The Lifecycle of Software Objects

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Chiang, Ted
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Chiang, Ted	4-week checkout	On Shelf

The story of two people and the artificial intelligences they helped create, following them for more than a decade as they deal with the upgrades and obsolescence that are inevitable in the world of software. At the same time, it's an examination of the difference between processing power and intelligence, and of what it means to have a real relationship with an artificial entity.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Interesting premise with odd bumps along the way. submitted by purplewaves on June 14, 2019, 12:46pm Overall, it's an interesting take on artificial intelligence and how it might come about. As the title suggests, it also deals with the "lifecycle" of software, its guaranteed obsolescence, and how that might affect a sentient, questionably sapient digital being. There was just one particular thought from a main character concerning her former zoological career that made me go, "Ugh, really?" that morally knocks down the book a few stars for me. Imperfect, but a short, interesting sci-fi novella about artificial beings.