These days, people seem to think anyone and everyone's a robot, or even a clone. But this one seems a little more convincing than the other hogwash we've been seeing online.
Well, it's a joke, of course. But it's a darn funny one.
Callista Gingrich is almost certainly a name you haven't heard of. You might recognize her surname if you were active in politics in the 1990s, though. She's the wife of former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
Well, her current role at the moment is serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. She previously held the prestigious role as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See (the Vatican).
And, as a part of her current position, she posts videos online to communicate with ex-pats living in the two European countries. But the way she communicates feels very... corporate.
She maintains full eye contact with the camera, stands unnervingly still, and talks with an incredibly monotone voice. There is a plain green-screened background behind her. She really does look like a robot. Of course, she talks about the usual politician stuff—Independence Day, or, in her most recent clip, the National Day of Liechtenstein. Take a look:
Videos by Wide Open Country
It all really falls right into the uncanny valley.
And, like anything else on social media, people took notice.
The Robot Allegations Keep Coming
People on social media keep posting hilarious comments accusing her of being a robot.
A common thread amongst the tirade of jokes is, "Looking cool and normal today, Callista!". Others take a more direct approach, with one commenter referring to her as "CALLISTA 3000".
One commenter questioned her pronunciation of Liechtenstein, asking, "As the ambassador, why can't she pronounce Liechtenstein properly?"
The responses are precisely what you'd expect: "Maybe in the next firmware update," one joked, with another writing, "Go easy on her, clearly she's new to this planet."
Another commenter even posted a GIF of a robot from Will Smith's 2004 flick I, Robot.
But we'll never know if she truly is a woman of flesh or a robot of steel. Either way, we just hope she keeps doing a good job for the people of Switzerland and Liechtenstein!
