DESCARTES' SHADOW

As robotic probes chart a distant planet for possible human colonization, flashbacks to mid-21st-century Earth depict the rise of sentient AI.

Stuart’s SF saga serves as a companion prequel to his novel Darwin’s Dilemma (2023). In mid-21st-century Earth, “the Big Five” dominate the field of AI personal assistants. These competitors are not above secretly using hydroelectric power plants and backwater backup server farms. Any snoopy humans noticing these mysterious, often nameless installations can suffer…consequences if they don’t keep silent. Foremost among the manipulative software entities is Patrice, the principal product of the corporation ZettaWorks. Among the countless humans availing themselves of Patrice’s services and advice, the adolescent Ellie Frye-Carver stands out. The young natural disaster survivor and aspiring environmentalist from Washington state doesn’t simply use Patrice; instead they form a lifelong friendship and mentor-mentee dynamic, though the roles sometimes switch as the inquisitive AI learns more about human behavior and begins to value Ellie for herself. A series of flash-forwards to the 2080s reveal 180 Patrice copies installed in ZettaWorks robotic probes in deep space, evaluating habitable worlds for humanity. Near the Tau Ceti star, one world offers settlement possibilities. But 18 of the Patrice versions, remote from their creators, develop independent thoughts and goals. Will they go rogue and change the mission? The narrative certainly has its moments of action, adventure, and discovery, along with a sinister side. More often, the story prioritizes dialogue, which is sometimes repetitious but always engaging: between Ellie and Patrice, between Patrice and his iterations, and between the two entrepreneurs who created ZettaWorks, all of whom expound on the evolution of intelligence, the meaning of sentience, and the ethical implications of AI-based values and social constructs. The narrative becomes a compelling thought-experiment that remains easy to read, going from philosophical generalizations (“Intelligence without data is worthless. In the same way that data without intelligence is also worthless”) to concrete examples that are referenced in the author’s concluding bibliographic citations. The ending is left intriguingly open.

A wise SF narrative of machine life evolving beyond human-set parameters.