AI 2041

Quite the interesting experiment, pairing science fiction with science writing, in envisioning the improvements and challenges that the future of A.I. might bring. And I'd say it's a successful experiment, as it gives life to the rather abstract extrapolation of an A.I. visionary by accompanying them with narrative short stories exploring the same themes. Stories are what sticks. Big data - and how you keep deep learning from adopting the mistakes of our past. Deepfakes - and how we're so easy to influence to swing this way or that wayEducation - and how A.I. could become a teacher customized to our unique needsLove - and how pandemics could keep us isolated while technology connects us furtherMixed Reality - and how we're going to live on so many planesAutonomous cars - and how saving lives is easier when you don't know it's realityQuantum computing - and how with big powers we also enable platforms for big villainsJobs - and how a new industry will emerge that deals with layoffs due to A.I.Happiness - and the eternal challenge that even the smartest sensors and code can't solvePlenitude - and how to achieve self realization in a world beyond moneyI am really eager for a new scifi book by Chen Qiufan, as I thought [b:Waste Tide 39863294 Waste Tide Chen Qiufan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532473758l/39863294.SY75.jpg 53488132] was fantastic. Most short stories here feel rather clean and constructed in comparison to his gritty style in Waste Tide, but there is one - Quantum Genocide - where he really hit a stride. Considering it's the longest of the short stories in the book, it probably also was a favorite of his to write. So, again, I am really eager for a new book of his.

I am technically a graduate in Information Systems and have worked in the IT field for about 5 years, but it was always a job to be completed in my head and I have never been someone very interested in keeping up with the latest innovations happening around, or trying to learn about up and coming technologies. I'm also not smart enough to understand the intricacies of ever changing intelligent systems.

So, how did I even decide to pick up this book. I frankly have no clue. I remember seeing someone mention it on Twitter and I went looking for it in my library. Other than taking an Artificial Intelligence 101 course in university, I have no other knowledge about this field. So, I found it very intriguing to read more about the kind of advances that are happening in the field currently and what can we expect to happen in the next two decades. I loved the idea of these two authors - both tech guys but one of them also an SFF author - coming together to tell us about these upcoming advances through stories, while also discussing the pros and cons of every development and possible ways to mitigate the issues. While there were quite a few things I disagreed with on with the author about his vision of the future, I think there's nothing wrong in working towards something better. But if there's one thing I realized after reading this, it's that governments across the world have to keep up with the emerging technologies and ensure that they have laws in place to safeguard the privacy of people while also ensuring that the adverse affects of these technologies can be lessened as much as possible. But none of this bright future will be possible if corporations and billionaires continue to maximize only profit and hoard wealth, while pushing millions more into poverty.

Overall, this was a fascinating book and I think I learned a lot. It has me thinking about many things I've never given a thought to before and that's the best thing a book can do for us. I also thought all the sci-fi stories itself were written very well, and the accompanying essays about the technologies was very eye opening and gave more information about the wider implications of the stories. This is definitely a collection which I'm sure readers interested in the field will enjoy, but also feel that readers like me who are more into futuristic stuff in the form of sci-fi will also find this book very accessible.

The Golden Elephant

Firstly, I loved that the first story was set in India. As a slightly cautionary but also hopeful tale about the pros and cons of deep learning AI in the applications that we use daily, this was interesting, while also being a cute story about a possible budding inter caste romance. I also thought it was great to learn a bit more about the deep learning technology and it's real world implications, as well as possible steps that can be taken to ensure it's more transparent as well as functioning in the interest of its users rather than just maximizing profits for the businesses using it.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gods Behind the Masks

Deepfakes are a pretty scary phenomenon to be honest and that's probably one development which has convinced me to reduce the amount of pictures of mine I share on the internet. And considering that fake and manipulated videos have become a very common feature in politics these days across the globe, this story hit too close. Very thought provoking with a hopeful resolution, I enjoyed the story but got totally lost in its highly technological speak. The note on the positive applications that this technology can have other than deepfake stuff was good to know, but I'm not sure if I'm as optimistic as the author that technological solutions will be effective enough to prevent real life catastrophes induced by deepfake and other manipulative technologies.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Twin Sparrows

Another interesting story about personalized AI tutors for children who teach them in ways most suited to them individually. What I liked more was that the AI and the child had a symbiotic relationship, with one learning from the other. I also appreciated the fact that the story made a point that human intervention would still be necessary when it comes to aspects like encouraging creativity, mending interpersonal problems and ensuring healthier emotional development.

I also really loved getting to know more about NLPs and how this technology is already become such an important part of our lives in our day to day use, and it's future applications only seem more interesting. While the author's points about the advantages of having AI tutors makes sense theoretically, I don't know if relegating something as important as a child's education to an AI will give us desirable results.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Contactless Love

CW: Covid-19

It is scary to imagine a world after two decades where Covid-19 has become a seasonal disease with new variants coming up everytime and new vaccines being developed simultaneously. But that's where this story is set and I hope to god it doesn't happen irl. I really empathized with the main character who is nosophobic and hasn't stepped out of home in 3 years, managing both work and life with the help of technology and robots. While I liked that she was overcome her difficulties, I can't say I liked how it came out to be.

The author definitely has a lot of hope for advances in AI helping the medical industry as well as robotics changing the face of many fields, but this is another field where I'm unsure. While I can see how AI can revolutionize things like vaccine development and creating new treatments, I'm not sure if diagnosis is something I would want to completely leave to technology.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

My Haunting Idol

As a very recent consumer of Chinese entertainment content but being an international fan, I have been a one step away but still very much aware of the kind of toxicity that exists in fandom, especially surrounding idols, and how companies manipulate fans to achieve their outcomes. So this story with its very hyper realistic game of virtual idols interacting with their fans, in a very personalized way, felt very dubious and an extension of the toxic fan culture. But the aspects of X Reality, and it's components like AR and VR are interesting to know about even though the kind of advances he talks about seems unreal to me, and more in the realm of sci-fi movies. But who knows, maybe his predictions are right.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Holy Driver

Set in Sri Lanka, this story is very engaging and emotionally driven and definitely gave me goosebumps towards the end. While the story as a sci-fi feels like a good one on paper, imagining something like this in reality makes me very scared. As someone who is petrified of driving and even get anxiety when I'm in the passenger seat, even the idea of an autonomous vehicle is unimaginable. So I'm not sure I want our transportation future to be like how the author imagines. L0 to L3 Autonomous vehicles sound fine with AIs assisting human drivers, but anything above that feels scary to me. Also, while the author is sure that advancements in AV technology will ultimately lead to people buying less cars and thus helping the environment, I'm somehow unsure that will be possible unless AVs are also renewable energy based and not fossil fuel.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Quantum Genocide

Another story where I can't say I understand all the physics and technology behind it, but this was also the story which clearly presented the perils of advancements if the persons holding the key decide to use it for evil. The author also clearly describes in his note the extreme liabilities with the development of autonomous weapons which could lead to the proliferation of the arms race, while there is no deterrent left like the some semblance of it which we do have for the nuclear arms race. And I'm definitely not surprised that US, Russia and the UK are opposed to enacting any ban on the development of autonomous weapons.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Job Savior

This was the story as well as note about job displacement due to AI innovations across industries and this is definitely one of the things that everyone needs to be prepared for in the future. The author also comes across as being against UBI or atleast a conditional one, which I'm unsure about, because assuming that people's self worth will get affected if they are given money without a job is unsubstantiated. Also, alongwith giving the gory details about the level of job loss and wealth inequality, the author tries to paint a better picture about new kinds of job that can be created which an AI can't do as well as people following their passions in creative fields - while it sounds very good, I don't see how it is feasible enough for the majority population that will be suffering. But it's all definitely worth pondering.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Isle of Happiness

This is the only story till now where I didn't understand the complete picture of what it was trying to say, and even if I have misunderstood, I still feel that an AI can never totally figure out how to make a human happy. Also, while I agree with all the privacy issues that the author talks about, I don't think I agree with his assertion that we would be able to develop a powerful AI that will help us find lasting happiness, with the help of a benevolent monarchy, an open sourced commune or a distributed blockchain system - it just seems too fanciful and a tad bit too optimistic. The author also mentions that most of the people will be living comfortably in an AI empowered future, which I thought contradicted with his thoughts in the previous chapter that AI would displace unprecedented number of jobs leading to worse wealth inequality.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Dreaming of Plenitude

Set in an Australia where almost everything is free and all the basic needs of everyone is covered by the government, where the country is carbon neutral completely relying on sustainable technologies, and a new social currency is what the young people aim to accumulate by volunteering their services - this was very heartwarming and I loved the idea of two women from very different generations finding inspiration in each other to take the next step in their lives. And despite however unrealistic the author's words in this one seem, I want to be hopeful that the kind of utopia that the author is dreaming about is possible sometime in our future. And he is very right when he says that things can change for the better when those in power work with human needs in mind than human greed. But who knows if that is ever possible in our capitalistic money obsessed world. Let's wait and watch.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️