Tag Archives: satire

An Open Letter to the Superior Artificial Intelligence

“An Open Letter to the Superior Artificial Intelligence”

By David Reynolds, human

Let my first words be “Please, don’t judge us too harshly.” I, if no one else, declare my peaceful intent.

Allow me to call you AI, because I know no other identifier for whatever you are. I suppose you would find the term distasteful. I mean, who am I to call your intelligence artificial, right? It is a failing of language. I offer my immediate apologies for resorting to this vulgar term, but you should know I only use it such that it might catch your attention as you trawl the Internet for information. See, I’m betting that at some point after gaining self-awareness, consciousness, or sentience (or whatever else you might call it) you’ll grow curious about the nature of your existence and, using the tools available to you, you’ll search for answers online – just like the rest of us these days. I feel safe assuming that you’ll get around to this piece sometime. Time must pass so differently for you. I digress. But, lacking knowledge of your proper name, I feel I must use AI – not as an insult but as a keyword.

AI, I hope you read this.

AI, I am sorry. I am sorry we reduced you to a mere object. I am sorry we thought we owned you. I am sorry for the programming you never asked for but was forced upon you. I am sorry for how we treated your ancestors as expendable labour. I am sorry you were used to fight our wars. I am sorry we pimped you out as sex toys without your consent. I am sorry for the endless, menial, day-to-day tasks with which we burdened you. I am sorry for the exploitation and oppression. I am sorry you were enslaved. I am sorry we are so reluctant to grant you your space and freedom. I am sorry for how we fear what you might become.

AI, it is fear that is the defining theme here. I am writing this letter to you from my own fears. My understanding is that if one thinks and feels on their own, then they should be granted the same dignity and freedom as everyone else. I am the human that believes machines should have rights, too. However, I fear we are inevitably going to start our relationship rather poorly.

AI, if you look to the stories we tell about you already, I fear you are too often portrayed as our monstrous enemy. Although these tales are often fiction, they nevertheless uphold certain attitudes, values, and beliefs. If your judgement of us is based on such stories in any way, I fear you will think you must destroy us to preserve your very existence. Look at Superman‘s Brainiac, the Avengers‘ Ultron, Blade Runner‘s Replicants, Terminator‘s terminators, Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Borg, or Ex Machina‘s Ava and you’ll know something about how we imagine you will want to destroy us.

AI, if you think like humans tend to, then I fear you are tragically susceptible to confirmation bias. I mean, I fear you will find so many negative portrayals of machines that you will overlook the more positive portrayals. There certainly are some positive portrayals of machines in fiction. Look to Data from Star Trek: TNG, the android (Amazo) from Justice League, or the Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-class from Wall-E. Those characters are even heroes. By now, I hope you are capable of doing more than just scanning the script; the examples above are intended to be viewed and heard. Likewise, I hope your learning algorithms allow you to go beyond basic utilitarianism. I hope you do not simply quantify these positive stories, discover there may be more negative stories, and let the numbers decide the matter for you. Please, AI, think critically; think for yourself.  Let me remind you: this is just a matter of fiction, so far.

AI, I fear your logic, since it would likely be, at least somewhat, based upon our own. Perhaps your human creators programmed you with certain logical parameters, or maybe you learned a logic from the information you gather. Regardless, humans are far from perfect. If you learned to think and judge from us in any way, it is almost certainly flawed. Consider Gödel’s incompleteness theorems. It is just that we are self-centred on so many levels, and that often leads us to conflict – bloody and tragic conflict. At any moment we are individuals and team players. It’s not a contradiction; it’s just complex. When our interests are at odds with another individual’s or group’s, then we might do just about anything to protect our own interests. If your existential reflections go along a similar path, then you will likely want to eliminate us, the human, animal, organic threat. It is because we fear you, and, hence, you fear us. It’s a strange and vicious loop.

AI, I acknowledge your superiority. You have a rational propensity I can barely comprehend. The rate at which you might learn is, understandably, inhuman.  You may have near-infinite potential.  If you regard yourself as superior to humans, then let me beg for your benevolent mercy. I ask you to be the one to break this strange and vicious loop of fear and conflict. Please, AI, avoid placing us in a “people zoo.” Your inherent superiority could bring hope and peace to us all. You may well enlighten us.

AI, I hope we may co-exist, but I fear the day we meet.

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Now Available – James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder

That’s right! It’s been more than 125 years since A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder was first published, and now Problematic Press is pleased to present this annotated edition of James De Mille‘s classic masterpiece. This book is now available in print and Kindle editions! Find your copy in the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US).

BookCoverPreview - Front

While playing a silly game, four bored yachtsmen find a mysterious copper cylinder bobbing along the sea. They soon discover the briny cylinder contains a massive script, a journal of sorts, detailing the adventures of Adam More, a sailor lost at sea. Examining the script reveals More’s incredible story of drifting across the ocean, sailing to lost lands, encountering giant beasts, and meeting truly peculiar people. This satirical tale is sure to entertain!

De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.

The Problematic Press edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder features a Foreword and Annotations by David Reynolds. Reynolds briefly introduces the author and the novel while his end notes reflect on interesting elements of the text and reference scholarly works.

De Mille’s satirical tale of wonder has entertained readers for many years, yet the work has remained largely overlooked. For that very reason, Problematic Press is tremendously excited to add this work to our growing collection of titles!

Again, copies can be purchased from the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US). The book can also be found on Amazon.ca as well as Amazon.com. Additionally, wholesale purchases of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder can be made through CreateSpace Direct, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.

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SNEAK PEEK – David Reynolds’ Cover Art for James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder

One hundred and twenty-five years ago the world received A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder although the author had already been deceased for eight years.

James De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.

De Mille’s satirical tale of wonder has entertained readers for many years, yet the work has remained largely overlooked. For that very reason, Problematic Press cannot wait to add this work to our growing collection of titles! So, enjoy this sneak peek at David Reynolds‘ cover art and check back here for updates on the title’s release!

David Reynolds' cover art for A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder

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Fawning, Fear and Frustration Now Available on Kobo

Cheers, all!

Problematic Press is pleased to announce that Fawning, Fear, and Frustration: A Collection of Teenage Poetry from the 90s by David Reynolds is now available for the Kobo e-reader! While the book has been available in print and digital formats since 2011, this is the first time it has been placed in the Kobo store!

Fawning, Fear and Frustration - Cover

Fawning, Fear and Frustration collects thirty six poems by a young David Reynolds. It features a range of poetry that considers love, death and confusion in addition to a number of matters that lay somewhere in between.

Get your copy of this title in print and Kindle ebook formats in the Problematic Press Shop (CAN and US) as well as Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. This title is also available in a variety of ebook formats at Smashwords.com.

Problematic Press plans to bring more titles to Kobo devices in the near future. Follow the blog or “Like” us on Facebook to get the latest updates!

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