All Systems Red
Apr. 1st, 2018 10:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kutsuwamushiI don't know how I learned about this book - I am so out of the loop.
If you haven't heard of it, All Systems Red is a short science fiction novel by Martha Wells. The protagonist is a security bot who has hacked their own governor module. They can now disobey orders - not that they can let anyone else know that. They don't have a name, but they call themselves "Murderbot."
I wasn't sure what to expect and was ready for some navel-gazing about the nature of AI. That's not what you get, though. The story is written from Murderbot's point of view, and there's never a question about Murderbot's personhood.
I'm interested to see how Murderbot's personhood is perceived by others in the sequels. The first book takes place during an expedition, and the crew members, being from a more liberal society, are uncomfortable with Murderbot's role. They accept their personhood quickly when given evidence for it - and though that doesn't mean accepting them as equal, they do think that Murderbot should be free.
But what about the company that made Murderbot and that society? What is the larger perception of the personhood of bots? We don't know yet because Murderbot is uninterested in the question and Murderbot isn't interacting with any of them in this story.
In a way, this kind of take is refreshing. Murderbot's personhood is so obvious - to Murderbot and to the reader - that it's a non-question. Murderbot doesn't want to debate their personhood; Murderbot just wants to be left alone.
If you haven't heard of it, All Systems Red is a short science fiction novel by Martha Wells. The protagonist is a security bot who has hacked their own governor module. They can now disobey orders - not that they can let anyone else know that. They don't have a name, but they call themselves "Murderbot."
I wasn't sure what to expect and was ready for some navel-gazing about the nature of AI. That's not what you get, though. The story is written from Murderbot's point of view, and there's never a question about Murderbot's personhood.
I'm interested to see how Murderbot's personhood is perceived by others in the sequels. The first book takes place during an expedition, and the crew members, being from a more liberal society, are uncomfortable with Murderbot's role. They accept their personhood quickly when given evidence for it - and though that doesn't mean accepting them as equal, they do think that Murderbot should be free.
But what about the company that made Murderbot and that society? What is the larger perception of the personhood of bots? We don't know yet because Murderbot is uninterested in the question and Murderbot isn't interacting with any of them in this story.
In a way, this kind of take is refreshing. Murderbot's personhood is so obvious - to Murderbot and to the reader - that it's a non-question. Murderbot doesn't want to debate their personhood; Murderbot just wants to be left alone.
