AI Unbound is two long short-stories or short novellas on the theme of artificial intelligence although I really only felt the first one properly addressed the titles theme.
Computer Virus presents an intriguing story of an AI escaping its creators and going on the run through the internet. Kress doesn’t worry too much about the how – the technology – but instead focuses more on the morals and constructs an interesting theme that makes those morals suitably ambiguous. A good short story that may give the reader pause for thought.
Savior is a very different sort of story and is really a first contact story rather than an AI one, which I honestly found a little tedious compare to Computer Virus and also having little to do with any of the many questions that inevitably arise about AI; the AI component being more or less relegated to the final story twist.
Computer Virus gets a solid four stars but Savior barely three.
Computer Virus presents an intriguing story of an AI escaping its creators and going on the run through the internet. Kress doesn’t worry too much about the how – the technology – but instead focuses more on the morals and constructs an interesting theme that makes those morals suitably ambiguous. A good short story that may give the reader pause for thought.
Savior is a very different sort of story and is really a first contact story rather than an AI one, which I honestly found a little tedious compare to Computer Virus and also having little to do with any of the many questions that inevitably arise about AI; the AI component being more or less relegated to the final story twist.
Computer Virus gets a solid four stars but Savior barely three.
