Beautiful Intelligence

[Stephen Palmer]

Today is publication day...

AI or BI? Artificial intelligence or beautiful intelligence?

The race to create a sentient machine is headed by two teams, led by former researchers at Ichikawa Laboratories, who escape the regime there – and each other – to pursue their own dreams in the world beyond Japan.

Leonora Klee is creating a single android with a quantum computer brain, whose processing power has never before been achieved.

Manfred Klee is creating a group of individuals, none of them self-aware, in the hope that they will raise themselves to consciousness.

But with a Japanese chase team close on their heels, will either be successful before they are trapped and caught?

Beautiful Intelligence is a fast-paced, philosophical thriller that confronts questions of how we will create artificial sentience, and whether it will be beautiful.

Here is the UK link to buy the novel:

... and here the US one.

The Kindle edition price has been set low for a short while.

 

[Juliana]

Have purchased. Looking forward to it. And I love the cover!

 

[ratsy]

Stephen, I have bought for the kindle. Happy Publication Day (its also Canada Day here)

 

[psikeyhackr]

I prefer Simulated Intelligence.

I find the connection between so called AI and science fiction to be quite interesting. This goes beyond Asimov and his 3 Laws of Robotics. This connects to Heinlein and General Semantics and A.E. van Vogt and The Worlds of Null-A.

Our computers are mostly von Neumann machines. They manipulate symbols in the form of bit combinations at very high speeds. So if a machine can be stupid fast enough it can appear to be intelligent. Hence Simulated Intelligence. But how can you tell when a machine UNDERSTANDS the Symbols and real intelligence by artificial means is accomplished?

I have found it really curious in my years in the computer industry how rarely one encounters a good explanation of how a von Neumann architecture works.

And then there are thousands of crappy Computer Science books.

But it will be so funny if we create an AI and it doesn't want a humanoid body. LOL

psik

 

[Stephen Palmer]

The Kindle edition price is being held down for a few days more.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

New review from Gary Dalkin over at Amazing Stories.

… and a review from J.L. Dobias at Goodreads...

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Yay! Reviewed in the Guardian!

 

[HareBrain]

And referenced in the headline photo! You must be glowing.

 

[Foxbat]

I'm about 70% through BI and concur with the Guardian - enjoying it muchly

 

[Juliana]

Well done!!

 

[Ensign Shah]

Just purchased!!! Can't wait to read. Well done Stephen.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Great new review here from a long-time fan. Pleased with this one.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Note to self: write stronger women.

 

[Ensign Shah]

Note to self: write stronger women.

 

[ratsy]

Stephen, he still gave it 3 stars at least! I read it, loved it and it didn't feel trope-y to me but hey, each to their own.

 

[Ensign Shah]

Note to self: write stronger women.

Was this due to a review? Sorry if that is the case hadn't realised when I liked it!

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I must point out that weird/bad reviews don't bother me (see The Naughty Step on my blog). I was just slightly perplexed, and, as a long-time reviewer of genre novels, began to wonder about the whys and hows. I have written some rubbish in my time.

 

[Vince W]

I read this while on holiday Stephen. I really enjoyed it! I would call it post-post-cyberpunk perhaps? Or maybe pre-singularitypunk? In either case you bring up some good points about the nature of intelligence and what it means. Well done.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Thanks! I think it probably does approximately fit into the cyberpunk field.
There will be an e-published novella out in a few months regarding Kid Indigo - No Grave For A Fox.

 

[Vince W]

I'll look forward to that Stephen. That Indigo Kid seems to have become one bad mutha... It's almost as if a Barbibul turned into a flick-knife wielding punk.