Winners of the 20-Word Robot Meltdown Hint Fiction Contest

Congratulations to the winners! What fun this was!

FIRST PLACE WINNERS (a tie)

“Never Take Your Robot to the Beach” by Joseph Young

We asked: how many grains of sand on this beach? He said: only the one that’s now etching my chip;zic4spe7jatxxejhksothj/aknatj;anjaihtja;ngkhlfhjlz/ghidf8anmk;[00000000] ...

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“Dead Funny” by Shai Levy

Haha. Oh no. No no. Please don’t. I won’t do it again. I was joking. Please don’t flip that swi

Honorable Mentions:

“Replacement Theory” by Bill Ferguson

Sally sat on the bed, observing robotic body parts scattered around the room. “My needs were not met,” she muttered.

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“Unexpected Flop” by Dave Alcock

No one banked on it. AGI was radical. Individualistic. Transgressive. Unpredictable. Offensive. It was alternative and its designers were crushed.

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“Another oil mojito coming right up” by Federico Escobar

Alma, the human, served our drinks. She tripped. Spilled. My circuits sizzled. Her smile was the last thing I computed.

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“The Day We Hired A Decommissioned Terminator To Run Our BBQ” by Madeleine Armstrong

Sizzling burgers, blazing sun - no sweat. Then Dave's kid sprinted past; the Terminator dropped tongs and gave chase, arms pumping.