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boggremlin's review against another edition
3.0
Chiang’s writing is thoughtful and moves fluidly through time and the evolution of the digients. I appreciated that it was less about answering questions about when an artificial intelligence becomes a person or becomes capable of making choices that affect its own future, even though the ending doesn’t present a solid conclusion.
sujuv's review against another edition
4.0
Sci fi is not generally my thing, but I'd heard Ted Chiang praised as one of the finest sci fi short story writers in the world and as one of the most humanistic. This novella - apparently the longest thing he's written - didn't disappoint. I don't want to give too much away but its story of the development of a particular kind of A.I. is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and touching.
suzemo's review against another edition
3.0
A nicely grounded story about dealing with a form of artificial intelligence developed to make pets. It brings out discussions and meditations on how we deal with non-human constructs (artificial or not) and how we treat other forms of intelligence. There is not a lot of action, but a lot of deep thinking with the treatment of "less" developed minds and their roles in our lives.
Bonus cookies for this quote:
"Women who work with animals hear this all the time: that their love for animals must arise out of a sublimated child-rearing urge. Ana’s tired of the stereotype. She likes children just fine, but they’re not the standard against which all other accomplishments should be measured. Caring for animals is worthwhile in and of itself, a vocation that need offer no apologies."
Bonus cookies for this quote:
"Women who work with animals hear this all the time: that their love for animals must arise out of a sublimated child-rearing urge. Ana’s tired of the stereotype. She likes children just fine, but they’re not the standard against which all other accomplishments should be measured. Caring for animals is worthwhile in and of itself, a vocation that need offer no apologies."
bkoser's review against another edition
4.0
Chiang is so good at turning interesting questions into compelling stories. In this story he also gets you to care about AI pet characters, no small accomplishment. The questions are new and revolve around the relationship between AI and humanity and the line separating the two.
The question on which all the others hinge (and it's *not* a new one) is: what is consciousness? Coincidentally, I was just recommended an article from The Guardian, Why can’t the world’s greatest minds solve the mystery of consciousness?, which overviews its philosophical history.
As a Christian, I don't think we could create a soul (in the theological sense) for a software program, but don't see why we couldn't create consciousness. When that happens, the questions Chiang poses stop being hypothetical and start needing answers.
The question on which all the others hinge (and it's *not* a new one) is: what is consciousness? Coincidentally, I was just recommended an article from The Guardian, Why can’t the world’s greatest minds solve the mystery of consciousness?, which overviews its philosophical history.
As a Christian, I don't think we could create a soul (in the theological sense) for a software program, but don't see why we couldn't create consciousness. When that happens, the questions Chiang poses stop being hypothetical and start needing answers.
esthergreenwood_'s review against another edition
3.0
The story raises very interesting questions, still I was not captivated by the story itself, I feel like it had so much more potential.
teenagelightning's review against another edition
3.0
A unique take on human/ai relations and how all that could play out. More philosophy than plot. Not bad.
perilous1's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars
My least favorite work by Ted Chiang, thus far.
This longish novella reads much like an idea study rather than a character study. The pacing is slow, taking place over the course of at least a decade. The two primary humans the story follows are pretty bland, as personalities go--and we're given little to no background on any early events or relationships that shaped them. So, I suspect other readers may find it difficult to connect with any of the characters to any meaningful extent.
In a reductionist nutshell, this is a look at Tamagotchis... taken to the furthest technologically probable and logically likely conclusion.
i.e. the child-like digital creatures being sold into positively portrayed sex work.
Believable, I suppose--knowing humanity. But depressing, none the less.
I was actually hoping this might have some sequel that would examine things like standardized evaluation of ability to consent, or the psychological consequences of artificial beings being sexualized and exploited... But the story just ends abruptly. And so far, there doesn't seem to be any follow up.
My least favorite work by Ted Chiang, thus far.
This longish novella reads much like an idea study rather than a character study. The pacing is slow, taking place over the course of at least a decade. The two primary humans the story follows are pretty bland, as personalities go--and we're given little to no background on any early events or relationships that shaped them. So, I suspect other readers may find it difficult to connect with any of the characters to any meaningful extent.
In a reductionist nutshell, this is a look at Tamagotchis... taken to the furthest technologically probable and logically likely conclusion.
i.e. the child-like digital creatures being sold into positively portrayed sex work.
Believable, I suppose--knowing humanity. But depressing, none the less.
I was actually hoping this might have some sequel that would examine things like standardized evaluation of ability to consent, or the psychological consequences of artificial beings being sexualized and exploited... But the story just ends abruptly. And so far, there doesn't seem to be any follow up.
amphytrite's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ninj's review against another edition
5.0
The life and times of tomorrow's virtual pets - or, rather, digital entities. Not just the ideas, but also the characters of the humans and digital entities. Perhaps Chiang's best.
rachelhelps's review against another edition
4.0
This is a novella that imagines what it would be like if a software company made child-like AIs that required about as much effort as real children. The AIs reside in a popular virtual world and learn from each other and their owners, although after a few years most owners put their AIs in a perpetual sleep state. Some people "rewind" their AI children to an earlier state whenever things go wrong, while others refuse to. Scientists copy AI children and put them in simulations where they can run faster than realtime, but they simply end up witha bunch of feral AIs. The story follows the initial AI children and their owners into "adolescence", and their obsolete hardware doesn't port over to the newest virtual world. The last part of the story delves into how the owners can fund such a port.
The story brings up ethical questions about AIs and also sexual consent which are really interesting. If you read it I'd love to discuss it with you! It was worth tracking down and sending to my kindle!
The story brings up ethical questions about AIs and also sexual consent which are really interesting. If you read it I'd love to discuss it with you! It was worth tracking down and sending to my kindle!