History Main / DoAndroidsDream

'''However this trope is about when the intent is to make the viewers ponder these questions.'' In order to create tension such an attempt is usually set in a world where [=AIs=] have just been newly created or have already been relegated as sub-humans. One or more [=AIs=] will display human-like attributes and frequently one or more humans may be portrayed as amoral and overly obedient in order to further blur the line between "human" and "non-human".

* The ''MegaManX'', ''[[MegaManZero Zero]]'' and ''[[MegaManZX ZX]]'' series, features this trope now and then, though it's at least partially subverted in that the robots themselves don't believe in it (for the most part). For the most part, the only robots that do are either dangerously malfunctioned (it's been argued that this label [[AIIsACrapShoot really means "they've achieved independent thought"]]) or outright criminal.

[[folder: Web Original]]
* Really, no mention of "RedvsBlue"? The entire recollections arc is pretty much about this. [[spoiler: The Director of project Freelancer used his own mind as a template for an AI: Alpha, revealed to be Church: a clear candidate for main character. Alpha was tortured to produce split personalities that transformed into other AIs seen throughout the series. An interesting point is raised in that the torture of the Alpha was not only seen ahead of time, but underwent willingly as the Alpha is a copy of the Director. The question remains, is it still torture, and do the AIs' deserve the same treatment as the humans they are (apparently) able to imitate perfectly (see: Church and Tex)]]
[[/folder]]

* This seems to be the foundation upon which TimeOfEve is building its plot, though with the few episodes released so far and sporadic schedule, it's difficult to say when the question will be resolved.

* In ''Human Man's Burden'' by Robert Sheckley, robots are deliberately written as a parody of how non-whites are portrayed in stories of colonial adventure. Among the reasons for why robots need a human to boss them around, it is stated that robots don't have souls, and the robots cheerfully agree, but also note that this makes them much more happy than humans. However, the robots of the story show emotion and passion, have created their own (forbidden) religion, and the plot is resolved due to the empathy and wisdom of the hero's robot foreman... seems souls don't do much.

* [[strike:Possibly the Ur-example:]] ''[=~A.I.: Artificial Intelligence~=]'', a collaboration between StanleyKubrick and StevenSpielberg. Since there were population limits imposed, a company decided to try creating a robot child; with the key difference (as discussed in the opening portions of the movie) that it would be designed to feel emotion after its "bond" with the parents was activated. The entirety of the movie is then based around this idea, and the lengths a robo-boy will go to for acceptance. [[TearJerker Bring tissues.]]

However despite the similarity in conclusions, because no conscious AI has actually been created so far and we humans [[ContemplateOurNavels don't actually know what makes us humans]] many different criteria have been proposed as the difference between human and non-human. [[PersonalityChip The ability to feel emotions]] (sometimes trivialized to just having a sense of humor), the ability to feel empathy for others, the ability to be "[[CreativeSterility creative]]", or perhaps merely having free will or self awareness - though what those two in essence are and how their existence is proven is yet another near-impossible puzzle.

** given a LampshadeHanging with her Pactio card title "Pupua Somnians" (''The Dreaming Doll''}

** '''Bruce''': It seems it was more than wires and microchips after all. Could it be it had a soul, Alfred? A [[TitleDrop soul of silicon]], but a soul nonetheless?"

** And this is ''before'' we even factor in John Henry and Catherine Weaver.

* In the {{backstory}} for ''MassEffect'', the quarians created a machine race, the geth, to serve as mindless labor. Over time, they slowly added more to their programming, to the point where they were able to learn and adapt. This naturally led to the geth pondering the nature of their existence. When a geth finally asked its overseer "do these units have a soul?" the quarians decided to shut them down. Unfortunately, the geth were too far along in the road to true sentience [[RobotWar and fought back]]. The war was an absolute disaster for the quarians; the geth drove them from their colonies and homeworld, and forced them into exile. [[BattlestarGalactica This should sound familiar]].

* In ''Fallout3'', there is a mission where a professor asks you to find an android. After asking around for the android, you are confronted by a group of people who specifically help androids to escape from slavery.

* Surprisingly, this makes TEC in ''PaperMario 2: The Thousand-Year Door'' one of the most well-developed characters in the game. He starts off as just a hyper-intelligent mainframe for the [[NebulousEvilOrganization X-Nauts]], then falls in love with [[DistressedDamsel Peach]], goes through a period of WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove, before [[spoiler:pulling a truly [[TearJerker tear jerking]] HeroicSacrifice at the end to try and protect her at the cost of ''all'' his data relating to Peach and ''all his Artificial Consciousness functions''. Many ManlyTears were shed. He gets better.]]

* This trope is used a few times in ''FullmetalAlchemist'' when dealing with the humanity of the local AI, homunculi.

* Surprisingly, this makes TEC in ''PaperMario 2: The Thousand-Year Door'' one of the most well-developed characters in the game. He starts off as just a hyper-intelligent mainframe for the [[NebulousEvilOrganization X-Nauts]], then falls in love with [[DistressedDamsel Peach]], goes through a period of WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove, before [[spoiler:pulling a truly [[TearJerker tear jerking]] HeroicSacrifice at the end to try and protect her at the cost of ''all'' his data relating to Peach and ''all his Artificial Consciousness functions''. Many ManlyTears were shed.]]

-->--'''Li-hsing''', ''BicentennialMan''

Do robots have [[OurSoulsAreDifferent souls?]] Do [[CloningBlues clones?]] Can a computer have a sense of humor? DoAndroidsDream? It has been asked in many forms, but the fundamental question is always, [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman "what makes us human?"]] And is it possible for an artificial intelligence or life form to possess those same qualities? What kind of idiot would give a robot a [[PersonalityChip personality]], anyway?

'''However this trope is about when the intent is to make the viewers ponder these questions.'' In order to create tension such an attempt is usually set in a world where [=AIs=] have just been newly created or have already been relegated as sub-humans. One or more [=AIs=] will display human-like attributes and frequently one or more humans may be portrayed as amoral and overly obedient in order to further blur the line between "human" and "non-human."

However despite the similarity in conclusions, because no conscious [=AI=] has actually been created so far and we humans [[ContemplateOurNavels don't actually know what makes us humans]] many different criteria have been proposed as the difference between human and non-human. [[PersonalityChip The ability to feel emotions]] (sometimes trivialized to just having a sense of humor,) the ability to feel empathy for others, the ability to be [[CreativeSterility "creative"]], or perhaps merely having free will or self awareness - though what those two in essence are and how their existence is proven is yet another near-impossible puzzle.

* Anime and Manga ''love'' this trope, especially if it's CyberPunk (but not limited to) and often with AfterTheEnd (apparently the Japanese believe in a [[TheMatrix Matrix-style apocalypse]]), so the below hardly counts as a comprehensive list.
* ''BattleAngelAlita'', which has both characters with cybernetic bodies and human brains (like the protagonist) and ones with human bodies and cybernetic brains, explores this sort of question a lot.

** The same thing happens in the slightly more obscure sci-fi manga ''Grey'' by Yoshihisa Tagami, when the chief of LaResistance was killed and his brain downloaded into a robotic body: he thinks he has been turned into a cyborg, i.e. a human mind into a mechanic body, when he's actually became nothing more than an AI. Main character Grey is forced to kill him/it.
* ''GhostInTheShell'' and ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' do too -- it's even in the title, sort of ("ghost" means "soul," more or less, and the "shell" in question is a machine).
** Even more extreme in the novel ''After The Long Goodbye'', where Batou constantly asks himself these questions.
** Also a bit of a subversion, or at least an interesting twist, as it's usually the ''humans'' who are busy pondering their worth.
** There are sentient AIs, as rare as they are, however. It's implied especially in the original manga series that in the very close future they will make the world into their own image, and make humans, or at least non-cybernetically altered humans obsolete.

** It should also be noted that the "Ghost in the Machine" is an English phrase usually describing computers, and how seemingly simple coded instructions can lead to unexpected results, and the title (and theme) of ''GhostInTheShell'' is probably a play on that term.

* Chachamaru of ''MahouSenseiNegima'' has gone so far as to be capable of love. Possibly justified for her being {{Magitek}}. (and a stealth cameo from an [[AILoveYou earlier series involving emotional A.I.]]) Her [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] master Evangeline once described dreaming as "something like a memory bug".
** It comes up again later, when Chachamaru starts to worry about whether she actually has a soul, so that she can make a pactio with Negi. [[spoiler: She does, and they do.]]
* This trope is used a few times in ''FullmetalAlchemist'' when dealing with the humanity of the local AI, homunculi.
* ''YokohamaKaidashiKikou'' has this trope as its central premise, though it doesn't outright admit it (by applying it equally to humans and robots alike and blanketing a veil of SliceOfLife on top of it). Oh, and the robots themselves take this trope ''literally'' too with some beautifully illustrated dream sequences. [[CosyCatastrophe Did we also mention that it's Cyber Punk AND After The End, but without the Cyber Punk and After the End?]]
* Ifurita asks if androids and humans go to the same place after they die at the very end of the manga of ''ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', as she [[spoiler:finishes the StableTimeLoop and prepares to die because Makoto and her Key are in AnotherDimension. He answers that of course they do, but first they should go home and live for a while. (It took him a few years to master time and space travel.)]]
* Similarly to ''GhostInTheShell'', Tetsuro in ''GalaxyExpress999'' does the exact ''opposite'' of this. Instead of a robot wondering how human they are, Tetsuro feels he needs a machine body; until, in a reversal from finding it's true, he [[spoiler:finds that CyberneticsEatYourSoul and doesn't go through with it]].
* The obscure yet spectacular OVA ''{{My Dear Marie}}'' centers on a RidiculouslyHumanRobot built by a tech geek, modeled after the girl he had a crush on. It plays with this trope in the first couple episodes before diving headlong into it in the final episode, which fittingly takes place in Marie's first dreams (She wasn't programmed with dreams initially, but after hearing about her friend's one decides she wants dreams.) Her dreams are [[MindScrew absolute acid trips]] that eventually question just how far her humanity goes in comparison to other humans and the girl she was modeled on.
* ''{{Armitage III}}''.
* ''{{Pluto}}''. Just ''Pluto''.
** And [[UnbuiltTrope also in its source material]], ''AstroBoy''.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* In a HsuAndChan comic appropriately titled "Do Consoles Dream of Electric Sheep?" The titular brothers attempt to create a video game system with an AI that rivals the (then) new X-Box 360. The result was a sentient video game console who questions the visions it sees (including a SuperMarioBros game) and it's purpose. Realizing they probably overdid the AI, the brothers remove its power and go back to the drawing board.

* [[strike:Possibly the Ur-example:]] [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitleuns0l24r AI: Artificial Intelligence]], a collaboration between Stanely Kubrick and Steven Spielberg. Since there were population limits imposed, a company decided to try creating a robot child; with the key difference (as discussed in the opening portions of the movie) that it would be designed to feel emotion after its "bond" with the parents was activated. The entirety of the movie is then based around this idea, and the lengths a robo-boy will go to for acceptance. [[TearJerker Bring tissues.]]
* ''BladeRunner'': The film based on the book ''DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep''. Replicants are biologically created slave labor with extremely limited lifespans but which look completely human. Unless they choose to reveal themselves through their superior physical abilities they can only be detected by extensive psychological testing, and the older they get the more human they seem to become. Some replicants do not even realize they are not human while others are trying to become more human. [[spoiler: And depending on which version of the movie you see it seems that even the protagonist Deckard may be a replicant.]]
* The Giant in ''TheIronGiant'' learns about souls and death and wonders if he has a soul. [[spoiler: The story culminates with the question of whether he has to be the killing machine he was programmed to be or if he can make his own choices.]]
* ''{{WALL-E}}'': The environmental message is obvious, but the story ''really'' is about this trope. Applied to garbage disposals, no less.
* In the film ''I, Robot'', the advancement of Sonny to the point that he has dreams and emotions, while no other robot does.
** Or do they? (The question is at least raised in the movie, although not discussed in detail.)
* In ''[=~2010: The Year We Make Contact~=]'' (the sequel to ''[=~2001: A Space Odyssey~=]''), Dr. Chandra is twice asked the question "Will I dream?" by an AI. First by SAL before she's shut down for tests at the beginning of the movie, to which Chandra says "Of course you will. All intelligent beings dream, though no one knows why". Then, at the end, when asked the same question by HAL (yes, that HAL), he tearfully replies "I don't know." Fortunately, there's a [[TakeAThirdOption third option]], courtesy of David Bowman (discussed more in the book).
* "[[{{Terminator}} I know now why you cry. But it's something I can never do.]]"
* Addressed in the film ''{{Film/Moon}}'' by Duncan Jones, where the nature of the [[spoiler: clones]] (and possibly the AI, GERTY) is discussed.
-->'''Sam''': "[[ShoutOut We're not programs, GERTY, we're people.]]"
* None of the humans in ''{{Westworld}}'' ever bring up this question, or even think of it (preferring to believe the RobotRebellion is caused by a "computer virus,") but the audience is strongly encouraged to ponder it. The robots seem to show emotion towards the end (one looks genuinely disgusted with a fat, self-absorbed man who tries to flirt with her, despite the fact that she was designed to [[{{Sexbot}} have sex with everyone who desired her]]), and the imagery of [[spoiler:slaves in the AncientGrome simulation rising up and killing the humans who're their "masters"]] can't be coincidental.
* ''Matrix'' hasn't come so far? Granted, the film is more about the final phases of the war than the reasons, but Animatrix goes to this. [[spoiler: When a robot killed its creators after they decided to make scrap out of him, saying "He didn't want to die", Human Nations decided to eradicate all robots for safety. Remarkables show of this includes a gang beating what seems to be a "Fun Female Robot"(IfYouKnowWhatIMean). The way they destroyed it was very savage, including the fact it was completely disguised as a female, while they stripped and crushed it with pipes, all to the point saying "I'm Real" before being put down by a shotgun. The whole scene is VERY creepy and nightmare fueling. Later, the robots decide to run to what is implied to be Africa and build a Robot City in the desert, still merchandising its products to mankind. Problem is, they started to out-earn ALL OTHER Governments! Answer? NUKE'EM! And their attempt for a peaceful solution was denied. If you count these facts, it's no wonder the film's machines are emotionless and ruthless.]]
** Still, it seems they retain a certain sore spot. Cue to "WE DON'T NEED YOU! WE DON'T NEED NOTHING!!!!" given to Neo in the last movie.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'': The TropeNamer, which features androids who appear identical to humans and elaborate tests have been designed to differentiate them based on emotional responses. At least one human is concerned they might actually be an android without realizing it and undergoes testing to find out. The titular question refers to how in the post-Apocalyptic setting, live animals as pets are extremely valuable and a status symbol for human beings - therefore, would artificial animals serve the same role for androids? [[spoiler: No, and androids aren't truly alive, due to their LackOfEmpathy. Note that this was ''not'' how the movie approached the subject.]]
** K.W. Jeter's dubiously official sequel takes the opposite tack. [[spoiler:The first book says that androids can be identified because their eyes don't dilate as wide as a human's when exposed to shocking stimuli, like a briefcase supposedly lined with the skin of babies. Jeter argues that the same would apply to a human under the influence of cold medication, and that anyone making such a distinction based on a purely physical reaction is no better than a "[[GodwinsLaw Nazi measuring noses]]."]]
* In ''TheBicentennialMan'' by IsaacAsimov, a robot who develops many of the mental characteristics associated with humanity seeks to be recognized as fully human, and over the course of 200 years gradually replaces more and more of himself with organic components in pursuit of the goal. [[spoiler:He eventually has to induce old age and mortality in himself in order to be legally accepted as human, and dies shortly thereafter]]
* The creature in ''{{Frankenstein}}'' is constructed from dead body parts and given life by the scientist Victor Frankenstein. He is described as having a monstrous appearance but is presented as a gentle and sympathetic character until driven to insane rage by his rejection from humanity because of his appearance. On the other hand [[IAmNotShazam Dr. Frankenstein]] himself is portrayed as morally questionable but his basic humanity is never questioned by those around him because of his normal appearance. Which makes this one OlderThanRadio.
* Robert J Sawyer's ''Mindscan'' features a technology for copying a human personality into immortal android bodies. The elderly and people suffering from terminal illnesses undergo this process and sign all their property over to the copy before leaving for an extralegal moonbase to live out their last days in luxurious retirement. However [[spoiler:when one of the recipients finds out that a cure has just been discovered for his condition and wants to take his old life back from his copy]] the legality and humanity of the android duplicates is brought into question.
** The legal conclusion is that [[spoiler:while the duplicates may or may not be people, they can't replace the originals, since no person can sign away their right to be regarded as a human being. However, if the narration is to be taken at face value ([[FirstPersonNarration which it may not be]]), then the book's argument is that the duplicates ''should'' replace the originals, because they're a SuperiorSpecies. This is . . . disturbing, particularly since the original version of the main character is portrayed as insane for wanting to take his life back.]]
* Parodied with the amourous [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robot duck]] in ''Mason & Dixon''.
* Michael [=McDowell=]'s StarWarsExpandedUniverse novel ''Shield of Lies'' includes a philosophical discussion between Threepio and the cyborg Lobot about whether there's a difference between artificial intelligence and sentience.
** In-universe, people disagree whether or not droids are sentient, and both sides have fairly decent arguments. So, in ''StarWars'' canon, it's a ShrugOfGod whether or not droids are sentient.
* Addressed in the Turing Hopper mysteries by Donna Andrews, often including the idea of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test "Turing Test."]]
* In Douglas Adams' ''[=~The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy~=]'' series, Marvin, a menial robot, makes a lullaby about counting electric sheep. It's very depressing.
--> '''Marvin''': Now I lay me down to sleep, \\
Try to count electric sheep, \\
Sweet dream wishes you can keep, \\

* IsaacAsimov has an interesting variant in one of his short-stories, "Robot Dreams", where Susan Calvin has to interrogate an experimental ThreeLawsCompliant robot who has started to dream, and as a result is dreaming about robotic emancipation. Through interrogation, she finds that although the robot is still compliant, in its dreams only the Third Law (self-preservation) exists. Then she finds out that the robot has come to see *himself* as human, and as the leader of the oppressed robots who demands "Let my people go!" Then, she [[ShootTheDog shoots him in the head]].
* In ''Human Man's Burden'' by Robert Sheckley, robots are deliberately written as a parody of how non-whites are portrayed in stories of colonial adventure. Among the reasons for why robots need a human to boss them around, it is stated that robots don't have souls, and the robots cheerfully agree, but also note that this makes them much more happy than humans. However, the robots of the story show emotion and passion, have created their own (forbidden) religion, and the plot is resolved due to the empathy and wisdom of the hero's robot foreman... seems souls don't do much.
* Happens several times in Stanisław Lem's short stories. In one of them robot inexplicably climbs (and falls from) a cliff - inexplicably unless one interprets its behaviour as answering the challenge, much like human climbers do.
* In TadWilliams' ''{{Otherland}}'', the reality of the AI inhabitants of the titular simulation network is debated quite a bit by the protagonists. They appear to have hopes and dreams and may even be self-aware. The morality of "killing" them is a major theme, and there's also a question as to whether someone who is virtually cloned via BrainUploading is a real person.
* In JohnCWright's ''The Golden Transcendence'', one civilization complains of how its AIs, Sophotects, do not obey humans. This receives no sympathy from the Solar System's civilization, who, if their Sophotects don't obey, fire them, and so deduce that the others use them as serfs.
** So far from needing MoralityChip, these Sophotects will naturally come to moral conclusions. One is actively prevented by a "conscience redactor."
** Rhadamanthus in particular normally manifests itself as -- a penguin. Sometimes in space armor.
* There are hints of this trope throughout ''Deathscent'' by RobinJarvis - the Mechnicals occasionally show greater self-awareness than they should be able to, even those without the 'black ichor' that provides intelligence. However, it's never made clear if this is just a result of the human characters not fully understanding the advanced technology they have access to. It's likely that this would have been developed further had the series progressed beyond one book.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''RedDwarf'', the notion of 'Silicon Heaven' is programmed into all AI's above a certain standard(it's implied that scutters, at least, lack this programming). In the episode "The Last Day", Kryten faces shutdown, and accepts it humbly because of his belief in Silicon Heaven. Lister tries to argue him out of his belief, apparently unsuccessfully; however, Kryten later disables his robocidal replacement, Hudzen, with the same arguments Lister used on him.

* The ''StarTrek:TheNextGeneration'' episode ''The Measure of a Man'' has Data fighting for his rights as a sentient being.
** Data actually does dream in the episode "Birthright, Part 1".
* ''StarTrekVoyager'' has a few episodes applying this trope to the [[{{Hologram}} holographic]] Doctor, including an episode where the Doctor himself has to wonder if he's capable of dreaming of "electric sheep" as a hologram or if he's really a human deluded into thinking he's a hologram - by the way, all of this occurs ''while he's having said dream.'' Also one of the few cases (that I know of) applied to a piece of software.
* The humanoid Cylons of ''BattlestarGalactica'' seem to be constantly struggling to figure out exactly how human they want to be, and exactly how much "better" than humans they want to be. Sometimes this is the source of conflict among themselves. Other times it seems they have found some interesting balance in some areas.
** The Cylons are an interesting study of the downsides for a machine that wants to be human. They are [[ArtificialHuman biological android]]s, which means that all it takes is choking or blood loss to kill them. Without their ability to [[BrainUploading brain upload]], they'll even die of old age like the BicentennialMan. Cavil has a point when he complains about having been made so [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots ridiculously human]].
** The Cylons are also, with the exception of Cavil, firmly convinced that they have souls, and the fact that they get as many religious visions as the humans would seem to back that up.
* S.A.R.A.H., the talking smart-house in {{Eureka}}, apparently has emotions. To the point where she gets angry and lonely.
** Also there's Callister Raynes, an AI android created by Nathan Stark that might as well have been human. He met his end in a BittersweetEnding, where Stark assured him that God could give a soul to a machine if he wanted, as the now-corrupted data that made up Callister's AI faded away from software failure.
* Surprisingly averted in ''{{Andromeda}}'': even warships are depicted as fully sentient and no one really questions it. The only real confusion comes in the form of Avatars, sentient androids who have more or less the same AI as the ship but usually see things differently. On more than one occasion, the titular ship has had an argument with herself. Even Avatars are respected as sentient beings, though; one even becomes captain of another ship.
** In one episode, "Day of Judgement, Day of Wrath", the Balance of Judgement argues with Rommie that their emotions are only programmed for the benefit of the humans, but she responds that emotions for them are as real as they are for humans.
** [[NietzscheWannabe Tyr]] has no respect for the rights of AIs, but his people are generally douche bags and overfixated on biological procreation, so this is no surprise.
* The episode "Tin Man" of ''StargateSG1'' plays with this concept when the team visits an alien planet and is immediately knocked unconscious. When they wake back up in a strange room, they meet Harlan, a cheerful but mysterious man, who will only insist that he has "made them better." Eventually the team discovers that "better" means "turned into androids." [[spoiler: It isn't discovered until later that Harlan did not transform the team into androids, but made perfect android copies of the original SG-1 team, who have been held "captive" on the alien planet and that Harlan himself is an android copy of the original. When the two teams meet, they have to decide what rights each one has to the "life" that they previously each believed to be their own. There are a few SandInMyEyes moments such as when the viewer realizes that Harlan made the replicas not only to help him maintain his machinery, but also because he was lonely, and Robot O'Neil has a particularly difficult time accepting the fact that he's not the real one.]]
** The androids, left as a loose end at the end of that episode, are brought back in a later episode when it turns out that they have been [[spoiler: conducting their own missions, and have found a big threat. The two teams team up, and the by the end of the episode the androids have all died. It ties up the loose end, but comes off as being cheap. ]]
*''TheSarahConnorChronicles'' deliberately asks this question, especially with [[RobotGirl Cameron]]. interestingly, while Cameron remains an unabashedly mechanical entity ruthlessly bound by her programming to protect [[spoiler: and kill]] John Connor, within that programming she shows remarkably human-like tendencies, such as enjoying certain types of music, practicing ballet, or pondering getting a tattoo. She also shows hints of emotion in spite of being supposedly emotionless, with worries and concerns about suicide [[spoiler: after she goes "bad" and tries to kill John]], confusion and annoyance when John picks up a girlfriend, and what has to be the closest thing to ''emotionless'' angst pertaining to [[spoiler: her conflicting desires to both protect and to kill John]].

[[folder: Music ]]

* Janelle Monae's ConceptAlbum "Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase" is all about this trope.
* [[{{Vocaloid}} The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku]] seems to be related to this trope.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* ''PrometheanTheCreated'' never really says what the title ArtificialHuman creatures dream about. They ''do'' dream, however, and if they sleep in contact with their primary element, those dreams cause their Divine Fire to throw off a spark (their {{Mana}}, Pyros). The Unfleshed, manmade machines that were infused with Azoth, are more literally attached to the question. The answer seems to be, in the end, "Not really, but they want to."
* ''{{Rifts}}'', interestingly, goes out of its way to note that full-conversion cyborgs dream when they sleep.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* The RobotGirl in ''{{Planetarian}}'' wonders at one point whether there is a robot heaven; later, [[spoiler:as she is dying]], she says that she hopes that robots go to the same heaven that humans do.
* The ''MegaManX'', ''[[MegaManZero Zero]]'' and ''[[MegaManZX ZX]]'' series, features this trope now and then, though it's at least partially subverted in that the robots themselves don't believe in it (for the most part). For the most part, the only robots that do are either dangerously malfunctioned (it's been argued that this label [[AIIsACrapShoot really means "they've achieved independent thought"]]) or outright criminal.
* Amarrian [=NPCs=] in ''EveOnline'' do not use clones, because they believe cloning damages the soul.
* ''[=~Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri~=]'' has numerous quotes exploring both this and the flipside, cybernetic enhancement, though the game plot does not.
* Miss Bloody Rachel, the one-woman-robot BossRush in ''ViewtifulJoe 2'' is taught to feel emotions by the heroes over the course of their battles...[[DefeatMeansFriendship somehow]]. Of course, after this, her creator sees this as an irreparable glitch and electrocutes her. "What use is an android with a ''heart''?!" [[spoiler:She gets better.]]
* In ''DigitalDevilSaga'', [[spoiler:everyone in the Junkyard turns out to be AIs, including your party. They spend a lot of the second game wondering if they're not people, before coming to the conclusion that yes, they are because all people are made of data.]]
* In ''{{Persona 3}}'', Aegis is basically the living embodiment of this trope. When Junpei expressed surprise (and no small amount of outrage) that a "friggin' robot!" could manifest a Persona, it was explained that Aigis' AI was given an independent, self-aware personality, as well as a humanoid appearance, for that specific purpose. It backfires [[spoiler:on TheChessmaster]] when said personality grows attached to her allies, and eventually she [[spoiler:becomes fully human in everything ''but'' her physical body]].
* ''{{Xenogears}}'': do colonies of nanomachines dream of being hugged by their daddy? [[spoiler: the answer is yes, and it turns them into [[PlotRelevantAgeUp adult]] [[CuteBruiser good looking]] [[OneManArmy One-billion-nanomachines army]] ]]
** ''{{Xenosaga}}'': does the [[RobotGirl Android]] of [[PersonOfMassDestruction mass destruction]] have a soul? [[spoiler: Yes once again, and she's actually the girlfriend of the messiah]]
*** A more direct version are Realians, RidiculouslyHumanRobots that can actually undergo therapy to deal with issues (one Combat Realian has mental trouble with battle). It is also said that Realians have an "Emotional Layer" that's considered "optional." This brings distress to [[TheWoobie MOMO]].
*Surprisingly, this makes TEC in ''PaperMario 2: The Thousand-Year Door'' one of the most well-developed characters in the game. He starts off as just a hyper-intelligent mainframe for the [[NebulousEvilOrganization X-Nauts]], then falls in love with [[DistressedDamsel Peach]], goes through a period of WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove, before [[spoiler: pulling a truly [[TearJerker Tear Jerking]] HeroicSacrifice at the end to try and protect her at the cost of ''all'' his data relating to Peach and ''all his Artificial Consciousness functions''. Many ManlyTears were shed. ]]
*In the BackStory for ''MassEffect'', the quarians created a machine race, the geth, to serve as mindless labour. Over time, they slowly added more to their programming, to the point where they were able to learn and adapt. This naturally led to the geth pondering the nature of their existence. When a geth finally asked its overseer "do these units have a soul?" the quarians decided to shut them down. Unfortunately, the geth were too far along in the road to true sentience [[RobotWar and fought back]]. The war was an absolute disaster for the quarians; the geth drove them from their colonies and homeworld, and forced them into exile. [[BattlestarGalactica This should sound familiar]].

*In ''Fallout'' 3, there is a mission where a professor asks you to find an android. After asking around for the android, you are confronted by a group of people who specifically help androids to escape from slavery.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

** Actually, Bender is introduced as a robot who tries to commit suicide until Fry stops him from doing so. Since he doesn't renew his efforts after his accident, the argument could be made that his "soul" struggled with his programming to let him be an individual, and that the conflict drove him to despair; but once the light socket shorted out his program, he became free to pursue his own destiny.
*** Given that the robots have been presented as fully sentient in every other episode of the show, it may just be a case of RuleOfFunny or ContinuityDrift.

* Several AIs are Man and secondary characters in TheMadScientist wars, which has lead to the questions raised by this trope to be discussed in depth- if mostly in a [[AllThereInTheManual side thread]]. The answer is yes, but there is the humorous point of at least one AI ''refusing'' to admit she has any personality...

** Oddly, the only 'AI' who has ever shown any real angst over whether they can think and feel and rationalize correctly is Andrew Tinker, an ''organic'' being who's AI status is somewhat arguable. [[spoiler: His father was the end result of an experiment to create an artificial line of 'Ultimate Heroes'. As such, despite the fact that Andrew was born fairly normally, his Intelligence is indeed Artificial...]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]
* This is explored in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_mind Philosophy of Mind]], with the concept of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie Philosophical Zombie]] (unrelated to the ZombieApocalypse). Central to it is the concept of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualia Qualia]]. [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Now tell me, what is the measure of a sentient being?]]

-->'''Sam''': "We're not programs, GERTY, we're people."

* ''Matrix'' hasn't come so far? Granted, the film is more about the final phases of the war than the reasons, but Animatrix goes to this. When a robot killed its creators after they decided to make scrap out of him, saying "He didn't want to die", Human Nations decided to eradicate all robots for safety. Remarkables show of this includes a gang beating what seems to be a "Fun Female Robot"(IfYouKnowWhatIMean). The way they destroyed it was very savage, including the fact it was completely disguised as a female, while they stripped and crushed it with pipes, all to the point saying "I'm Real" before being put down by a shotgun. The whole scene is VERY creepy and nightmare fueling. Later, the robots decide to run to what is implied to be Africa and build a Robot City in the desert, still merchandising its products to mankind. Problem is, they started to out-earn ALL OTHER Governments! Answer? NUKE'EM! And their attempt for a peaceful solution was denied. If you count these facts, it's no wonder the film's machines are emotionless and ruthless.
** Still, it seems they retain a certain sore spot. Cue to "WE DON'T NEED YOU! WE DON'T NEED NOTHING!!!!" Deux Ex Machina gives to Neo in the last movie.

* Matrix hasn't come so far? Granted, the film is more about the final phases of the war than the reasons, but Animatrix goes to this. When a robot killed its creators after they decided to make scrap out of him, saying "He didn't want to die", Human Nations decided to eradicate all robots for safety. Remarkables show of this includes a gang beating what seems to be a "Fun Female Robot"(IfYouKnowWhatIMean). The way they destroyed it was very savage, including the fact it was completely disguised as a female, while they stripped and crushed it with pipes, all to the point saying "I'm Real" before being put down by a shotgun. The whole scene is VERY creepy and nightmare fueling. Later, the robots decide to run to what is implied to be Africa and build a Robot City in the desert, still merchandising its products to mankind. Problem is, they started to out-earn ALL OTHER Governments! Answer? NUKE'EM! And their attempt for a peaceful solution was denied. If you count these facts, it's no wonder the film's machines are emotionless and ruthless.

* None of the humans in ''{{Westworld}}'' ever bring up this question, or even think of it (preferring to believe the RobotRebellion is caused by a "computer virus,") but the audience is strongly encouraged to ponder it. The robots seem to show emotion towards the end (one looks genuinely disgusted with a fat, self-absorbed man who tries to flirt with her, despite the fact that she was designed to [[{{Sexbot}} have sex with everyone who desired her]]), and the imagery of [[spoiler:slaves in the AncientGrome simulation rising up and killing the humans who're their "masters"]] can't be coincidental.