We Think, Therefore We Are

Fifteen original stories about our fear of and fascination with artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has captured the imaginations of writers, readers, and scientists alike, from Karl Capek's R.U.R. to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, from Robby the Robot to The Terminator and The Bicentennial Man, and—of course—Arthur C. Clarke's Hal 9000. Now some of the most innovative thinkers in science fiction offer an intriguing variety of tales featuring the many forms of AI, from frightening to funny. These authors confront one of contemporary mankind's deepest concerns—what do we do when the machines we created evolve beyond us?

Contents

Introduction by Paul McAuley

Tempest 43 by Stephen Baxter

Highway code by Brian Stableford

Salvage rites by Eric Brown

Kamikaze code by James Lovegrove

Adam robots by Adam Roberts

Seeds by Tony Ballantyne

Lost places of the earth by Steven Utley

Chinese room by Marly Youmans

Three princesses by Robert Reed

New cyberiad by Paul di Filippo

That laugh by Patrick O'Leary

Alles in ordnung by Garry Kilworth

Sweats by Keith Brooke

Some fast thinking needed by Ian Watson

Dragon king of the eastern sea by Chris Robersons Roberson