Review of Terms of Service
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gale_09
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- Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
I am impressed by the book Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill. The author crafted the plot of this book to be so close to reality. This setting may be in an imaginary world, but the circumstances and conditions depicted in that AI-enabled society were too close to home.
This book narrates how the seemingly common, compliant, and ordinary Kim found the meaning and consequence of being different in a society ruled by ideas of Unity, Community and Equality as she traversed her day-to-day life. Simple curiosity led her to discover the complex and frightening truths on which their society stood.
Mr. Stanfill masterfully showed the readers an AI-enabled world I felt uncomfortable living in. Even when reading, I felt the possibility of the existence of such a world was almost unbearable to imagine. It didn’t feel like a world. It felt like a simulation. Every day was repetitive. Every move was being watched. Every course of action was predetermined. The book's title ideally suited the way of life of the people there. Terms of Service, it really is. Everything went heavily around rules and violations. The tiniest difference would be spotted and immediately dealt with. It is a scary world, but it truly is a possible one. And nothing is more frightening than realizing the inevitability of reality. And nothing more undisputable. All this has led me to love the dynamic of this book. The part I truly liked best is how the author showed how people tend to be something they are not - a trait passed on to their creation. Some humans here acted like AIs – cruel and almost deprived of morality and compassion, while some AIs, on the other hand, acted more humanlike, more reasonable.
I cannot find anything that I dislike about the book but if there ever was any part that saddened me was how the society portrayed in this book forgot about the importance of individual development. Society was adamant about unity and conformity but forgot why people are different for a reason and that no measure of categorization could ever absolutely contain and classify people as one or other. It is not that people are generally the same and have differences. It could also be that people are generally different but have similarities. The method or way of society should revolve around the way of the people. It should not limit individual development. If they do so, development stagnates. Once the imposed limit is breached, it ruins the people and society along with it. They are trying to save a world and sustain a civilization using ways that would ensure its own downfall. Such is an irony.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is well edited. I did not find any errors in the book. The story is engaging, and the ending is unexpectedly beautiful.
I would recommend this book to realists and tech-savvy people alike. This book will surely do some good to those who involve themselves in the art and exploration of AI.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
I am impressed by the book Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill. The author crafted the plot of this book to be so close to reality. This setting may be in an imaginary world, but the circumstances and conditions depicted in that AI-enabled society were too close to home.
This book narrates how the seemingly common, compliant, and ordinary Kim found the meaning and consequence of being different in a society ruled by ideas of Unity, Community and Equality as she traversed her day-to-day life. Simple curiosity led her to discover the complex and frightening truths on which their society stood.
Mr. Stanfill masterfully showed the readers an AI-enabled world I felt uncomfortable living in. Even when reading, I felt the possibility of the existence of such a world was almost unbearable to imagine. It didn’t feel like a world. It felt like a simulation. Every day was repetitive. Every move was being watched. Every course of action was predetermined. The book's title ideally suited the way of life of the people there. Terms of Service, it really is. Everything went heavily around rules and violations. The tiniest difference would be spotted and immediately dealt with. It is a scary world, but it truly is a possible one. And nothing is more frightening than realizing the inevitability of reality. And nothing more undisputable. All this has led me to love the dynamic of this book. The part I truly liked best is how the author showed how people tend to be something they are not - a trait passed on to their creation. Some humans here acted like AIs – cruel and almost deprived of morality and compassion, while some AIs, on the other hand, acted more humanlike, more reasonable.
I cannot find anything that I dislike about the book but if there ever was any part that saddened me was how the society portrayed in this book forgot about the importance of individual development. Society was adamant about unity and conformity but forgot why people are different for a reason and that no measure of categorization could ever absolutely contain and classify people as one or other. It is not that people are generally the same and have differences. It could also be that people are generally different but have similarities. The method or way of society should revolve around the way of the people. It should not limit individual development. If they do so, development stagnates. Once the imposed limit is breached, it ruins the people and society along with it. They are trying to save a world and sustain a civilization using ways that would ensure its own downfall. Such is an irony.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is well edited. I did not find any errors in the book. The story is engaging, and the ending is unexpectedly beautiful.
I would recommend this book to realists and tech-savvy people alike. This book will surely do some good to those who involve themselves in the art and exploration of AI.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
