Mom Protects Family From A.I.’s Rule Over Humanity by Throwing Birthday Party for Roomba

If Isaac Asimov saw this TikToker's video about a child wanting to throw their Roomba a birthday party, he'd probably immediately sit down at a typewriter and get to work.

The social media user, who posts under the handle @brokefanb--ch, detailed the wholesome/futuristic/adorably weird experience in a viral clip.

Her video accrued a whopping 130,000 views on the popular mobile application. And in a caption for the post, she addressed the strange circumstances she found herself in with the self-vacuuming, self-driving home cleaning appliance. "Lmao never thought id have a birthday party for a Roomba."

At the onset of OP's video a text overlay is displayed on the screen. It reads: "Lmao my son noticed today was roombas birthday and wanted to give him cake and sing to him."

Beneath this on-screen caption, it seems like OP was recording their Roomba mobile application's screen. It indicates that it was the annual anniversary of their Roomba first coming to life so it could serve its purpose: sucking up a bunch of minute dust, dirt, and crumbs.

A simple animation of a birthday cake was featured on the screen along with a promotional message from the chore-performing contraption. "It's RoombaShoomba's birthday! Treat it to new filters, brushes, or other accessories with 10% off*!"

Next, the video cuts to mom hovering her camera lens over the robot. "Roomba's birthday," she says before whipping out a packaged piece of what looks like pound cake.

"So we got him some cake," she says, holding the dessert up in front of the camera.

"Crumble it up!" the young man says, holding onto the piece with both hands. She then begins to break apart pieces of the cake to drop to the floor as her son's delighted laughter can be heard off camera. He cranes his head close to the tile floor, watching his mother prepare the Roomba's celebratory birthday snack.

"So we'll sing to Roomba now?" she asks her son, who emphatically agrees that it's the perfect time to do so. "Okay," she says, before the video quickly cuts to them soothingly singing "happy birthday to you," to the little robotic vacuum.

"Okay let him eat the cake," mom instructs her child, who happily presses the top button, which initiates ebullient chimes that emit from the appliance. It begins to beep as it departs from its docking station, like an adorable version of a moving truck reversing out of a parking spot.

Once free, RoombaShoomba automatically clocks the offering and gladly begins gobbling up its birthday cake. It's unknown as to whether or not iRobot programmed its independent vacuuming system with a line of code for gratitude, but I'd like to think that they did, and it was smiling on the inside.

"Yaaay," mom can be heard exclaiming as the Roomba gesticulates and floats about in short movements, scooping up the bits of its birthday cake.

Numerous commenters shared in the fun by posting a series of quips in response to the mother's video.

"Just secured safety in the robot uprising," one remarked.

Another echoed a similar sentiment. "When the robots finally rise up against us, this Roomba will be the friend y’all made along the way."

Someone else secretly thought (like me) that the Roomba has feelings. But perhaps, like the toys in Toy Story, only expressed them when no one else is around. "Pls ik the roomba cried out of joy when he had a min alone."