Sofia’s free AI presenter has a watermark — and she likes it

01 — A letter from Leipzig

The letter came from a shop in Leipzig and said two things: forty jars, please, and could the instructions be in English. Sofia’s English fitted on a jam label. “Use the robot lady,” said Luna from under the table, where she was reading, “like Ema.” Sofia did not like doing anything like Ema. But forty jars were forty jars.

02 — The robot lady, free

Sofia typed the instructions the way she says them at the stall: open with a towel, keep it in the cold, eat it with bread that has a crust. The free presenter read it back in a minute, in an English that sounded like a schoolteacher, with a small watermark in the corner. “Ema says that’s a stain,” said Luna. Sofia looked at the little mark for a long time.

03 — A stamp, like on my jars

“It isn’t a stain,” Sofia said finally. “It’s a stamp. Like mine.” She held a jar up to the screen: the small blue stamp she presses on every label sat next to the watermark like a cousin. Both said the same thing — somebody made this, and nobody is pretending otherwise. She kept the free plan. The stamp stayed.

04 — Forty more

On Tuesday Leipzig wrote again: the strawberry had sold out by Saturday, could they have forty more, and could the lady with the stamp explain the cranberry one as well. Sofia read the message twice. “Tell Ema,” she said to Luna, “that the stain sold forty jars.” Luna said she would phrase it differently.