Books on Artificial Intelligence in Dystopian Category
As the world enters the millennium age, the introduction of AI began to emerge. Today, it is undeniable that there’s a rapid growth of artificial intelligence over the past several years, from theoretical experiments to practical implementations in different fields, brought by scientific and technological advancements.
By definition, artificial intelligence gives highlights of the innovative development of intelligent machines that can think and work like humans. It encompasses the subjects and applications in automated systems, complex data analysis, learning, mass surveillance, planning, robotics, problem-solving, and speech recognition, among many others.
Most often than not, in almost any dystopian novels involving modern, futuristic, and science-fiction-associated themes come with topics or characters embodying and employing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
That said, I looked into some of the gripping dystopian novels on artificial intelligence, and I listed them down for you. Some of them are from my collection of dystopian novels.
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Also Read:
British Dystopian Novels To Read
Brave New World
Despite that John McCarthy coined the term AI in 1955 during the research program on artificial intelligence, as recorded by the “National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)” of the “U.S. National Library of Medicine,” it seems like Aldous Huxley has thought about such while writing his book “Brave New World” in 1931.
Published in 1932, Huxley centers his novel in a futuristic dystopian “World State” that introduces scientific medical advancements in classical conditioning, psychological manipulation, sleep-learning, and reproductive technology, which is also popular today as Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART).
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 288
Goodreads rating – 3.99/5
My rating – 9.20/10
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Neuromancer
Among the most notable dystopian books of all time that integrate artificial intelligence in the narrative is the “Neuromancer” by William Gibson.
Gibson’s novel is one of the well-celebrated literary works in cyberpunk themes. This “Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick” award-winning literature is the first book that he wrote, published in 1984.
It’s the start of his three-book series entitled “Sprawl Trilogy,” which he sets in the future, following the life and journey of a failed computer hacker, who gets hired to do a final task that will bring him against a powerful AI.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 292
Goodreads rating – 3.90/5
My rating – 8.40/10
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Wither
Lauren DeStefano created the “Wither” book that narrates a world of dystopia, which portrays scientists’ successful generation of engineering genetically perfect human beings, who are free of any health disorders and diseases but created a deadly virus that attacks their children as its dreadful ramifications.
While the older generation gets to live an illness-free, disorder-free life, the younger generations of females die upon reaching twenty years old, and males only have until twenty-five years old to live.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 358
Goodreads rating – 3.80/5
My rating – 8.05 /10
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The Minority Report
When we speak of science fiction, Philip K. Dick’s name will always come out. He created almost all mind-boggling and thought-provoking novels that detail the elements of artificial intelligence or machine learning.
One of the most notable literary works Dick publishes is “The Minority Report,” which also becomes a box-office hit with Tom Cruise as the lead star and Steven Spielberg as the director.
The multi-awarded author tells a story of a future dystopia society where criminals get caught first before they even do the actual crime under the “Precrime System,” through the help of “precogs,” which are people, who have the power to see the future and often referred to as mutants.
These mutants get plugged into a powerful machine to provide Precrime information to the police division.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 103
Goodreads rating – 3.83/5
My rating – 7.19/10
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Another relatively popular piece from Philip K. Dick that touches AI, include:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
This 1968 novel features synthetic humans or robots, referred by Dick as Androids. It’s a story about a bounty hunter who is out to catch the distinct Nexus-6 model androids, described looking exactly like humans, and the only way to identify them is through a “bone marrow analysis.”
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 244
Goodreads rating – 4.09/5
My rating – 9.37/10
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The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer
Another dystopian novel that touches the artificial intelligence subject is from Neal Stephenson.
“The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” follows the life of a young girl in a nanotechnology-run world that immensely affects all aspects of humankind’s life.
Stephenson discusses several themes within its main genre, including education, ethnicity, and social class. It also tackles the nature of AI.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 499
Goodreads rating – 4.19/5
My rating – 7.61/10
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“This Perfect Day” by Ira Levin, “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin, “Anthem” by Ayn Rand, “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi, and “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood are also some of my dystopian novels collection that talks about AI.
New additions to my collection, include the following:
2001: Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke startlingly crafted this novel and published it in 1968.
“2001: Space Odyssey” details one of the main characters called HAL 9000, which is a product of artificial intelligence. HAL monitors everything in the ship from its functions to communicating and maintaining relationships with the humans.
However, HAL malfunctions creating problems in return with the human crew members, killing almost all of them except for one.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 297
Goodreads rating – 4.15/5
My rating – 9.45/10
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I, Robot
Isaac Asimov chronicles the interactions of humans and robots, and the moral obligations and norms in his 1950 book entitled “I, Robot.”
Asimov discusses three laws that follow in Robotics. Thus, detailing various types of robots that, in a way, created an impact on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Genre – Dystopian Literature
Pages – 297
Goodreads rating – 4.20/5
My rating – 9.43/10
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Final Say
Whether or not we perceive it, AI is everywhere. It surrounds us. It plays an active and vital role in our daily living. From opening our social media newsfeeds to searching online, artificial intelligence is furtively moving in the background.
These books prove to us the wide-ranging scope of AI’s coverage that includes psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, mathematics, linguistics, and computer science, among many others.
Also Enjoy Reading:
Dystopian Novels by Black Authors
Main Feature Image Credits: Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay
