Re: Failure of AI a prediction of Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age"

mark@unicorn.com
Fri, 2 Oct 1998 07:12:37 -0700 (PDT)

Michael E. Smith [mesmith@home.net] wrote:
>I know that the novel has been mentioned favorably on this list before, but
>has anyone else noticed how "UNextropian" the novel is? I'm referring to
>the novel's apparent prediction of the failure of artificial intelligence.
>As I've re-read certain passages, it doesn't seem like an oversight to me;
>it appears to be a central theme of the novel.

I still haven't read this book yet, but it seems to me that it may well be a prerequisite for a story of human life in a nanotech society, rather than a prediction. Widespread SI changes so many things that a society like this may be impossible; he could be laboring the point a little to justify not including SIs because he wants to write about a more normal human society, not because he doesn't think they could exist.

Mark