Author(s)
Ruthi Lalbiaknungi
Keywords
Artificial Life, Artificial Intelligence, Speculative Fiction, Human-Technology Interaction, Posthumanism, Ethics of Technology, Contemporary Literature.
Abstract
The growing presence of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies has significantly shaped contemporary human life. From digital assistants and automated systems to emerging forms of artificial intelligence, people today interact with technology in ways that were once imagined only in speculative fiction. This paper explores how contemporary literature reflects and responds to these changing relationships between humans and artificial life. It focuses particularly on how speculative fiction portrays both the possibilities and the concerns surrounding technological advancement. Drawing on works such as Never Let Me Go, Klara and the Sun, and Oryx and Crake, this paper examines how artificial beings are represented within human society and how characters respond to their presence. In these narratives, artificial life appears in different forms, including clones, artificial companions, and genetically engineered beings. While some of these representations highlight the potential benefits of artificial life, such as companionship, assistance, and technological progress, others reveal deeper anxieties surrounding ethical responsibility, control, and the possible consequences of scientific experimentation. By connecting literary representations with contemporary experiences of technology, this paper argues that speculative fiction provides an important space for reflecting on society’s hopes and fears about artificial life. These texts not only imagine future possibilities but also encourage readers to critically consider how humans interact with technology in the present. In this way, literature becomes a meaningful site for exploring the complex relationship between humanity, ethics, and technological innovation in the digital age.
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