Comment:

As I said, Zoa is a general-purpose robot, capable of performing any sort of service in exchange for credits. Having a conversation can be a service. Indeed, many of us are de facto professional conversation-havers.

Transcript:

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0012 - 2167/07/05/18:06 - Lee Caldavera's apartment, main entrance
Zoa: So if you weren't looking for airquotes-companionship, what exactly were you looking for?
LC: My therapist keeps saying that social interaction would help fix my depression. As usual, the stupid thing didn't have any practical suggestions as to how to actually accomplish this.
Zoa: Oooh, depression. Rustic.
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LC [data connection]: Notice-delete. (Are you sure?) Yes.
Zoa: Well, Lee, just a thought, but maybe if socially interacting with your fellow humans is a tad too challenging, you might want to start out on a few training-wheels discussions with a convenient general-purpose AI?
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Zoa: Just, y'know... practice friendliness with a nice, safe nonperson that you don't have to worry about impressing and that you can just tell to go away whenever you want.
LC: You're saying you're capable of simulating a normal conversation?
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Zoa: If by "simulate" you mean "have", as in the conversation we are literally having right now, then yes, yes I can do that.
LC: And is your snarkiness setting adjustable?
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