Review of Terms of Service

Fareed Regal · Post by **Fareed Regal** » 17 Dec 2022, 05:21

[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]

5 out of 5 stars

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Imagine living in a world where everything is automated. Driven by Artificial Intelligence software, you can communicate with all your electronic devices and all the manual work at home, or the office, is done by robots. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? This is the world in which we encounter Kim, the central character in Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill. Kim is not happy at all.

In this AI-dominated world, children are separated from their birth mother by the time they reach their fourth birthday and then assigned to a mentor. Electronic identification chips are surgically inserted in their wrists, as well as sensors in their brain to monitor their thought processes and emotions. Once they reach working age, they start working for the AI Company which controls their lives in its entirety. They all sign a Terms of Service contract which gives the company power and total control over them. After several years of working for the company, Kim is feeling disillusioned, sad, depressed, and frustrated.

This first edition in the series is not just an enjoyable read, but enlightening as well. I had a major paradigm shift regarding how powerful AI can be. Every morning Kim tells the refrigerator what she wants to eat for breakfast. If it falls within her dietary plan, as prescribed by the company, then she will get an affirmative answer, else she will be given an alternative which the refrigerator will prepare. The finished meal will then be served to her by the household robot. Besides the meals and working arrangements, even her social life is controlled by AI…….she can only date someone that has been recommended by the match-making unit, any sexual liaisons can only happen with a predetermined partner, and all entertainment is done utilizing Virtual Reality technology. Encouraged by her friend Shan, Kim decides that it is time to fight back against the AI system by making her own decisions. Will she be allowed to get away with this confrontational behavior?

I have no negative comments to make about the book, as it was a quick and pleasant read. The editing was of very high quality, and I found no errors to report on. I have no hesitation in awarding the book five out of five stars, as I think it has some groundbreaking content for the genre of Science-Fiction.

As there is a fair degree of sexual innuendo, I would recommend the book to an adult audience only. For fans of this genre, of Science-Fiction, it would be an exciting series to follow. If you are a keen follower of technology and AI in particular, you will find this a truly fascinating read.

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Terms of Service
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Post by **Kirsi Cultrera** » 08 Jan 2023, 22:48

I couldn’t read this book. The world controlled by AI’s sounds just too horrific and depressing to me, and I can’t help but wonder how far we let it go in the reality. I hope that Kim succeeds in her rebellious acts.

Fareed Regal · Post by **Fareed Regal** » 10 Jan 2023, 08:40

Kirsi_78 wrote: ↑08 Jan 2023, 22:48 I couldn’t read this book. The world controlled by AI’s sounds just too horrific and depressing to me, and I can’t help but wonder how far we let it go in the reality. I hope that Kim succeeds in her rebellious acts.

Thank you for your response which raises an interesting conundrum. On the one hand we already rely a lot on technology e.g the IOT and robotic machines in manufacturing environments, but where do we draw the line in terms of how we want our everyday lives to be managed?