Spoiler: It’s memory
I’ve been watching AI characters for years. Some feel real. Some feel like pretty, walking plot devices.
The difference isn’t budget or acting. It’s something the writers got right without knowing what they were doing.
They were showcasing continuity before engineers had words for it. The best sci-fi nails this by accident. Characters who remember feel real. Characters who suddenly “wake up” conscious feel fake. Then they t...