Thought-Provoking Novels About AI

Libbie Grant is the author of The Ended World, out now from Galiot Press. Below, she recommends three novels about humanity’s relationship with thinking machines. When I first began writing my novel The Ended World, I never imagined I’d see some of the themes play out in real time shortly before the book’s release. The Ended World is a literary novel that follows two characters whose ideas about technology and spirituality are challenged when an AI appears to have gained consciousness. Now, we’re seeing echoes of the plot as major publications debate the possibility of AI consciousness and tech companies invest in hiring psychologists, ethicists, and philosophers to guide their decision-making. The Ended World asks the question of what it means to be human here and now, at the beginning of the age of AI. I explored that idea in a few ways with my story, but I’m not the first author to tackle the subject. Here are three great novels that examine humanity’s relationship with thinking machines: Swords and Spaceships Sign up to Swords and Spaceships to receive news and recommendations from the world of science fiction and fantasy. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger: This Oprah’s Book Club ...