A gripping new novel about AI captures what it means to be human
“Hum” evokes a techno-dystopia that feels eerily realistic
The most unnerving dystopian fiction is set in a future that feels imminent. In the unnamed but New York-like city of “Hum” the water tastes like chemicals, and the air feels hot and eye-stingingly polluted, made worse by the smoke billowing from distant fires. Digital devices are distractingly ubiquitous; they include bracelets that track the whereabouts of children and life-size “wooms” for personalised virtual-reality experiences. Many recently employed people are out of work, displaced by a new class of intelligent robots called “hums”.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Head of darkness”
Culture September 7th 2024
- How fashion conquered television
- Technology and Hindu nationalism have transformed India
- The Oxford debate where evolution triumphed over creationism
- Despots and oligarchs have many means to meddle in American politics
- A gripping new novel about AI captures what it means to be human
- Arnold Schoenberg was one of classical music’s most important rebels
From the September 7th 2024 edition
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