A story about a cyborg called Ai who moonlights as an AI writing tool, written by an author was name is also Ai – it takes a moment to wrap your head around this, but Ai Jiang’s intriguing and darkly powerful tale novelette I Am AI is definitely written by a human (not an AI) and is very, very good. In a distant but utterly believable future, the city of Emit is dominated by a single, monopolistic corporation – the creepily titled New Era – with vast numbers of citizens living in poverty. Cyborg Ai works herself into the ground trying to earn enough to pay off her crippling debts and strip away her inefficient human flesh, even while doing what she can to support her neighbours and make their lives a little better. As her battery wanes though, and work pressures mount, her choices come increasingly into question.
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