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Chambers, A., Elizabeth, HJ., 2019.

Inhuman caregiving, emotional labour, and the dehumanised public health service in Humans

Output Type:Conference paper
Presented at:Medical Humanities and the Fantastic Symposium
Venue:University of Liverpool
Dates:19/7/2019 - 19/7/2019

Humans (2015-, Channel 4) is set in a parallel present-day Britain and imagines a world where Synths are part of everyday life. No longer merely employed as physical labour-saving devices, they act as caregivers; privately purchased as housekeepers and nannies, or publicly funded through the NHS to provide live-in care. Humans explores the affective experience of synthetic 'care' by exploring several close interpersonal relationships between Syths and their human patients. The Synths perform controlled emotional responses in the face of repetitive and extremely intimate care actions and through these intimate relationships, Humans poses questions about the value of emotion, intent, and agency.

Even though the majority of Synths are unable to show 'real' emotion many of the human characters develop an emotional attachment to their Synths actively blurring the distinction between authentic and automatic relationships. The Synths, unable to tire or experience the highs and lows associated with intimate care, act as emotional-labour-saving devices, efficient and incorruptible. Their agency is limited by their programming and they seemingly provide the infallible solution to costly social care. However, as the Synths lack the agency to consent to give care, is the value of the care they provide automatically reduced?