Get All Access for $5/mo

'Her' Got Us Thinking. Can You Love -- Like, Really Love -- Your Technology? Joaquin Phoenix stars in a movie about a man who falls in love with an operating system that has an oh-so-tantalizing voice.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What if Siri not only told you where the nearest Starbucks is located but also responded to your innermost feelings? And what if you started to like, or even love, this upgraded, more sophisticated version of Siri?

And what if that "what if" is not much of a "what if"?

Joaquin Phoenix's newest movie, Her, which opened in a handful of select theaters this week and will open more broadly in theaters across the country on Jan. 10., is about a man's love affair with his operating system -- an operating system that talks to him in a unbelievably seductive and soothing female voice. She jokes with him, she comforts him, she talks to him.

Wait? She? Maybe it is the proper pronoun here?

The idea at once seems far-off and other-worldly -- the purview of robots on Mars - and yet all too close at the same time.

Related: 10 Trends for 2014: We Seek Imperfect, Human Moments. With Our Smartphones at the Ready.

Do you sleep with your smartphone? Do you long to get back to your computer at the end of a long day? How much of a leap is it to fall in love with a piece of technology?

The idea may make you uncomfortable. (I know it makes me crinkle up my nose and hunch up my shoulders and give my iPhone a sidelong glance.) But I think part of why the idea is so troubling is because it's not really that impossible.

When is the last time you looked up from your smartphone and found everyone looking down at their own? We take these smartphones -- these mini computers -- everywhere. And, if we aren't looking down at our mobile device, then perhaps we are wearing it.

Related: Get Ready: Wearable Tech Is About to Explode

Her is not the first time that a director has played with the idea of human beings becoming infatuated with computers. In 2002, Al Pacino starred in Simone, a movie about a film producer who creates a robotic woman to be his lead actress and fools her adoring fans into believing she's real. In the 1999, Robin Williams movie Bicentennial Man, a robot named Andrew begins to have his own feelings and emotions.

Ten years ago, though, those movies felt completely science fiction. The reason Her looks so compelling is because now, I can't really be sure that it is.

Related: Intel's Futurist: We'll Soon Be Living In Computers

What do you think? Is it possible to fall in love with something that has no human heart? Leave a comment in the section below.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

At Age 15, He Used Facebook Marketplace to Start a Side Hustle — Then It Became Something Much Bigger: 'Raised Over $1.6 Million'

Dylan Zajac, now a 21-year-old senior at Babson College, wanted to bridge the digital divide.

Franchise

McDonald's Announces the Return of the Snack Wrap in 2025 — Here's What to Expect From Its Comeback

The decision comes after years of persistent customer demand for the portable snack, which debuted nearly two decades ago.

Side Hustle

'I Just Hustled': She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

When Michelle Hensley lost her husband to cancer, she needed to figure out how to earn an income for her family.

Business News

OpenAI Just Released Its Text-to-Video Generator, Sora. Here's How the New AI Could Impact Small Businesses and Creators.

Sora has a variety of use cases for businesses, from social media campaigns to video creation.

Productivity

6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.