Summary
Steven Erikson: The Price of Joy
From the author of the bestselling Tales from Malacca Book of the Fallen comes a story of first contact and a warning for the future. An alien artificial intelligence was sent into the solar system as a representative of three advanced species. Her task is to save the Earth's ecosystem, which is the biggest threat to humanity. But at the same time, humans are also part of the system, so artificial intelligence must choose: should it save humanity or destroy it? Are we worth saving? That artificial intelligence is all-powerful, like a god. Therefore, it sets certain conditions. Violence is now outlawed, mass destruction of natural resources as well. Food and water will be provided to everyone who really needs it. You can't even bully someone online anymore. Old patterns of behavior no longer apply. But a certain insult-sensitive American president remains inextricably linked to late-stage capitalism. Can we adapt? And are we ready to give up free will for the sake of a world without violence? How would you behave? How would you feel? What questions can you ask - what questions are you allowed to ask - when the only possible answers come from the ordinary human face you see in the mirror?
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