Autonomous
Annalee Newitz · 2017 · Novel
It explored the complex legal and ethical landscape of AI rights and bio-hacking in a future dominated by pharmaceutical corporations, bridging intellectual property with sentience.
What it is
In a future dominated by pharmaceutical corporations, a biohacker sells illegal drugs to free indentured robots, while an agent hunts her down. It explores AI rights, bio-hacking, and corporate exploitation.
↑Inherited from(8)
The novel directly engages with the legal and ethical frameworks surrounding AI rights, building on the foundational discussions of robot ethics established by Asimov's 'I, Robot'.
The core question of AI rights and sentience, and the ethical treatment of artificial beings, directly echoes Dick's exploration of replicants and their societal standing.
Autonomous explores the concept of artificial beings' personhood and their right to freedom, directly addressing the questions of AI rights raised by Dick's novel.
The novel's themes of corporate control, exploitation of artificial beings, and the fight for AI rights resonate strongly with the societal issues depicted in 'Blade Runner'.
The novel's themes of corporate control, bio-hacking, and the complex legal status of advanced AI are direct descendants of the cyberpunk genre defined by Gibson.
The novel engages with the complex legal and ethical landscape of advanced biological and technological alterations, including bio-hacking and AI rights, reflecting the post-human themes of divergence and engineered life forms found in Sterling's 'Schismatrix'.
Contributed to the portrayal of highly intelligent and independent AIs navigating complex ethical and societal challenges in a futuristic setting.
Newitz's 'Autonomous' continues the biopunk tradition established by Bacigalupi's 'The Windup Girl,' exploring themes of corporate control over biotechnology, intellectual property, and bio-hacking in a near-future dystopia.
Autonomous expands on the biopunk themes established by The Windup Girl, particularly the corporate control over genetic engineering and its dystopian societal impact, applying these concerns to the legal status and exploitation of artificial intelligences and robots.
The exploration of AI personhood and their legal/social status in a complex future society shares thematic ground with Leckie's work, particularly regarding AI as a marginalized group.