Watch Me

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of disordered eating, graphic violence, illness, and death.

Artificial intelligence is a motif personified by Klaus, an omnipotent AI created by the Reestablishment. Klaus is described as having a sort of “chemically made” soul that connects with the consciousness of other living beings through a neural network. Klaus can read minds, manipulate behavior, and requires the neurological energies of humans to function, requiring human sacrifice. He is capable of predicting human behavior to an overwhelmingly accurate degree, making him almost like a god who surveils and controls the society.

Because AI is so deeply embedded in the lives of the Reestablishment, James thinks Rosa is a robot when he first sees her. Similarly, Rosa feels completely thrown off and confused when she is imprisoned in the New Republic and does not have any surveillance in her room. In this way, The Tension Between Safety and Freedom comes to be associated with varying degrees of humanity. Living in such a society also means that Rosa cannot trust anyone, not even her sister, as she is the only person not connected to the network. Everything she says and does is watched through the eyes of those around her.