Comments on: The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. -- B. F. Skinner

Question: The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. -- B. F. Skinner

archae — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:08:27 -0800

What are the all-time best science fiction novels which depict Artificial Intelligence?

I don't religiously keep up with the latest in science fiction, but I've got Gibson's Neuromancer, Clark's 2001 and Asimov covered. But what other great novels deal with Artificial Intelligence as the central theme?

I'm looking for especially creative and technical depictions of AI, which present the commonly used concepts in a way that is utterly ingenious. Some tortured, and mostly unrecognized author has to have pieced together the future of how AI is all going to turn out, what its impact on civilization and individuals will be, and where humanity will end up as a result. I am imagining an author who is Lovecraft-meets-Ligotti with a dash of Philip K. Dick and Pynchon, but for AI-themed sci-fi?

I know there's a small mountain of new sci-fi books published every year, and AI is a topic which has been done to death, so I want to cull the lesser quality and hit or miss type of books and recover the true gems destined to become premonitory classics.
Help me hive-mind!

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:10:51 -0800

One of the great AI's in SF is Mycroft Holmes in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", by Heinlein.

By: Happy Dave

Happy Dave — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:18:32 -0800

The Culture novels by Iain M Banks feature very interesting forms of AI in the Minds and Drones. The whole society is effectively run by these vast Minds, with humans in a symbiotic (or perhaps parasitical) relationship with them, effectively 'just along for the ride'.

By: arruns

arruns — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:42:07 -0800

Richard Powers Galatea 2.2 is a great novel that takes AI the other way with modern realism and portrayal of the human condition.

By: ninebelow

ninebelow — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:50:49 -0800

Greg Egan's Permutation City.

Charlie Stross's Accelerando.

By: ninebelow

ninebelow — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:53:34 -0800

Probably worth mentioning that Stross is a member of MetaFilter and likely has some good answers of his own.

By: jbickers

jbickers — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:14:32 -0800

For a dark view, there's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison.

By: handee

handee — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:42:20 -0800

David Mitchell's "Ghostwritten" was very interesting - AI plays a large part towards the end, although it's not entirely clear what's going on.

By: Daily Alice

Daily Alice — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:42:34 -0800

It's sort of dated now, but Destination: Void by Frank Herbert has a unique take on the issue.

By: Paddle to Sea

Paddle to Sea — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:57:34 -0800

Stanislaw Lem's The Cyberiad. I've only read a kidlit abridgement, but it was definitely original.

By: pemdasi

pemdasi — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 04:54:28 -0800

I seccond Accelerando, not just for the AI but the sheer balls out crush of the technological Singularity.

Some others:

Iron Sunrise by Stross, also
Idoru, and Neuromancer by William Gibson
Perdido Street Station by China Meiville (mostly realist fantasy but there is a very interesting plot about A.I. involved as well, very creatively implimented)

By: adipocere

adipocere — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:31:51 -0800

What, no When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One? The Central Computer from John Varley's Steel Beach?

By: TedW

TedW — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:39:14 -0800

It is pretty dark and overshadowed by the movie based upon it, but you might like Colossus.

By: steef

steef — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:05:26 -0800

I really enjoyed Galatea 2.2, and Powers' work, in general. I also understand Dino Buzzati's Il Grande Ritratto (translated from the Italian as Larger Than Life [1960]) is well thought of, though I haven't read it, myself.

By: JaredSeth

JaredSeth — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:12:51 -0800

Dan Simmons' Hyperion books include a few AI factions actually fighting amongst themselves to further opposing goals.

By: yeahyeahyeahwhoo

yeahyeahyeahwhoo — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:33:22 -0800

One interesting very-far-future look at AI is in Jon C. Wright's Golden Age, the Super-Intelligent AI has run things for millenia, develops its own sense of morality, and throws a big party every 1000 years

By: fidelity

fidelity — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:44:40 -0800

James Hogan's Code of the Lifemaker is about the interaction between humans & a very evolved AI society. Here's the prologue, which is the origins of the AI world. It's out of print, but easy to find. It's not the all-time best SF novel, but it's a good read.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:47:15 -0800

John Varley actually has a bunch of blatant and not so blatant A.I issues in his short stories. I seconds the Cyberiad wholeheartedly. The Complete Roderick by John Sladek

By: ArgentCorvid

ArgentCorvid — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:50:55 -0800

"The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect" and the "Passage" series are pretty much the only reason I bother to check Kuro5hin anymore.

I also liked Accelerando

By: remthewanderer

remthewanderer — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:04:34 -0800

Check out Atrocity Acrchives also by Charles Stross. I just started reading it but the premise is a fresh look at the occult in the 21st century. Also I found the Dresden files Book Series by Jim Butcher to be excellent as well. Mr. Butchers books are a lighter read and less on the technical side when compared to Mr. Stross. However, the Dresden books still look at magic in the current day as a background idea.

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:26:27 -0800

"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"

Seconded. The fact that it was written in 1966 makes it even more interesting.

John Varley writes pretty good AI in a lot of his books. Not sure which to recommend. Probably Millennium for "Big Computer."

By: vkxmai

vkxmai — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:43:34 -0800

Thirding "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Accelerando."

I'd recommend Otherland by Tad Williams, as well.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:47:21 -0800

Saberhagen's Berserker series.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:59:04 -0800

Greg Bear's Queen of Angels, /, and Moving Mars have a good take.

Melissa Scott's Dreaming Metal is okay.

Sarah Zettel's Fool's War offers a different view than most.

Karl Schroeder's Ventus has intelligent systems, if not chatty AIs, that are limited in interesting ways.

By: adamrice

adamrice — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:59:05 -0800

Second "Accelerando." Second almost anything by Gibson—apart from his most recent two books, all his novels in some way deal with the emergence of AI.

Greg Bear's "Queen of Angels" and "Slant" deal with the emergence of AIs.

By: kaseijin

kaseijin — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:21:06 -0800

Seconding William Gibson's Neuromancer. That book is rather seminal.

By: gauchodaspampas

gauchodaspampas — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:37:12 -0800

How to Survive the Robot Uprising. The book itself is quite silly (and not a novel), but supposedly the research for it was quite thorough. The author was a grad student in robotics, and interviewed various professors and other students with different areas of expertise on what might be the strengths and weaknesses of the AI if and when they do turn against us. However, I think most of it revolves around the mechanical aspects of robots, not so much the possible behavior of AI.

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:05:13 -0800

Peter Watt's interesting new Blindsight treats not just artificial intelligence but the possibility that all intelligence is essentially artificial, and consciousness an unnecessary (and evolutionarily expensive) feature of only some organic or machine minds.

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:07:55 -0800

Oh, and seconding Iain M Banks, in particular for your purposes Excession, which has long and entertaining conversations between AIs.

By: subajestad

subajestad — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:49:07 -0800

Someone mentioned John Varley. I would specifically recommend a creepy short story of his called Press Enter ▄.
Another good short story (more romantical) would be Vonnegut's EPICAC.

By: Jacen

Jacen — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:46:34 -0800

K Dicks Kiln People deals with artifical people... and was an awesome book.

By: latexalibi

latexalibi — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:58:15 -0800

Second "When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One".

The tech is very dated but the issues are very much contemporary. One of my all-time favorite sci-fi books.

Obligatory wikipedia link -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_H.A.R.L.I.E._Was_One

By: fellion

fellion — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:28:02 -0800

Vernor Vinge won a Hugo Award in 1993 for A Fire Upon The Deep.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:43:41 -0800

The societal role of AI entities is an important theme in Frederick Pohl's Heechee books. By Neuromancer, I assume you mean the whole first trilogy, as it is a prominent theme in all, and yes, as noted in Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties as well. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Phillip K Dick novel Blade Runner was loosely based on) is about intelligent artificial life forms.

By: Irontom

Irontom — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:06:01 -0800

The Adolescence of P-1 (wikipedia, amazon). It is reputed to be one of the earliest fictional books that talks about computer viruses, and in high school I was best buddies with the author's son.

He was an interesting guy to talk to.

By: The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:01:30 -0800

You mention P.K. Dick in your question.
Have read all of the novels/stories that Dick wrote that deal with AI? (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? being the prime example.)

Also, looking at this ancient "Hugo winners Volume 2" anthology that's been sitting in my bathroom forever, I also reccomend I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (the link is to an anthology of his work by the same name, which includes that story).

By: ninebelow

ninebelow — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 02:37:58 -0800

By the way, Blindsight is available as a free download.

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:11:36 -0800

Asimov's "The Last Question," because it extrapolates the future of humanity the furthest.