Ss, the straightforward and in-the-moment way we expect droids to be, unless there is a theme at work of “what could they be instead?”
The favorite assassin droid of “meatbags” everywhere, HK-47 was my personal favorite part of KotOR, though the game had plenty to offer in the way of storyline. It was fascinating to see how such rampant loathing and violence really didn’t seem malicious in any way. I’ll have to study the patterns more to see if that’s a trend in ESTJ, although the utility (though maybe not the violence) seems typical of ESTJs. I understood ESTPs first and ESTJs are like the ESTPs of action. They also tend to have a little more discipline; this is why you should never give Bender a gun (though I’d love to see the two in a room together).
Normal for a crusader, EVE always has her directive in mind. Potential (NT) and group (EJ) oriented, she keeps her mind on her cause and her mission… though she doesn’t plan for her passionate heart to fall for Wall-E, who coincidentally is her Paradoxitype.
“Living” proof that if you annoy other characters instead of the audience you will be thought of as memorable and not suicide worthy (~shivers at the thought of Jar-Jar~), C-3PO demonstrates a typical ESFJ desire to please everyone and to be seen doing things right. Desiring to be the shining (*rimshot*) example of his role, he shares the ESFJ tendency to want to be the exemplar of what everyone else should do. Though he gets on the others’ nerves for desiring to do what will be considered normal instead of what will work, C-3PO has his moments. Though I might not want him bringing up my flank, he’s an endearing character and Star Wars wouldn’t be the same without him.
Dishwasher Herb Copperbottom, in his ENFJ way, has had a hard time standing up for himself and for his own dreams, but as he stands up for his son Rodney and his big dreams, he ends up seeing his own fulfilled. It seems apparent that it was the way Herb had taught him and the support Rodney was getting from back home that motivated him to save the old robots of Robot City and get Bigweld out of his slump.
Plus, Herb Copperbottom plays a mean “junk” (jazz + funk).
If you seek to know quintessential ESTP, look no further than Bender. Beautifully irreverent and epically specializing in individual (EP) worth (ST), behind it all, you can’t help but love him… even if at times you’re glad he’s not real so that he can’t tell you to bite his shiny metal…
Droid on a mission, R2-D2 may have communication issues, but he will stop at nothing to get to Obi Wan Kenobi, save Princess Leia and bring the stolen Death Star plans to the Rebels. This includes tricking his new master Luke Skywalker to get his restraining bolt removed, obstinately not showing him the message he said he would and lying about its existence, and running off into the night to find Obi Wan on his own. Though he’s not going to win any “Most Obedient Droid” awards, R2-D2 does kinda save the galaxy and everyone’s lives on multiple occasions, so I think he’s forgiven.
I find it interesting how fictional maladies, curses and situations that befall characters are usually things that befit their personality, either in parallel or in contrast to their normal selves. For example; like Dory in Finding Nemo, short-term memory loss seems a normal trend in fictional ESFPs because it brings out their already goofy, random nature and tendency to live in the moment. Though his main plot point is fairly irrelevant, B.E.N. does provide comic relief, necessary shelter and memories of dancing with an android named Lupé.
If any phrase encapsulated ENFP “Number 5 is alive!” is it. Specializing in individual (EP) meaning/significance (NF), their entire focus is on “I think, feel and am, therefore I matter!” As he comes to recognize just what being alive really means, self-dubbed Johnny Five realizes just how desperately he desires “no disassemble!” But he’s willing to give up even that for the humans he’s come to care about, including “Ste-fa-nee.”
Linear and observant (ST) enough to be miserable, but not about to do anything about those observations (P), Marvin is a fantastic foil to the typical upbeat, do as their told robots we’re so used to.
Opting to seduce her prey through logic rather than brute force, as INTPs consider the real battles to be, the Borg Queen thinks in situational (IP) systems (NT) and values the efficiency of the collective over the will of the few. She turns to logic in the details, avoiding the big picture, as all INTP villains do, to try and keep Data from seeing the… data (no pun intended) right in front of him. Though it doesn’t work on him, it’s that kind of “makes sense if you only look at part of it” that makes hive-mind collectivist villains so effective and creepy.
A fantastic Pinocchio parallel, Data is the ultimate situational experiencer (ISFPs specialty). His whole existence revolving around understanding and experiencing what it’s like to be human, Data is an explorer that perceivers can be proud of. (While writing this I accidentally typed “Star Wars;” so glad my INFJ caught it and saved me from certain death at the hands of angry fans.)
Is insanely cute enough to qualify someone as an INFP? No, but Wall-E definitely has that trait in common with a lot of INFPs. He focuses on meaning (NF) in details and situations (IP) and has an abstract understanding of what’s going on even if he’s mostly along for the ride. You can’t really say no to those giant goggle eyes. My main real problem with that movie was that there were people active enough to invent spacecraft that advanced and yet no one was willing to stop what was happening to the world and the culture. I’m jaded enough to think that *most* people wouldn’t have done anything, just not jaded enough to think that *no one* would have done anything.
Runners Up:
In making this post, there were more great A.I. that I wanted to include, but I could only have one of each type. Here are some of my favs that didn’t make it into the line-up for various reasons.
I’m fairly bummed that I didn’t get to include this one; he’s a fantastic example of ISFJ. In the end Optimus’ quote couldn’t possibly get more ISFJ and “Superman…” didn’t work as well out of context. /tear
C-3PO was slightly more iconic, though Guilty Spark is the floating ball I love to hate and I’ll always have fond memories of his maddeningly cheerful voice while being absolutely bombarded by Flood. Ah, shotgun, how I love thee!
This one was an odd predicament. Fender was actually going to be my first choice bc I’ve always thought B.E.N. was kind of random, but I could not for the life of me find another ENFJ robot besides Rodney’s dad. (I didn’t think Minion from Megamind counted; cyborg you see.)
R2-D2 chirped adorably and I listened. While I absolutely love Cortana, again more people know the Star Wars franchise and in a lot of ways Cortana was almost *too* human. Obviously I’ll just have to do a whole Halo post sometime.
GLaDOS, diva that she is, demanded that she receive the Portal spotlight. Also, both Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2 made me cry as a child. Possibly for a long period of time.
Don’t make me recall the time I watched Small Wonder in preparation for this post. I shall never get those tragically lost minutes back and I weep at the way they were sucked from my existence.
I really love Data’s quote here.