---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a…"
description: "\"“If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes minds. It does this in several ways. It heightens our sense of being close to developing a po..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png"
---

#  If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes…

![“If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes minds. It does this in several ways. It heightens our sense of being close to developing a postbiological life and not just in theory or in the laboratory. And it suggests how this passage will take place. It will begin with our seeing the…” quote by Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png)

> ““If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes minds. It does this in several ways. It heightens our sense of being close to developing a postbiological life and not just in theory or in the laboratory. And it suggests how this passage will take place. It will begin with our seeing the new life as “as if ” life and then deciding that “as if ” may be life enough. Even now, as we contemplate “creatures” with artificial feelings and intelligence, we come to reflect differently on our own. The question here is not whether machines can be made to think like people but whether people have always thought like machines.””

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote argues that toys like AIBO shift our perception of artificial life, making us view it as real and prompting us to reconsider what it means to be human.

**In simple terms:** AIBO makes us see AI as real, changing how we think about ourselves.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how technology reshapes self‑understanding.

Themes

technology human identity perception AI philosophy

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- designing toys
- public debates on AI
- education about robotics
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

postbiological life artificial intelligence human‑machine reflection cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do everyday devices alter our self‑concept?
- Can a toy truly change societal mindsets?

A Different Perspective

It may overstate the influence of a single toy on deep philosophical views.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [New life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [We are not thinking machines that feel; rather, we are feeling machines that think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/we-are-not-thinking-machines-that-feel-rather-we-are-feeling-machines/)

[Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/)

> [“It’s difficult to imagine that Artificial Intelligence will take the place of people but many believe that it’s only a short time before computers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/it-s-difficult-to-imagine-that-artificial-intelligence-will-take-the/)

Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One

> [The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-question-is-not-whether-machines-think-but-whether-men-do/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Although not exceptional in ways we once believed, we remain exceptionally good at building tools and machines. And that includes machines that do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-fuller/although-not-exceptional-in-ways-we-once-believed-we-remain/)

[Robert W. Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-fuller/)

> [Scientists who have dedicated their lives to building machines that think, feel that it's only a matter of time before some form of consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/scientists-who-have-dedicated-their-lives-to-building-machines-that/)

[Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/)

> [The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-real-problem-is-not-whether-machines-think-but-whether-men-do/)

[B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/)

> [“There are times when the marvels of scientific advancement expedite our processes, making our lives easier. Modern technology provides machines that can think three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/there-are-times-when-the-marvels-of-scientific-advancement-expedite/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [“Unfortunately, we-especially in the United States-have become increasingly mechanized, so that today we feel very strongly that if we can take anything out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/unfortunately-we-especially-in-the-united-states-have-become/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [In arguing that machines think, we are in the same fix as Darwin when he argued that man shares common ancestors with monkeys, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-simon/in-arguing-that-machines-think-we-are-in-the-same-fix-as-darwin-when/)

[Herbert A. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/)

> [The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-turing/the-original-question-can-machines-think-i-believe-to-be-too/)

[Alan Turing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-turing/)

> [“It is not my aim to surprise or shock you—but the simplest way I can summarize is to say that there are now in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/it-is-not-my-aim-to-surprise-or-shock-you-but-the-simplest-way-i-can/)

[Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/)

> [“We have built cities that scrape the sky, machines that think and a global network that allows people to yell at each other at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-kyriacou/we-have-built-cities-that-scrape-the-sky-machines-that-think-and-a/)

[Natalie Kyriacou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-kyriacou/)

> [“We are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-nio-r-dam-sio/we-are-not-thinking-machines-that-feel-we-are-feeling-machines-that/)

[António R. Damásio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-nio-r-dam-sio/)

> [“Our most important mechanical inventions are not machines that do what humans do better, but machines that can do things we can’t do at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/our-most-important-mechanical-inventions-are-not-machines-that-do/)

[Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/)

> [Ours is the age which is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-mumford-jones/ours-is-the-age-which-is-proud-of-machines-that-think-and-suspicious/)

[Howard Mumford Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mumford-jones/)

## More by Sherry Turkle

> [“From watching children play with objects designed as “amusements,” we come to a new place, a place of cold comforts. Child and adult, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/from-watching-children-play-with-objects-designed-as-amusements-we/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [“I said that we use digital “passbacks” to placate young children who say they are bored. We are not teaching them that boredom can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/i-said-that-we-use-digital-passbacks-to-placate-young-children-who/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [“enduring technological optimism, a belief that as other things go wrong, science will go right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/enduring-technological-optimism-a-belief-that-as-other-things-go/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [Conversation is the most human and humanizing thing that we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/conversation-is-the-most-human-and-humanizing-thing-that-we-do/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [“In the classic children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit, a stuffed animal becomes “real” because of a child’s love. Tamagotchis do not wait passively but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/in-the-classic-children-s-story-the-velveteen-rabbit-a-stuffed-animal/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [Human relationships are rich and they're messy and they're demanding. And we clean them up with technology. Texting, email, posting, all of these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/human-relationships-are-rich-and-they-re-messy-and-they-re-demanding/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [“But at the same time, there is pressure to use technology in classroom in ways that make conversation nearly impossible. Interestingly, this technology is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/but-at-the-same-time-there-is-pressure-to-use-technology-in-classroom/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [I have to fight the impulse to use my phone as an alarm clock rather than leaving it in another room. If I don't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/i-have-to-fight-the-impulse-to-use-my-phone-as-an-alarm-clock-rather/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [It all stems from the same thing - which is that when we are face to face - and this is what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/it-all-stems-from-the-same-thing-which-is-that-when-we-are-face-to/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [“The new technologies allow us to “dial down” human contact, to titrate its nature and extent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/the-new-technologies-allow-us-to-dial-down-human-contact-to-titrate/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [We think constant connection will make us feel less lonely. The opposite is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/we-think-constant-connection-will-make-us-feel-less-lonely-the/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [If you're happy with where the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter have taken you, I'm not the Grinch. Someone called me Sherry Turkle's "evil Luddite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-you-re-happy-with-where-the-internet-facebook-and-twitter-have/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [My highest value is not that the trains are on time. I want to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/my-highest-value-is-not-that-the-trains-are-on-time-i-want-to-be-free/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [The selfie, like all technology, causes us to reflect on our human values. This is a good thing because it challenges us to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/the-selfie-like-all-technology-causes-us-to-reflect-on-our-human/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

> [Technology doesn't just do things for us. It does things to us, changing not just what we do but who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/technology-doesn-t-just-do-things-for-us-it-does-things-to-us/)

[Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

[Explore all 151 Sherry Turkle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/)

## More Computers quotes

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/)

[Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/)

> [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/)

[CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/)

> [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/)

[Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

Cruce Stark

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

[Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes minds. It does this in several ways. It heightens our sense of being close to developing a postbiological life and not just in theory or in the laboratory. And it suggests how this passage will take place. It will begin with our seeing the new life as “as if ” life and then deciding that “as if ” may be life enough. Even now, as we contemplate “creatures” with artificial feelings and intelligence, we come to reflect differently on our own. The question here is not whether machines can be made to think like people but whether people have always thought like machines.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sherry Turkle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-toy-that-changes-minds-it-does/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Computers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-toy-that-changes-minds-it-does/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sherry-turkle-2764_computers_if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-t_1251157.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If AIBO is in some sense a toy, it is a toy that changes minds. It does this in several ways. It heightens…” — Sherry Turkle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sherry Turkle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If AIBO is in some sense...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-toy-that-changes-minds-it-does/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-aibo-is-in-some-sense-a-toy-it-is-a-toy-that-changes-minds-it-does/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
