Did a French-speaking robot start my fascination with AI?

I’ve been down a slightly ridiculous rabbit hole this week, trying to find a French textbook I used at school in the 1980s.

It was called Éclair, and it featured a little robot called PMF.

I can still remember him now, which is odd when you think about how much of school disappears from memory completely.

PMF was an extraterrestrial robot who arrived in France in a flying saucer, hovered rather than walked, and helped pupils learn French. Very 1980s. Very low-tech by today’s standards. But clearly memorable.

And it got me wondering.

I spend a huge amount of my life now talking about artificial intelligence, robotics, technology, and the relationship between humans and machines. I’m fascinated by what these technologies can do, how we should use them, and how we make sure they remain useful to us rather than the other way round.

Could some tiny part of that fascination have started with PMF?

Probably impossible to know.

But I do think we underestimate how much the things we encounter as children shape the things we become curious about later in life. A teacher, a book, a television programme, a strange little robot in a French lesson, something can lodge itself in your head and quietly stay there for decades.

And there’s an extra twist.

I’m actually in France this weekend as I write this.

So here I am, decades later, sitting in France, thinking about a French textbook, a robot called PMF, and whether that strange little classroom character might just have played some small part in a lifelong fascination with AI and robotics.

Does anyone else who went to school in the UK in the late 1970s or 1980s remember Éclair and PMF?

And what seemingly insignificant thing from your childhood do you now realise may have influenced the work, interests or passions you have today?

If anyone has an old copy of Éclair, or better still a picture of PMF, I’d love to see it!

Frequently asked questions

What was PMF in the Éclair French textbook?

PMF was an extraterrestrial robot character featured in a 1980s French textbook called Éclair, used in UK schools. Arriving in France in a flying saucer, he hovered rather than walked and helped pupils learn the French language. Despite being low tech by modern standards, he left a lasting impression on students.

How might PMF have influenced the author's interest in artificial intelligence?

The author now spends significant time discussing artificial intelligence, robotics, and human technology relationships. Reflecting on their childhood, the author wonders if encountering the robot PMF in school French lessons planted an early seed of curiosity about machines that quietly persisted for decades into their adult life.

What is the author's view on how childhood memories shape adult interests?

The article suggests that people often underestimate how much childhood encounters shape future passions. Whether it is a teacher, a book, a television programme, or a fictional textbook robot, small details encountered early in life can remain lodged in a person's head for decades, quietly influencing their later work and interests.

What does the author ask readers to share at the end of the article?

The author asks readers who attended school in the UK during the late 1970s or 1980s if they remember Éclair and PMF. They are eager to see an old copy of the textbook or a picture of PMF, while also asking readers to share any small childhood influences behind their own passions.