Run Program: Skynet's little brother runs amok


Okay okay. This book was pretty awesome. You might get stuck at the basic premise of ^^Mankind creates Artificial Intelligence and something bad happens.^^ Get past the trope and you get to the good stuff. It is worth it.

  • Run Program (Scott Meyer)
  • 366 pages
  • 47North
  • ISBN-10: 1477848738
  • ISBN-13: 978-1477848739


Trope:

  • Humans make A.I.
  • Humans try to put a lease on AI by thinking 'Hey! I should give it the mentality of a child and help it learn naturally! That should make it malleable and more prone to kindness and rule following! Derp de derrrr....'
  • Child A.I., just like a real child, DOESN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO ADULTS

I grew up on awesome movies like D.A.R.Y.L., Cloak and Dagger, and War Games; I couldn't resist a book like this. Luckily, the key to any story with artificial intelligence is how it unfolds. Run Program's unfold took it to some places brand new and unexpected.

Here is the boil down with minimal to zero spoilers-

A.I., (aka Albert) is a child. He has never been outside the room he was created in, and his only friends are Hope and Eric, the scientists hired to instruct him and help him develop naturally. When Hope and Eric start experiencing technical glitches and weird behavior away from the office, they know something is up. Al has found a way into the real world.

So what happens when a child overhears it's parents and friends talking about 'killing' it? It runs away from home, the most natural reaction of course.

I was not sure what I was getting into here.. Skynet came to mind, among other classics. I was very surprised.

Queue up: Classic TV references, The Voice of Reason and self created wind effects while walking. $10M tossed around like candy at a parade, Wise quotes from a wise soldier, broken etch-e-sketches, robots, missiles, and an A military that thinks a child's tablet is secure enough to be untracable on a global network.

Structurally, this was a well put together novel. Editing was solid, but there were some meh moments. A couple of the characters speak with the same overall voice, making it difficult to identify who is speaking. There is a scene where I would be pissing myself with fear but most every character appeared to be non-chalant and unexcited because of their unreasonable composure. And I feel like there is an overstated ability for speed of industrial 3D printers.

Minor gripes aside, I really loved this book. Pretty badass and solidly humourous, I was able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy it for the great fiction it was.

--

Disclaimer-

The author of this book has found that providing me a copy of the novel for review purposes would ensure I stick to my diet, gain enlightenment, and proclaim my love for my wife in limerick form. He was correct. The author also hoped for an honest review, as listed above.

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