Hum

Pick it up: If you want to read about AI and climate change but prefer to do this through fiction. If you want to caution yourself and those around you (as you should) about the path we are all on, with our adidction to technology. Also, if you are a nervous parent in these challenging times and need to feel like you are not alone.

The novel is set in a near-future world grappling with the effects of climate change and the pervasive presence of advanced AI, embodied by intelligent robots called "hums." The protagonist, May, faces job loss due to AI. In a desperate attempt to secure her family's future, she participates in an experiment that alters her face, making her unrecognizable to surveillance systems. Using the money she earns from this, she attempts to provide her family with one weekend away from their devices, in the botanical garden, an oasis in the middle of the concrete desert of the city. But this supposedly green and calm space is not as free of external influence as she thinks.

The book explores the impact of technology on human connection and the anxieties of modern living in a deteriorating and environment. It also explores the emotional strain that the constant distractions of a technologically advanced world puts on our closest relationships. The novel feels claustrophobic but the cautionary tale stays with you. It's a world that we don't need to try too hard to imagine, it does not feel that far away.