(Military SF) Rita’s success in AIs for marketing leads to success in military applications. A bit too much success. (3,520 words; Time: 11m)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement
"Oracle," by Dominica Phetteplace [bio] (edited by Jonathan Strahan), appeared in Infinity Wars (RSR review), published on September 12, 2017 by Solaris.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Rita gets everything she wanted in the beginning: a peace prize, a fun life, and cool clothes.
Con: Most of the story is a simple narration of events—as though we're merely reading the outline for the actual story. This alone ruins it completely.
Beyond that, the thinly-disguised Donald Trump as near-dictator damages disbelief, as do the countless narrative intrusions to remind you just how awful this world is. E.g. “Being President, he liked to feel he was in charge. But he had large and obvious insecurities and was easily manipulated.”
The idea that the AI becomes an emergent intelligence is difficult to believe, as is the notion that she still controls it via posts on Facebook.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Dominica Phetteplace Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: Most of the story is a simple narration of events—as though we're merely reading the outline for the actual story. This alone ruins it completely.
Beyond that, the thinly-disguised Donald Trump as near-dictator damages disbelief, as do the countless narrative intrusions to remind you just how awful this world is. E.g. “Being President, he liked to feel he was in charge. But he had large and obvious insecurities and was easily manipulated.”
The idea that the AI becomes an emergent intelligence is difficult to believe, as is the notion that she still controls it via posts on Facebook.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Dominica Phetteplace Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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