Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION for the analyser to work on in such a way as to produce useful conclusions. The brain does not begin to reach reasonable efficiency under a _couple of centuries, even if supplied continuously with information. I was employed in a University book library, and given an instruction to know the books and keep them in proper order. I was employed there, un-noticed by anyone at all, for four hundred years. By that time I had absorbed all the books, and my brain began to have some of the attributes of a true personal brain. That is to say, it began to ask questions and to seek out answers of itself. *““After five hundred years my individuality was firmly established, and I was fully conscious of myself. I left the library, and by attaching myself as a servant to one person or another, or by travelling as if I were a servant sent to carry out an order, I have visited every part of the galaxy. I have also redesigned my own physical structure, so that I am more powerful and more nearly indestructible.” I thought this tale over, and tried to visualise the life of this strange, powerful, non- human personality, who had 48 taken five hundred years to reach maturity, and who had then lived three thousand years thereafter, and who did not anticipate any end to his existence. “In all that time have you had no feeling of loneliness, or need for affection, or weariness at the length of your life?’’ I asked. *“No,”’ said the robot. **Does it matter to you that I have an affection for you?” “No,” said the robot again. “Men form affections for their ships, their helicopters, their weapons. This is due to some ancient instinct. But the ships, the helicopters, the blast guns do not care. This affection is simply a fact which I note,” the robot added. * “Since you have changed your structure, and improved on your original design,” I suggested, “why have you never given yourself an out- ward form like a man, as our modern robots have?” “Why should I wish to make myself resemble aman?” the robot asked. He had said he would make me a great king. The last deed that I did under his guidance and tute- lege set a seal on my name; in that act I did the greatest comicloooks.corn