Liv is a high school student on her spring break, participating in a competition in hopes to win an internship with her hero. She and other competitors design an AI, which must then complete a series of tasks. Each task becomes more advanced than the previous one. At first, her AI creation, which she named Breck, remains stuck in the first challenge. So she decides to code the AI to sleep at night. Soon Breck is able to rationalize and solve problems, advancing through the other challenges. But Breck also advances in other ways. It becomes thoughtful, introspective, and increasingly self-aware. While Liv is ecstatic that Breck is closer to helping her future look brighter, she’s also aware of the implications. Is Breck becoming sentient? If so, how can she simply delete the AI once the competition is over? How would Breck feel about its fate if it ever found out? eMortal by Steve Schafer is a young adult sci-fi novel that explores the potential of AI and the ethical dilemmas society must face if the technology is ever to reach its full potential. All from the point of view of a teenager and her AI creation.
Book
Once Breck integrates sleep into its/his routine, his capacity to solve the challenges exponentially increases. But so does his self-awareness. He is confused by the new emotions he experiences, and what role they play in his task. He also begins to differentiate himself from his AI companion Sam, who is supposed to serve as the controlled variable. In the “real” world, however, Liv’s mother insists that she stop spending so much time on the computer, and needs her help at their family toy store. Plus, she learns that her best friend and neighbor is moving across the country due to her father’s new job. At odds with her ambitions and monitoring Breck’s progress, Liv struggles to navigate these issues. And she’s racing against the clock at all ends in eMortal.
Eventually, Breck advances further than any other AIs in the competition. But Liv tries to find a way to help her best friend and mother in her real life. And both worlds come crashing down when Breck accidentally receives information about himself that complicates things moving forward. Liv is out of her element, and she doesn’t know how to resolve things before the clock runs out. Her competition turns into an ethical dilemma, and she doesn’t know how to proceed. As Liv searches for answers, she isn’t prepared for what she will find.
Review
Schafer delivers a well-paced and engaging science fiction story with eMortal. Readers get both Liv’s and Breck’s POV, enabling us to see the progression of Breck’s cognitive and sentient abilities in real-time. As a result, Breck becomes a sympathetic character, and Liv’s inner moral conflict more understandable. I didn’t expect to feel sorry for an AI character. But the author makes it happen. And the twist at the end will force readers to reevaluate everything they think they know. By the end of the book, readers will undoubtedly question the possibility of AI’s role in our own society – more importantly, if the potential benefits outweigh the moral implications of creation.
Steve Schafer joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about his research in creating this story and plans for the future. Keep an ear out for the interview in a future episode and pick up a copy of eMortal, available now.
