Reviews

I AM AI: A Novelette by Ai Jiang

Only show reviews with written explanations

annetjeberg's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cth123's review

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

3.5

ryantlabee's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I AM AI: A Novelette is a 56-page Sci-Fi/Fiction story written by Ai Jiang, a Chinese-Canadian writer and an immigrant from Fujian. The novelette tells the story of a cyborg living in the not-too-distant future who struggles with her family's looming debt. The main character (also named Ai, not to be confused with the writer) works as a freelance ghostwriter who pretends to be an AI writing program because that is what most of her clients want. Ai (the character, not the writer) begins to consider selling off her only remaining connections to humanity in the pursuit of efficiency and finally being free of her family's poverty.

I originally started this novelette thinking I would read a page or two to get started, and I have finished it. Ai (the writer) has an incredible talent for juggling genres and unique topics. While I AM AI is technically a science fiction tale, it's also a meditation on what it means to be an artist and a human. I adored this novelette and look forward to more work from this writer. Ai Jiang is an author whose career you should be keeping an eye on.

I want to say thank you to the Author, Ai Jiang, and Shortwave Publishing for the advanced readers' copy!

Ryan LaBee, writer and Editor-in-Chief of Pyre Magazine

stephxsu's review

Go to review page

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

witchivor's review

Go to review page

5.0

This is a great and very timely novelette, I’m glad I picked it up. It packs a big punch in so few pages.

This line really stood out for me: “I can't tell if what burns down my cheeks is rain or tears, but I suppose it doesn't matter because one eats from the outside and the other within.”

It’s very much a story of humanity and community, wrapped in a dystopian future that wants to rid us of both. It’s so much more than I can sum up in a paragraph. Well worth the read.

kaylin1612's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Short quick read. I think the message is nice, that to be human is a special, fragile thing that we should all be thankful for, especially during the rise of AI. I think it does paint a pretty clear picture of where we will be in the future, like nothing really sounded too far off. And that is honestly scary every time I have to face that. But I do have faith in humanity, in the power of community. I can only hope I have people to stick together with when times get tough.