Considering how politely some chat apps answer us, the question came up in one of our editors’ meetings: should we say “thank you” back? My father gave names to our household machines. He spoke appreciatively to our cars when they got us safely from here to there. I had to smile recently when my sister called out, “Thanks, Rosie,” in response to a chirp from the kitchen corner. Rosie is the robotic vacuum cleaner, signaling that it had parked itself on its charging dock.
Gratitude involves the whole of us. Our feeling rejoices in what we receive; our thinking recognizes that we’ve been given a gift and that we are dependent on a giver for it; and with our will, we offer thanks. It establishes a relationship. If I say “thank you” to the cashier who just handed me my receipt, it’s polite but mostly a culturally ingrained habit. Am I actually grateful? Shouting “thank you for this glorious weather!” is mostly an articulation of pleasure. It has more heart in it, but to whom am I speaking? Gratitude is more than this. It honors the relationship between receiver and giver. Saying “thank you” to express gratitude is a uniquely human trait.
When I thank a machine, with whom—or with what—am I in relationship? Rosie is made of natural materials, each with a unique quality of being-ness, that were extracted from the Earth and reconfigured by human beings to serve our needs. Don’t all these beings—human and otherwise—deserve our gratitude? Maybe my saying “thank you” to a machine or a chat app is less about anthropomorphizing technology and more about retaining what makes me truly human. It’s my ability to be grateful and to be aware of its effect, both on myself and on whom or what I am giving thanks to.
Photo Jan Antonin Kolar/Unsplash
