Artificial Intelligence is here. ChatGPT has given the everyday internet user a real AI tool that can assist them with everyday tasks. And as Artificial Intelligence sweeps the world by storm in 2023, it’s important to highlight the wonderful authors who wrote about AI before this craze, blessing us with unique perspectives on the use of AI. Books about AI were penned all the way back in the 1950s, showing the inevitability that AI was destined to become a part of our lives.
Science fiction has always been a genre that explores the possibilities of the future, and perhaps no area of future technology is more fascinating than artificial intelligence (AI) and robots. Classic media like Blade Runner and modern TV shows like Westworld, have long explored what it means to create machines that can think, feel, and even rebel against their creators. With this list, I will highlight several novels featuring AI and robot themes, looking at some of the best examples of the genre and examining what they have to say about the future of technology and humanity.
6 Books About AI and Robots
Speak by Louisa Hall / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Bookshop.org
From a traumatized child talking to a software program to a genius imprisoned in 2040 for creating illegally lifelike dolls, Speak features stories from a number of narrators with one theme linking them together. Artificial Intelligence. These stories show humanity’s longing for communication, and technology’s place in serving this basic human desire.
Speak considers what it means to be human, and what it means to be less than fully alive.
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Bookshop.org
Altered Carbon is a science fiction novel by Richard K. Morgan, published in 2002. The book is set in a future where human consciousness can be digitized and transferred between bodies, or “sleeves.” This capability allows people to live indefinitely as long as they have the resources. The story follows Takeshi Kovacs, a former soldier who is hired by a wealthy man to solve his own murder. As Kovacs investigates, he becomes embroiled in a complex web of politics and intrigue, encountering powerful individuals with their own agendas and secrets.
The book explores themes such as the nature of identity, the relationship between mind and body, and the impact of technology on society. It features advanced AIs and robots, as well as genetically engineered humans. There is currently a Netflix adaptation of this story available to watch now.
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Bookshop.org
The Diamond Age is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson, published in 1995. I’ve talked about this book a number of times, even including it on a previous cyberpunk list. The book is set in a near-future world where nanotechnology has revolutionized society. It follows the story of a young girl named Nell who receives a stolen copy of an interactive book called “Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer.”
The Primer is a highly advanced computer system that uses nanotechnology to create a fully immersive learning experience. The Diamond Age explores themes like the relationship between technology and society, the nature of intelligence and learning, and the impact of cultural and social norms on individual development.
I, Robot by Issac Asimov / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Bookshop.org
I, Robot is a science fiction collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov, published in 1950. The book is set in the future and is centered around the fictional science of robotics.
The book consists of a series of interconnected short stories that follow the career of Susan Calvin, a roboticist who works for U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc.
Each story explores an aspect of robotics and the three laws of robotics that Asimov introduced:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second laws.
The book’s approach to robotics has had a lasting impact on the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. A film starring Will Smith was released in 2004. I, Robot has been adapted into several films and other media and remains a classic of science fiction literature.
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK /
Robopocalypse was published in 2011 and is clearly inspired by the work of Isaac Asimov. This book is about an all-out war between humans and artificial intelligence known as Archos, which consists of a global network of machines. The Archos soon takes control over every form of technology, from transportation to utilities, defense, and communication.
The book gives us an interesting look into what leads up to the Archos takeover, with characters experiencing a series of strange sporadic glitches. This includes a loverbot acting strangely, menacing smart toys belonging to a young girl, and a military pacification unit going haywire.
The story in Robopocalypse is told from various points of view, with characters coming back into the forefront as the plot unfolds. The chapters are short and fast-paced, quickly pulling readers into the heart-pumping man vs machines epic.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Bookshop.org
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun gives another take on artificial intelligence as it features an artificial friend observing the qualities of humans. Klara watches the behaviour of those who come into the store to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. Her hope is that one day, a human will come to purchase her. What will Klara learn after being warned not to invest too much into the promise of humans?
Many AI and robot stories are told from the perspective of humans and depict humans being oppressed by machines. But this story looks at how the AI views the humans around them. This touching story comes from a Nobel Prize award winner, and it’s insanely thought-provoking.
- Featured image from Possessed Photography on Unsplash
