Review of Terms of Service
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Melissa Best
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Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Terms of Service is set in a future society where nearly every aspect of life is run and monitored by a series of artificial intelligence-based personas. In this world, a person’s social credit score is more important than anything else. It determines their job, the location of their home, and even things as simple as what they’ll eat for dinner. Kim lives a modest life, working as an AI trainer and trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to herself, lest her social score be put at risk. Unbeknownst to Kim, the return of her mischievous childhood friend, Shan, will launch her life into a downward spiral.
At its core, this story preaches the value of individuality and curiosity. The society Kim lives in discourages these to keep its citizens complacent and obedient. They watch the same sports, listen to the same music, and even refrain from referring to themselves as “I,” instead opting for the less-selfish term “we.” Craig W. Stanfill does an excellent job of portraying the citizens’ sense of fear. Most of the characters we meet have personal views that don’t align with social norms, yet these feelings are resigned to whispers so they can maintain an image of compliance.
Stanfill simultaneously fed the optimistic and nihilistic parts of my imagination. On the one hand, AI technologies are rapidly developing, raising ethical concerns about their use and the possibility of them developing self-awareness. In time this will contribute to technologies for and against the betterment of society. All aspects considered, the novel left me cautiously excited about society’s future developments.
I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. The story was professionally edited, and I only found one minor spelling error. The main characters are well-developed, each having separate worldviews and secret vices. For a dystopian novel, the imagined technology is just close enough to current developments that it could almost become a reality. These lifelike mechanisms add to the reading experience, bringing up ethical questions while following a well-developed plotline. I will certainly be reading the sequel.
I definitely would recommend this novel to mature readers. More specifically, it would interest both people who enjoy sci-fi and who like to ponder the potential repercussions of AI development in the modern world. The big-brother surveillance themes were reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel 1984 and many episodes of Netflix’s series Black Mirror. There are a handful of erotic scenes in the story that use explicit details.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Terms of Service is set in a future society where nearly every aspect of life is run and monitored by a series of artificial intelligence-based personas. In this world, a person’s social credit score is more important than anything else. It determines their job, the location of their home, and even things as simple as what they’ll eat for dinner. Kim lives a modest life, working as an AI trainer and trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to herself, lest her social score be put at risk. Unbeknownst to Kim, the return of her mischievous childhood friend, Shan, will launch her life into a downward spiral.
At its core, this story preaches the value of individuality and curiosity. The society Kim lives in discourages these to keep its citizens complacent and obedient. They watch the same sports, listen to the same music, and even refrain from referring to themselves as “I,” instead opting for the less-selfish term “we.” Craig W. Stanfill does an excellent job of portraying the citizens’ sense of fear. Most of the characters we meet have personal views that don’t align with social norms, yet these feelings are resigned to whispers so they can maintain an image of compliance.
Stanfill simultaneously fed the optimistic and nihilistic parts of my imagination. On the one hand, AI technologies are rapidly developing, raising ethical concerns about their use and the possibility of them developing self-awareness. In time this will contribute to technologies for and against the betterment of society. All aspects considered, the novel left me cautiously excited about society’s future developments.
I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. The story was professionally edited, and I only found one minor spelling error. The main characters are well-developed, each having separate worldviews and secret vices. For a dystopian novel, the imagined technology is just close enough to current developments that it could almost become a reality. These lifelike mechanisms add to the reading experience, bringing up ethical questions while following a well-developed plotline. I will certainly be reading the sequel.
I definitely would recommend this novel to mature readers. More specifically, it would interest both people who enjoy sci-fi and who like to ponder the potential repercussions of AI development in the modern world. The big-brother surveillance themes were reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel 1984 and many episodes of Netflix’s series Black Mirror. There are a handful of erotic scenes in the story that use explicit details.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Chameleons by Martin Wyatt
