Ethical depictions of neurodivergence in SF about AI

In science fiction (SF), representations of artificial intelligence (AI) run the gamut from being cognizant of the full spectrum of potential human emotion, to lacking any comparable emotional states. When a feeling/unfeeling AI—the novum of the text—interacts with human characters, the presence of strong emotional capability is shown to be positive, and any absence of emotional capability is shown to be negative, even abject. This aligns perceived emotional capability with normality, establishing that the empirical “zero world” of the text is one in which those who lack normative emotional affect lack value.