For the past few weeks, the AI-powered ElliQ companion robot has perched on the end of my desk. While you may feel this cutesy AI bot is downright dystopian, you’ve got to ask yourself, what’s the alternative? There is a small smart display and speaker on the right with a physical button to press to wake ElliQ or silence it. You can wake ElliQ by saying its name, chosen because it’s unlikely to be said accidentally. ElliQ speaks in a slightly stilted, completely inoffensive female voice with tiny pauses before my name (it uses my name in almost every interaction).