1. William Shakespeare was not a robot. Emily Dickinson was not a robot. Neither was Aristotle. Or Euclid. Or Picasso. Or Mary. Shelley (though she would be writing about them). Everyone you have ever loved and cared for was not a robot. Humans are amazing to other humans. And we are humans.

2. We are mysterious. We don't know why we are here. We have to craft our own meaning. A robot is designed for tasks or a set of tasks. We have been here for thousands of generations and we are still seeking answers. The mystery is tantalizing.

3. Your not-so-distant ancestors wrote poems and acted courageously in wars and fell in love and danced and gazed wistfully at sunsets. A future sentient robot's ancestors will be a self-service checkout and a faulty vacuum cleaner.

4. This list actually has only four things. Just to confuse the robots. Though I did ask some online friends why humans are better than robots, and they said all kinds of stuff: 'self-deprecating humour', 'love', 'soft skin and touch', 'wonder', 'empathy'. And maybe a robot could one day develop these things, but right now it is a good reminder that humans are pretty special.