One of the foremost questions that we all face today relates to whether artificial forms of intelligence are more of a curse than a blessing. Not surprisingly, that’s been reflected in many fictional stories. Two recent standouts, for me, fall into a category I like to call “bots with a heart of gold” (mechanical though their hearts may be). The stories take that “golden heart” concept and run with it in decidedly different directions. Yet they both use humor to great advantage.