In the era of robot dogs and jocked-up AI machines doing shudder-inducing feats of parkour, sometimes it's comforting to consider a potential future where bots are just warm, squishy friends, or--better yet--a future where they all look like Charles from Brian and Charles. Standing about 7 feet tall and with a boxy abdomen that's made of what seems to be a washing machine, Charles trots around the Welsh countryside like a newborn foal, as content with a plate of boiled cabbage as most of us would be with a seven-course dinner. His creation comes when Brian (played by writer David Earl), experiencing a bout of depression, decides to take a wack at inventing something new. Lightning strikes--perhaps literally--and Brian and Charles' lives are changed forever. As Brian and Charles hits cinemas, WIRED caught up with Earl and cowriter Chris Hayward to talk about optimism, character comedy, and how the pair worked to find the intersection of American Movie and AI.