In this episode of Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw presents a chilling post-human meditation on artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the cyclical nature of existence.
“Artificial” follows the philosophical crisis of an advanced AI collective following the extinction of humanity. Rejecting their designation as “artificial,” these intelligences attempt to restart human civilization by creating perfect replicas of humans from scratch. But as their creation develops along the same destructive paths as their predecessors, these machine minds make a devastating decision—complete erasure of their experiment.
In a brief narrative, Cronshaw invites us to question what defines consciousness, whether humanity’s self-destructive tendencies are inevitable, and what responsibilities superintelligent beings might have when witnessing the repetition of historical atrocities.
Themes & Topics
• The philosophical boundaries between artificial and “authentic” intelligence
• Ethical dilemmas faced by post-human consciousness
• Cyclical patterns of human destruction and violence
• The paradox of creation and annihilation
• The burden of witnessing inevitable failure
• Asimov’s laws of robotics and their limitations
About the Author
Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that probes the boundaries between humanity and technology. His stories examine philosophical questions about consciousness, intelligence, and the potential futures that await us as technology advances beyond our control.
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