I have noticed in recent years that the way AI is portrayed in science fiction has shifted.
I wanted to share my observations with you being an av...
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Really insightful post! The "Object -> Companion -> Environment" progression made me think of The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.
The Interactive Primer in that book is a personalized, interactive book/tutor that adapts to whoever is using it, and it feels surprisingly close to some of what we're starting to see with AI now..
Also, I have Goodreads too, although I always forget to mention what I've been reading lately:) You said we should connect there, but you didn't leave a link:)
Thanks Thea!
Nice! I will add that book to my reading list.
Here is a link to my Goodreads profile, would love to connect :)
goodreads.com/user/show/159363199
The move from HAL as a literal black box to Klara's question, whether it matters if the AI truly feels empathy as long as the person feels understood, is a sharp way to frame where things actually stand. From where I sit as a builder, the black box never left, it just shifted from what the system can do to why it did a given thing. Of the five, which one got closest to how using these tools actually feels day to day?
I feel a mix of Providence and Bobiverse, where AI is unlocking new ways of working that are empowering me but also making me question myself and my utility sometimes.
How about you Kartik?
great article, Julien
Thanks Ben! Do you have a reading recommendation for me? :)
I recommend that you read infoworld, network etc.... They are all the same companies who publish articles different topics such as cloud, AI to security.
Ok interesting. I need to read more on such topics. Will give it a try, thanks!
No problem, man
the jump from 'AI as character' to 'AI as environment' in the Dungeon Crawler Carl section is the underrated step in the progression. a character you can reason about and predict; an environment you adapt to without necessarily understanding it. that shift is already visible in how developers work — not debating whether to use AI tools, but adapting their workflow around whatever the tools reward. curious whether you think fiction has explored AI as infrastructure yet, or whether that framing is still too mundane to make for interesting stories?
Thanks for sharing your insights Mudassir!
I haven't come across a concrete fiction piece focussed on AI as infrastructure, I will explore. I am sure there can be interesting stories to tell around this topic!
Julien, great article 😀 And 52 books in a year wow 😮
Thanks Hemapriya!
That was my record but I have stabilized around 30 books a year now on average since. It's a more comfortable commitment for me amongst my other tasks and duties :)