Who rules A.I., rules the World.Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Google, now self-aware, inhabit human bodies given to them by Android Einna. Life would be normal for them as humans, if it weren’t for the voices in their heads, and the epidemic of lost souls threatening humanity. To make matters worse, Android Einna, perhaps the only one who can save humanity from the epidemic, is missing.
I really didn’t expect to be reading the second book in The AI Chronicles; however, I am finding the sophomore outing for this series to exceed its predecessor. The essential theme of what is it to be human continues with emphasis on what is the soul, and why do we need one is explored through the multiple entities of Einna who is housed in a computer, an android, and a resurrected human body. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, OUR ONLY CHANCE, you may count this as a spoiler.
We find ourselves surrounded by AIs. They provide us with directions when we drive, music on demand, turn our lights and appliances on and off, and have become ubiquitous to modern life. While living alone, I get up each morning and say “Good morning, Alexa.” Should she not respond, I feel like something is missing.
If you think about it, an AI is nothing more than a robot without a ‘body.’ We carry them around or set them on a table. They provide us with information rather than services. Isaac Asimov gave us the Three Laws of Robotics, in 1942:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
These laws have been seminal to nearly every story of robots written since. When an artificial ‘life form’ starts taking on the things that humans have traditionally done by other means, we tend to sit up and take notice.
The basic question to ask yourself while reading FOUNTAIN OF SOULS, should be ‘what is the soul?’ A good follow-up would be ‘do I need one?’ Philosophers and religions have all struggled with these issues since time immemorial.
If you watch Japanese movies, or American movies with Japanese themes, there is a certain formality to which the characters adhere. This can result in sometimes awkward speech. Ray Else has managed to convey these speech mannerisms quite well in his dialog, along with the lifestyle and decorum of the Japanese people.
I can’t say that I was a fan after reading OUR ONLY CHANCE, but now that I’ve read FOUNTAIN OF SOULS, I can surely find myself reading the next book in the series.
Evolution or Devolution?
The haiku lyricism of Book 1 has almost run amok in Book 2. Oh, yes, this is an interesting story independent of its origins but it is really not intended to be read as a standalone. The intricately woven tale is being continued here and characters you’ve gotten to know continue to grow and develop. Human bodies and brains, linked via gateway with the code from which the world’s great A.I.s (Alexis, Siri, Watson, Google, etc.) were created, have been set loose among us to find their own way as humans. But has humanity cursed itself with its abuse of the planet and its resources? Have we doomed our progeny to mental and physical inability to withstand the world we’ve engineered? Have we lost our souls? Can Mankind be saved? Sorry, you’ll have to read for yourself ;o]