(Near-Future SF) You travel to visit an AI so powerful that it has to be isolated from all possible contact with modern technology. (3,793 words; Time: 12m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Nice exploration of the super-intelligent AI problem
"Air Gap," by Eric Cline [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 01-02|18, published on December 15, 2017 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The story does a nice job of misdirection. It seems at first that we’re going to witness how the AI escaped confinement and went off to destroy the world. The people are a bit cruel to tell it its fate, but that’s understandable. And the concluding line about there still being no flying cars is a good laugh.
The notion of starting an AI with a large chunk of fake experiences is a good one. The alternative idea of taking years to train each new AI (e.g. with a family) never made much sense to me.
Con: There’s no character development except of Kurtzweil herself, and she’s sufficiently crazy that we don’t feel anything for or against her at the end.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|18)
Eric Cline Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The notion of starting an AI with a large chunk of fake experiences is a good one. The alternative idea of taking years to train each new AI (e.g. with a family) never made much sense to me.
Con: There’s no character development except of Kurtzweil herself, and she’s sufficiently crazy that we don’t feel anything for or against her at the end.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|18)
Eric Cline Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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