AI researcher Rosenberg (Monkey Room) imparts a cautionary tale about rogue AI in this quirky picture book for adults. When society is introduced to a new arrival—one that didn’t come from the stars but was created here on Earth—it quickly becomes all-powerful. This newcomer meets everyone’s needs and wants (“he dazzled us with mental feats that left us feeling small”) and takes over almost every industry, but what is the cost of all this convenience? What does “it” want, and can society reverse course if the stakes become too high?

Rosenberg’s compact warning is beautifully assembled, accompanied by Khmelevska’s appealing digital illustrations with lettering that looks like crayon. The picture book format and simple rhyme scheme evoke the seeming innocence of the AI, which is portrayed as a vaguely anthropomorphic bundle of wires wrapping around the Earth, with a television-and-satellite-dish head.

The narrative gives a broad-strokes introduction to social dependence on artificial intelligence, playing on readers’ apprehension and suspicion. But it doesn’t specify what in particular could go wrong, only stating that humans are told, “if he ever turns on us,/ We’ll simply pull the plug” but that they lose their nerve “when the time came.” Consequently, the narrative reads more like an inspired PSA than a fully fleshed out story. But Rosenberg’s “closing thoughts,” which make up a second half of the book, contain gratifyingly concrete explanations, such as “We can’t stop AI from advancing” and “Our only choice is to prepare for its arrival.” This aesthetically pleasing premonitory tale will get readers thinking about unchecked dependence on AI.

Takeaway: Readers will be intrigued by this short and sweet advisory on the dangers of unchecked dependence on AI.

Great for fans of: Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, Isaac Asimov, Randall Munroe.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A