While watching some tennis today, I was struck by one of the ubiquitous commercials for IBM that feature the computer Watson talking to celebrities (like Serena Williams and Bob Dylan). This one featured Frank Abagnale, the former grifter who inspired the film "Catch Me If You Can." And it tugged at my heart a little.
In the spot, the pair banter about their latest roles in helping detect fraud. Abagnale suggests they team up for a sequel to "Catch Me If You Can." He tells Watson, "It could be a buddy movie."
Watson responds, in his monotone, with a one-liner that serves as the commercial's gut-punch of a punchline:
"I would like to have a buddy."
Oh, little dude. We all would. Some of us are lucky to have one. Don't despair.
How "advanced" can a "being" be if he or she can never boast of possessing the simplest of life's basic needs: having a buddy. Maybe someday great human minds, or artificial intelligence itself, will reach that holy grail.
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