Review of Terms of Service
Posted: 13 Dec 2022, 07:43
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
I got caught off guard by the novel, Terms of Service. I did not expect how this novel would turn out. I have read books about the genre of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I never thought of reading one about AI technologies, and here I am. I have just completed it and am thrilled at what I have just experienced. I, honestly, did not know about the dark side of Artificial Intelligence as expected by their experts. Elon Musk knows better about this stuff, but I am, from now on, keen to read more topics of this type.
I am a college student and still deciding what majors I fall in, alas! I had chosen Software Engineering before, just like Sharon, who is a software engineer and wife of Craig W. Stanfill, the author of this marvelous book. But after reading this novel, I consider myself to prefer the field of Artificial Intelligence. I am cheerful about my new decision.
Terms of Service is now my favorite book because it inspires me a lot. It starts by describing the routine of an AI trainer named Kim. She is an expert in her field and finds her life happy. However, she views her life as that of a prisoner under the surveillance of AIs, though she can't protest. One day, her best friend, Shan, offered a bike ride which she happily accepted. On their ride, they spotted a barely legible sign on a long-forgotten road: "Proceed at your own risk." They thought that which is not forbidden would be allowed. But on proceeding, they had to deal with several consequences and penalties. These events later proved to be a pre-planned scheme, and Kim was assigned to create and awaken a high-order AI, Kimberly. But this scheme was still proving to be evil. Does Kim protest against the authorities or lay a spider web for them? Discover at your own risk. I mean, read it yourself to discover.
The first four chapters of the novel mainly focus on character building and make us realize how the world works out there. So, if you want to omit reading it, you can skip it. The actual plot only starts during the fifth chapter. However, the former chapters are necessary to understand the story's outlines.
The best part of the book was the first four chapters. These chapters made me think of AIs in a new way. The manner the AIs functioned was stunning and unique to me. So, I loved that aspect specifically. As I described earlier, this book is changing my future career. So, the schemes of AI robots' working are a positive aspect in my view.
On the other hand, I could not distinguish between 'innies' and 'outies.' I also have problems with pronoun usage and gender differentiation despite 'A Note on the Translation.' For the reader's information, the book does contain non-borderline profanities and sexual scenes with explicit descriptions. I did find a couple of punctuational mistakes.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. There are a few reasons for this rating. For example, the first reason is the thought-provoking behavior of AIs and Hierarchy. The brutality and severeness of the punishments remind me that even AIs are not perfect. The second reason goes to the engaging plot in which bearing babies was considered similar to the creation of AI. The love and care AIs try to provide to humans only arouse my curiosity for them. The third and final reason for a perfect rating is the emotionally satisfying ending which I cannot spoil.
I recommend this book to mature teenagers who like to read Sci-Fi novels. However, this novel is also well-suited for adults. Thanks to Craig W. Stanfill for writing this fascinating novel.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
I got caught off guard by the novel, Terms of Service. I did not expect how this novel would turn out. I have read books about the genre of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I never thought of reading one about AI technologies, and here I am. I have just completed it and am thrilled at what I have just experienced. I, honestly, did not know about the dark side of Artificial Intelligence as expected by their experts. Elon Musk knows better about this stuff, but I am, from now on, keen to read more topics of this type.
I am a college student and still deciding what majors I fall in, alas! I had chosen Software Engineering before, just like Sharon, who is a software engineer and wife of Craig W. Stanfill, the author of this marvelous book. But after reading this novel, I consider myself to prefer the field of Artificial Intelligence. I am cheerful about my new decision.
Terms of Service is now my favorite book because it inspires me a lot. It starts by describing the routine of an AI trainer named Kim. She is an expert in her field and finds her life happy. However, she views her life as that of a prisoner under the surveillance of AIs, though she can't protest. One day, her best friend, Shan, offered a bike ride which she happily accepted. On their ride, they spotted a barely legible sign on a long-forgotten road: "Proceed at your own risk." They thought that which is not forbidden would be allowed. But on proceeding, they had to deal with several consequences and penalties. These events later proved to be a pre-planned scheme, and Kim was assigned to create and awaken a high-order AI, Kimberly. But this scheme was still proving to be evil. Does Kim protest against the authorities or lay a spider web for them? Discover at your own risk. I mean, read it yourself to discover.
The first four chapters of the novel mainly focus on character building and make us realize how the world works out there. So, if you want to omit reading it, you can skip it. The actual plot only starts during the fifth chapter. However, the former chapters are necessary to understand the story's outlines.
The best part of the book was the first four chapters. These chapters made me think of AIs in a new way. The manner the AIs functioned was stunning and unique to me. So, I loved that aspect specifically. As I described earlier, this book is changing my future career. So, the schemes of AI robots' working are a positive aspect in my view.
On the other hand, I could not distinguish between 'innies' and 'outies.' I also have problems with pronoun usage and gender differentiation despite 'A Note on the Translation.' For the reader's information, the book does contain non-borderline profanities and sexual scenes with explicit descriptions. I did find a couple of punctuational mistakes.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. There are a few reasons for this rating. For example, the first reason is the thought-provoking behavior of AIs and Hierarchy. The brutality and severeness of the punishments remind me that even AIs are not perfect. The second reason goes to the engaging plot in which bearing babies was considered similar to the creation of AI. The love and care AIs try to provide to humans only arouse my curiosity for them. The third and final reason for a perfect rating is the emotionally satisfying ending which I cannot spoil.
I recommend this book to mature teenagers who like to read Sci-Fi novels. However, this novel is also well-suited for adults. Thanks to Craig W. Stanfill for writing this fascinating novel.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes