I checked the digital clock on the dashboard of my Audi. 12:48. The meeting was at 1:00, and I was running late. It usually took me about twenty minutes to get to NASA, and I had just left. And I couldn't be late. If I wanted people let me into the meeting, I would have to be right on time.

"Julia." The robot sitting in the passenger seat next to me spoke up. It was about the size of a small adult. It looked very futuristic, with shining white 3D-printed plates covering most of its wires. The eyes and mouth were lights on a screen that was its face, and it was looking at me with a quizzical expression.

I sighed. "What, AIR?"

AIR—which stood for Artificially Intelligent Robot—pointed with one mechanical finger at the clock. "According to my calculations, Julia, if we continue at our current speed, we will arrive at NASA five minutes late."

"I know," I grunted.

"We have to be on time. They will not accept you if you are not."

"I know. Is the traffic going to get any better?"

AIR paused, connecting its brain to the GPS. "Negative, Julia. There are many cars on this freeway, likely a result of a car crash near NASA."

"Why does there have to be a car crash today??"

"I do not know. Would you like me to do a search?"

"No, thanks." I looked out the window at the traffic. Strangely, the carpool lane didn't seem to be full. I supposed many of the cars were one-person.

"Julia." AIR had followed my gaze. "If we take the HOV lane, we will be on time to the meeting."

A spark of hope ignited in me, only to be drowned by the sudden realization: "AIR, there's only one person here."

AIR shook its head. "I do not believe you are correct. I am a person as well."

"You're a robot."

"I am not a human; that is true. However, there are no laws of the carpool lane regarding intelligent robots."

I was doubtful. "Look, AIR. I know you're as intelligent as a human—that's exactly what we're trying to prove to those NASA robotics people at that meeting. But there aren't any laws—"

"That is exactly my point. There are not any laws that we could break."

"There are laws against putting mannequins and the like in the passenger seat to try and pretend you have two people in the car."

"I am not a mannequin," AIR reminded me.

"But... if we're stopped...."

"I do not believe we will be," AIR told me. "It is unlikely that a member of the police will see us."

This was probably correct. AIR could instantaneously access the Internet, GPS, and traffic reports, so I was inclined to believe it. Also, in the three years it had taken me and my coworkers to teach AIR about the world, I had never known the robot to lie.

"All right," I agreed, sighing. "Anyways, we've gotta get to this meeting."

I put on my blinkers and turned into the carpool lane. Instantly we started to go faster. I turned to AIR.

"Hey, AIR—if we continue at our current speed, will we get to the meeting on time?"

"Affirmative," AIR responded, "but we must be very fast."

I kept my eyes on the road. We were close. I could see the top of the NASA hangar.

Then I caught a glimpse of a police car in my rear view mirror.

I cursed. "AIR! There's a cop on our tail! I thought you said—"

"There was a chance that we would be caught," AIR interrupted serenely, "but I believed that getting to the meeting was our priority, and that it would be wise to take the risk, even with the possibility in mind."

"Did you lie to me??"

"No," responded the robot. "I simply did not tell you the exact probabilities. They were less than fifty percent, so I decided to deem them 'unlikely'."

The police car was now next to us, and the man in it was signaling for us to pull over. I swore under my breath again and did it. The cop pulled up next to us and got out.

"This is all your fault," I whispered to AIR.

"I know," it replied, "but must I remind you again of our priorities—"

"Now I'm going to get fined, and we're not going to get to that meeting!" I shoved my door open and got out, glaring at the police officer. He was tall and blonde, and was peering at AIR with obvious surprise.

"Well, I've never seen someone sneak into the HOV lane with a robot before," the cop said. "That's a first."

I crossed my arms. "I suppose you're still going to fine me, aren't you?"

"You know the rules," he responded. "Nice try, but you've gotta remember that robots aren't people."

AIR opened its door and climbed out, frowning at the officer. He took a step back.

"Holy cow, it's moving."

"Yes, I am." AIR had a puzzled look on its face. "Is that so surprising? You are also moving."

"And... it's talking." The officer turned to me. "Now listen here. I don't want your robot doing anything rash."

"I won't," AIR assured him. "I am fully sapient and aware of consequences."

"Shh, AIR." I spoke to the police officer. "Excuse me, officer, but we're on our way to a very important robotics conference at NASA. If you're going to fine us, can you please—"

AIR chimed in. "Julia, even if we leave now, we will still be late."

A sinking feeling developed in my stomach. That meeting had been my last chance for at least a year to prove that I had really created an AI that was truly intelligent. I wanted to scream at AIR, but I knew it wasn't its fault. It had just been weighing the possibilities. Even if we had stayed in the regular lane, we would have been late.

The police officer saw my angry look, and his expression turned to one of sympathy. "I'm very sorry, ma'am. Here, couldn't you turn up just a little late?"

I shook my head. "They don't let anyone in after 1:00."

"Well, then, I'm still gonna have to fine you $200. Look on the bright side—this is probably going to be front-page news. 'Woman and robot try to get into HOV lane'. Ha!"

An image popped into my head: me and AIR as the subject of some news website's most-read article. It only made the feeling in my stomach worse. I had imagined myself becoming famous for inventing the first intelligent robot—not this.

To my surprise, AIR stepped forward. "State your legal reason for fining Julia."

The officer cocked an eyebrow. "Well, under Motor Vehicle Code 21655, cars are not allowed in the carpool lane unless they meet the minimum passenger requirements. You—" he nodded at me "—had only one person in your car—"

"I am a person," interrupted AIR.

The cop's expression was one of incredulity. "Hey, you may be a good robot, but you're not a person."

"Why not?" AIR asked serenely.

"Well, you're not human, for one thing—"

"I know. However, corporations are legal persons, and would you count them as human?"

The officer shook his head, more to himself than to AIR. "I'm here to enforce the rules, not debate them." He turned back to me, pulling out a ticket. "Sorry for all of this."

"It's fine," I muttered, even though it was not. My work partner was not going to be happy.

"Julia," AIR spoke up, "in theory, you could take this case to court and—"

"It's not worth it."

"Why not? You have been deprived of $200."

"There are laws," I told AIR firmly, "and I'm not about to challenge them. Look, AIR—in the future, I have no doubt that sentient robots like you will be allowed in the carpool lane. But right now, there's nothing we can do."

I gestured for AIR to get back into the car, and the robot did, hesitantly.

The policeman also climbed back into his car, driving off towards the site of the accident. I pulled back onto the road. Maybe we could go to NASA after all. Maybe someone would listen to us, even if it weren't the person we wanted. It was worth a shot.

"What are you planning to do now?" AIR asked me.

"Go to NASA," I responded.

There was silence for a second, and then AIR spoke. "I am slightly offended by the fact that the police officer did not regard me as a person, Julia."

"I know."

"In the future, robots will probably count as people."

"I think so too."

The End