QUICK REVIEW: The Regression Test – Wole Talabi

First published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 2017, Wole Talabi’s short story The Regression Test is a deceptively dark tale exploring human involvement with artificial intelligence. In an ugly corporate conference room, Titilope Ajimobi takes part in a regression test designed to ascertain whether an AI has deviated too far from the original human source of its thought patterns. As the person who knew the human subject best, it’s her role to pose a series of questions that will determine whether the AI is still recognisable – as her mother, who’s been dead the last 40 years.

This is a great example of a science fiction short story that explores an intriguing idea from a very human, relatable perspective – if an AI was based on an actual human, what would happen to the subject’s personality as the AI was iterated upon over the course of years (and what would corporations do about it)? Beyond simply a great idea though, the execution here is impeccable, with an evocative, believable feel of technological modernity achieved despite the story’s short word count, and a subtle sense of unease introduced early on by the presence of a creepy, almost reptilian doctor.

Despite the technology being explored, the focus is very much on Titilope’s emotional response to interacting with what seems, at first, remarkably close to the reality of her mother, but which, as she questions it more closely, quickly proves to be something else entirely. She might be 116 years old herself, but Titilope is sharp as a tack, and proves to be a compelling narrator, weaving family history into her observations as she questions the AI and draws her conclusions. In the end it all comes back to family, just perhaps not how you might expect, ending on an unexpectedly dark note.

I read this within The Best of World SF Volume 2, edited by Lavie Tidhar – review copy provided by the publisher

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