Self-discovery is a lifelong journey that can often take unexpected twists and turns. Such was the case for Tilly Goldman: After failing a CAPTCHA 11 full times, Tilly discovered she was actually a robot.
“I was just trying to buy concert tickets online when I was confronted with one of those prove-you’re-not-a-robot tests,” said Goldman. “Unfortunately, the letters looked insane and not like letters at all, so I just tried my best and figured I’d do another set if I got it wrong.”
What robot Tilly Goldman didn’t realize was that she was only at the beginning of a series of failed attempts that would ultimately lead to the uncovering of a previously unknown identity.
“I alternated between trying and failing the tests and redoing them,” explained Goldman. “It just sucks that it took this long for me to realize I’m a robot.”
While the average person may be able to decode CAPTCHA nonsense phrases, Goldman would soon come to see that she wasn’t the average person – nor a human person at all.
“When I finally made peace with this information, it actually made a ton of sense,” says Goldman. “I love electronic music, I have pretty stiff joints, and my mom has never talked explicitly about my birth.”
Goldman is quickly coming to terms with the truth of her background, but others are resistant to accepting that the test definitively proves she is a robot.
“I don’t think this means Tilly’s a robot,” said a friend, Juliana Shepherd. “I think it just means she’s bad at CAPTCHA tests. They aren’t the most sophisticated technology.”
However, Goldman is not dissuaded by her friend’s skepticism, and is diving headfirst into her new lifestyle.
“There’s so much I want to know about being non-human,” said Goldman. “I’ve been tweeting at Sophia the robot a lot but I haven’t gotten any word back yet. I guess I’m just searching for robot role models wherever I can find them.”
Good luck, robo-queen!
