A poem needs the consciousness of an emotion. Adam can have intelligent conversations, express opinions, help with housework, etc And the idea of a robot whose inflexible virtues make him incompatible with naturally corrupt humans Adam cannot bear the idea of a lie is a downright cliché.

Her look was serious. True of the smallest and largest concerns. I don't want to give away too much because it's best for readers to absorb the narrative bit by bit. I risk getting a visit by the author to have my pet nailed to your coffee table, but I call this Science Fiction. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding. It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment. I enjoyed his reference to his previous novel by making Adam develop an infatuation with Shakespeare and Hamlet in particular. Yes, some of these changes seemed to create a world closer to our , but so what? View 1 comment.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. My buttocks display muscular concavities For some reason I have been unable to fathom, we spent an unreasonable amount of time being mesmerized by these videos. Adam can have intelligent conversations, express opinions, help with housework, etc Enjoyable enough, but not a read that will stick with you. In the end, I enjoyed reading the thoughts of this smart author although I was right about the setting. Miranda is a wispy, twenty-something oblique object of desire, whose Shakespearean name allows McEwan to tap into resonances about brave new worlds and uncomfortable relations with enslaved sprites. This should have been riveting, given its complex aspects, but it was uneven, pontificating, it felt like the author had all these interests and just dumped all the research into this novel, through Charlie, the narrator of this novel or via his humanoid robot, Adam. Other Editions

However, a pleasant walk in the park isn't strictly necessary either; no regrets. What need then of us? It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment. The novel wasn't THAT bad. We love living things but we permit a mass extinction of species. Login With Facebook. Brain-machine interfacing, wild fruit of sixties optimism, could barely arouse the interest of a child. Miranda lives in the apartment above Charlie. Novels ripe with tension, concealment and violence as well as moments of love and perfect formal resolution.

He has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in Contrary to humans, machines, however perfectly construed, cannot understand and master an ability to conveniently lie and hold grudges - amongst a lot of other irrational peculiarities -, which was relevant in the daily co-existence with the humans and the synthetic hum Ian McEwan might be completely right to conclude in this novel that we, humans, are irrational beings and that the superior intelligence of future synthetic humans does not allow that we can ever co-exist in a meaningful manner. The Falklands war lost to the Argentines, with Maggie Thatcher for a while somehow holding onto power; grumblings about Poll Tax and rumblings about leaving the European Union; the Beatles re-formed; and AIDS a short-lived, well-treated, illness. Artificial minds are not so well defended. Believe me, these lines express no triumph … Only regret. Charlie and Miranda have set those parameters and Adam is reticent, conflicted. Jun 17, Hanneke rated it liked it. But, this is an alternative , which has futuristic technology. A lover?

She drew my face towards hers. In the early twentieth century came deeper exile into darkness when the immensity of the universe was revealed and even the sun became one among billions in our galaxy, among billions of galaxies. Slot machine. It's quite average, however, for an SF. However, I like to think Charlie was happy with me. My good friend, author Ian McEwan wrote a novel about me. I kept plodding along because I thought this author's Atonement was brilliant and I loved the concept of this book. A very difficult book to talk about.

Jul 04, Barbara rated it liked it. During his time there he manages to solve the P vs NP problem google search and then to create the basis for he development pf artificial intelligence. Liker Land. However, a pleasant walk in the park isn't strictly necessary either; no regrets. He has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in Match point: to be determined by a suitably qualified AI Simone de Beauvoir The lapidary haiku, the still, clear perception and celebration of things as they are, will be the only necessary form. Violent crime had its attractions too, so did bare-knuckle cage-fighting, VR pornography, gambling, drink and drugs, even boredom and depression. Charlie Friend does just that, bringing Adam into his home and introducing him to his younger girlfriend, Miranda. Fascinating and relevant when you think about the development of artificial intelligence in the near future, when synthetic companions are bound to be introduced into our lives.

English Translati It doesn't take Adam long to fall in love with Miranda, have a brief physical affair with her, disable his shutdown switch, and then proceed to compose thousands of haiku for his beloved. A very difficult book to talk about. Robots with an existential crisis. The androids here do the same: "these twenty-five artificial men and women released into the world are not thriving. As for the plot itself, other than some tangents that did little to illuminate a larger theme — the foster child named Mark string that I didn't find credible, the court proceedings that made me uncomfortable view spoiler [ I can only assume that McEwan was entirely intentional in choosing our current moment to write a court case about false rape accusations and that felt really tacky to me hide spoiler ] , the political upheaval in Britain that sees Thatcher ousted is it the point that Brexit was always inevitable at our current level of technology, no matter the particular history that got us [t]here? View all 8 comments. Paperback , pages. His roommates, or owners, Charlie and Miranda, signally fail to come off the page for me.

Error rating book. This should have been riveting, given its complex aspects, but it was u 2. And the idea of a robot whose inflexible virtues make him incompatible with naturally corrupt humans Adam cannot bear the idea of a lie is a downright cliché. Machines Like Me should have been great; it's my kind of read and I ordinarily love McEwan even his novels which other people feel ambivalent about. Machines Like Me is a perfectly fine book. I enjoyed his reference to his previous novel by making Adam develop an infatuation with Shakespeare and Hamlet in particular. He also practised what he called the art of feeling, allowing himself the luxury of the entire spectrum, from grief to joy so that all emotion remained accessible to him when fully charged. His roommates, or owners, Charlie and Miranda, signally fail to come off the page for me. It's supposed to be alternate history set in a variation of s England, apparently to let McEwan have his fun renaming Tolstoy novels and point out that Thatcher was not a great pm duh and is also supposed to be about what happens when we build robots you mean humans can create something that has repercussions? I could tell you similar stories of machine sadness.

This question contains spoilers… view spoiler [Did anyone else think that Adam went off in the night and blew up the hotel where the upcoming successor to Thatcher was staying? Friend Reviews. From here some sort of a romantic triangle emerges but that is only a part of the story. We love. I risk getting a visit by the author to have my pet nailed to your coffee table, but I call this Science Fiction. Nothing wrong with some fun "what if" alternatives, but I got the impression that the book was striving to be a bit deeper than that. The premise of the book is a what-if scenario regarding artificial intelligence. They may have despaired of their minimal mental space. I think I got what McEwan was trying to do here. Related Searches like gs facebook liker auto like.

This is a curious mashup of alt-history and the plot twists that McEwan does so well. This is a s in which Britain loses the Falkland War rather than winning it; Tony Benn becomes Prime Minister; Alan Turing poignantly lives on as a grand old man, etc. De Beauvoir laughed. Artificial minds are not so well defended. The machines or androids do not only fool human beings but they are themselves fooled by the simulated emotions. Showing I am at a bit of a loss here with Ian's intentions, my initial reaction is what a colossal hodgepodge of balderdash I need six hours of sleep each night. Great Beginnings

In interviews, McEwan made much of the fact that his book marries literary questions of character psychology and morality to sci-fi tropes — but despite this boast, at no point in the book itself does he seem to do so in an innovative or original way. A general renaissance, a liberation into love, friendship and philosophy, art and science, nature worship, sports and hobbies, invention and the pursuit of meaning? Her look was serious. It was interesting to me but was ultimately an irrelevant or rather disconnected backdrop, because apart from enabling the existence of artificial humans - and at the end, a dressing-down from Turing — the external events have little or no impact on the plot. I opened my mouth, but no words emerged. You are not. Likewise, the mph trains -- crowded and dirty. This form is highly adaptable and inventive, able to negotiate novel situations and landscapes with perfect ease and theorize about them with instinctive brilliance.

Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This aspect, like a few other aspects of the book, is interesting. View all 7 comments. Jun 02, Krista rated it liked it Shelves: She drew my face towards hers. View all 21 comments. Can that be said of many technologies? I love that this author is not a "follow a formula" writer, and this is why, in my opinion, he is considered one of the best current writers of fiction. Speculative Fiction.

When Ian McEwan gets it right boy does he get it right. In 'Do androids dream of electronic sheep' , the Andys have been so successful at simulation that they fool humans into believing that they are capable of love and other emotions as well as sex without ever feeling anything of the sort themselves there is a human-android having sex cliche in 'Machine Like Me' too - but it is never fully developed. In Machines Like Me , this becomes the core dilemma: what happens when a humanoid artificial intelligence, built on logic, rationality and absolutes, lives among completely irrational, impulsive, contradictory humans? Tim P. This brings us to Alan Turing. Truly: from Pinocchio to Commander Data, I feel like I've already been exposed to this level of what it means to be a real boy. I am not sure why McEwan decided to turn this speculative piece on artificial intelligence into a critique of the political landscape of s Britain. We were mid-embrace, in the conventional position.

Speech-recognition software, a fifties' miracle, had long turned to drudge, with entire populations sacrificing hours each day to lonely soliloquising. I am not sure why McEwan decided to turn this speculative piece on artificial intelligence into a critique of the political landscape of s Britain. He chose chemical castration over imprisonment. Articles featuring this book. By the way, Adam is cable of having sex. The two suicidal Eves in Riyadh lived in extremely restricted circumstances. For some reason I have been unable to fathom, we spent an unreasonable amount of time being mesmerized by these videos. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. They consider Adam to be their baby.

With a shock, I realised that it was her American lover, Nelson Algren. It is smart, and it is thoughtful, and it is fun to read. I don't think it achieved this. He also practised what he called the art of feeling, allowing himself the luxury of the entire spectrum, from grief to joy so that all emotion remained accessible to him when fully charged. At first, you may think you are reading a futuristic novel. Or, possibly, I need to reread the book. Details if other :. And he or it genuinely thinks he is in love, is anguished, even writes poems. View all 53 comments.

Was there supposed to be a different end than this, one that tied everything together? Tempted they were not. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Auto Liker for Facebook. View all 24 comments. Customize Quantity! At one point I laughed and said aloud: "When the aliens arrive and study us, they'll decide we're out of our minds based on things like this. My body parts will be improved or replaced Community Reviews. Charlie and Miranda have set those parameters and Adam is reticent, conflicted.

In one of Asterix comics, an illusion to same is made by newly freed slaves "What to do now that we are free? I only need to urinate once a day. He sorted and rearranged his files, reclassified memories from short to long term, played out internal conflicts in disguised form, usually without resolving them, reanimated old material in order to refresh it, and moved, so he put it once, in a trance through the garden of his thoughts. I have acquainted myself with the churches of Florence, Rome, and Venice— and all the paintings that hang in them. Jul 04, Barbara rated it liked it. First microbes and then Plants have nothing like minds, only animals do. English Translati As a result, the first synthetic humans are produced and our main character, Charlie, manages to buy one of the 25 products available.

Yes, it touch I risk getting a visit by the author to have my pet nailed to your coffee table, but I call this Science Fiction. Beyond that, it's hard to pinpoint what was wrong with this for me. A poem needs the consciousness of an emotion. To ask other readers questions about Machines Like Me , please sign up. If you ever read McEwan you might know he likes to ramble a lot on different topics. Details if other :. Charlie has washed out of all the professions and interests and hobbies he once pursued — tech, anthropology, real estate — and now he spends his time buying and selling stocks on his computer, barely scraping by. Auto Liker for Facebook. Fax Machine. But still we stood apart, brilliantly unique, appointed by the creator to be lords of everything that lived.

Original Title. Machines Like Me could have been great, some of its parts were great, but the whole ended up being unsatisfactory. The dialogue often contains a lot of exposition that a real person would never say. You have read L'invitée? There's an element of satire which I think is important to a reading of this novel, and the use of context to explore conceptions of the self, and threats to human agency through AI is at times clever, and timely. For those who have read this, did you think there was much point in creating the alternative ? If someone invited stop using or Deactivate members will automatically decrease from credits and Your Machine Liker send Quantity decrease. The main character, Charlie Friend, uses an inheritance to purchase Adam, one of the new robots being tested in the market. Publisher: CallWave Downloads: , To return to my question: who did what?

Liker is the SMARTER social network where your posts immediately reach the right audience, you finally get the recognition you deserve because Ian McEwan might be completely right to conclude in this novel that we, humans, are irrational beings and that the superior intelligence of future synthetic humans does not allow that we can ever co-exist in a meaningful manner. It's quite average, however, for an SF. But still we stood apart, brilliantly unique, appointed by the creator to be lords of everything that lived. I'm talking about the worldbuilding. At first, you may think you are reading a futuristic novel. It could have been different And this serves as a key theme of the book, which examines this idea In what I think was one of the better passages in the book, the narrator as he awaits a small medical procedure imagines, a history whereby a historical figure arises who combines the insights of some pioneering physicians with the early work of those looking at microscopic life and so discovers germ theory in the eighteenth century and muses: The present is the frailest of improbably constructs. Our literatures will lose their unwholesome nourishment.

I love that this author is not a "follow a formula" writer, and this is why, in my opinion, he is considered one of the best current writers of fiction. I regret to say that I was really luke-warm about his novel. Ultimately though, this novel fails on a number of fronts for me. What this purchase means and how it plays out in Charlie's life form the backbone of "Machines Like Me. Welcome back. That killed what little life there was left for me in the novel, and I found it hard to limp through to the end. In prison, he takes artificial intelligence to a whole new level. Even so, it just boiled down to average people making some questionable decisions, paying for their poor judgment, and us feeling sorry for anyone who lives in the real world. Or, possibly, I need to reread the book. This should have been riveting, given its complex aspects, but it was uneven, pontificating, it felt like the author had all these interests and just dumped all the research into this novel, through Charlie, the narrator of this novel or via his humanoid robot, Adam.

She looked at me sharply. There are some fascinating themes at play here, such as the morality of artificial intelligence, and whether robots will ever be able to completely integrate with society. How the hell can a novel about the first synthetic humans be so bloody boring!? McEwan's works have earned him worldwide critical acclaim. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Believe me, these lines express no triumph A number of his fellow Adams and Eves have fallen prey to existentialist despair. Share this story Twitter Facebook. It all feels like a missed opportunity - as if McEwan has only dipped a toe into the possibilities of sci-fi, without having the courage to dive all the way in. Tim P.

The development of a love triangle is interesting and it comes to grief of course. I began to feel that this had not been a good idea. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding. Likewise, the mph trains -- crowded and dirty. Sort by. Yes, if you read this book you are going to go on an acid trip. View all 8 comments. The alternative political history timeline — Britain losing the Falklands War, Benn eventually defeating a chastened Thatcher, features heavily but only as a way to re-visit the Iraq-War march, and comment obliquely on both Brexit and Corbyn; and not as any vaguely serious or convincing attempt at alternative-history and is ultimately underwhelming. But in the end we have literal inhuman logic From a certain point of view, the only solution to suffering would be the complete extinction of humankind and ethics to the extreme: This is virtue gone nuts. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

I'm talking about the mind of a child before it's tasked with facts and practicalities and goals. I can see that setting a story like this in an alt-past is rather easier than in the future, where predictions can sound laughably wrong just a few years later. Get A Copy. Reviews were mixed, which is quite normal for the author, and the alternative British history setting sounded off to me. Why any of this is the case remains a bit of a mystery to me. It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment. He makes androids boring the only good bit is when Charlie is mistaken for the droid , he writes haiku, he drones on and on about Turing. We threaten each other with nuclear weapons when we know where it could lead. Three days before, she had asked a mysterious question.

Miranda develops an attachment to the boy, which leaves Charlie conflicted and unsure of what to do. Of course the female bodies sold faster than us men. Other Editions Soon, these Adams and Eves were in despair. In the end, I felt I could see what McEwan was trying to do, but he failed to convince me of any of it. This aspect, like a few other aspects of the book, is interesting. They can be strange. Once you wrap your head around that, be prepared to be entertained as well as educated on the legendary British mathematician and father of computer science, Alan Turing. To pass the test, the machine will have to fool a human who won't know whether he or she is talking to human or machine into believing that he or she is talking to a human being. An artificial intelligence, then?

Nor does her plan to adopt Mark, the neglected four-year-old boy whom Charlie meets in the park one day. An important question in the book is whether sentient robots can 'be happy' in our flawed human society. I weigh pounds. Average rating 3. The Falklands war lost to the Argentines, with Maggie Thatcher for a while somehow holding onto power; grumblings about Poll Tax and rumblings about leaving the European Union; the Beatles re-formed; and AIDS a short-lived, well-treated, illness. During his time there he manages to solve the P vs NP problem google search and then to create the basis for he development pf artificial intelligence. Another plot line revolves around a four-year-old boy named Mark whose neglectful parents land him in foster care. C'est vous, M. She whispered, "Tell me something. The first sentence of my book, it could have been the first sentence of yours.

View all 21 comments. Any part of it, or all of it, could be otherwise. In prison, he takes artificial intelligence to a whole new level. Very quickly. In the narration there is a lot of tell and not much show, essay like exposition every 15 pages or so. Scraps of insight. He was awarded a CBE in I like to read. Other Editions

We love living things but we permit a mass extinction of species. May 07, Adina rated it liked it Shelves: mcewan-barnes-coetzee-and-co , netgalley. None of these will make any sense out of context -- I'm not at all sure they'll even sound like wit out of context -- but in context they made me smile: "He cared for her as a dishwasher cares for its dishes. But the mind that had once rebelled against the gods was about to dethrone itself by way of its own fabulous reach. I love that this author is not a "follow a formula" writer, and this is why, in my opinion, he is considered one of the best current writers of fiction. Aug 02, Will Ansbacher rated it liked it. C'est ça? Was there supposed to be a different end than this, one that tied everything together? There's one particular form of intelligence that all the A-and Es know is superior to theirs.

There's a good bit of technological, philosophical, and political chit chat in the book Can a machine lie? The other is a year old screw-up of a guy named Charlie. I feel slightly conflicted about Machines Like Me , I generally like Ian McEwan 's writing and love science fiction, so I feel this book was a bit underwhelming. Books by Ian McEwan. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Together Miranda and Charlie program Adam to have the personality qualities that they desire in a friend. It's a shame, really, as I really liked the concept.

Can a machine feel love? In the early twentieth century came deeper exile into darkness when the immensity of the universe was revealed and even the sun became one among billions in our galaxy, among billions of galaxies. I have 40 facial expressions. Jun 12, Bianca rated it liked it Shelves: literary-fiction , , british-author , british-lit , audiobook , male-author. I had the feeling I was reading two novels which were carelessly patched together. May 07, Adina rated it liked it Shelves: mcewan-barnes-coetzee-and-co , netgalley. McEwan remains a competent writer, as the above passage read as pure literature rather than as meta-commentary on his own demise shows, someone who understands and can represent the humanity in all its complexities and contradictions. As we come to inhabit each other's minds, we'll be incapable of deceit.

Updated May 24, I had the feeling I was reading two novels which were carelessly patched together. While many of these questions have been explored before, McEwan approaches them in a unique way. Bottom line: Like a pleasant walk in the park in which nothing of much interest happens; it's still always nice to have a walk in the park. A friend? The outward simulation is not enough. This mechanical art of talking or acting like humans is only a simulation, the machine might act like humans but it is st Robots with an existential crisis. Charlie Friend, who lives in a small apartment in London, is a year-old technology buff who studied anthropology. At first, you may think you are reading a futuristic novel. I thought it was just my mood when I first started it, that I couldn't get into it, that I found the characters irritating.

View all 7 comments. In fact, many of them experienced an unfathomabl I can understand why some people do not enjoy McEwan's books. I have 40 facial expressions. And then Adam, with his analytical mind and instant access to all kinds of data, drops a bombshell about Miranda that causes Charlie to rethink his whole situation. She was standing in front of me, her still beautiful face belying her seventy-two years. Failures of cognition, honesty, kindness, self-awareness; superb depictions of murder, cruelty, greed, stupidity, self-delusion, above all, profound misunderstanding of others. There was only one person, we agreed, who could be relied on to give us an honest opinion. And all of these treated briefly, with the appearance of depth and sophistication but in practice rather superficial.

I agree with the criticism I've read elsewhere that the treatment of sexual assault is fundamentally problematic in this novel. Topics that have likely been discussed ad infinitum in artificial intelligence circles, like: When can a machine be regarded as a human? There was only the slightest trace of a French accent. Moldovan White gives Charlie much pleasure The Worst Bestsel The novel includes interesting history facts about famous people, lovable characters: ME Who was the person in question? I would supply background and additional scenes. Quotes from Machines Like Me. They can be strange.

There was only the slightest trace of a French accent. He chose chemical castration over imprisonment. View all 14 comments. Fascinating and relevant when you think about the development of artificial intelligence in the near future, when synthetic companions are bound to be introduced into our lives. What it actually is--well, you do have your broadly sketched landscape and your broadly sketched idea but that's it. I mean, if superior beings all decide it's better to commit suicide than to have to deal with us, then that's pretty damning, right? I love that this author is not a "follow a formula" writer, and this is why, in my opinion, he is considered one of the best current writers of fiction. Or, possibly, I need to reread the book. To pass the test, the machine will have to fool a human who won't know whether he or she is talking to human or machine into believing that he or she is talking to a human being. It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment.

Got it? Unlike the biblical Adam and Eve, the robotic Adams and Eves didn't experience a paradise. For those who have read this, did you think there was much point in creating the alternative ? One is an Adam. Adam is loyal to Charlie but wants to respect Miranda's privacy, so he just drops a hint Once we sat enthroned at the centre of the universe, with sun and planets, the entire observable world, turning around us in an ageless dance of worship. Other editions. Crooked I also had this thought! Rating details. For a large sum of money, anyone can buy an Adam or an Eve.

It is smart, and it is thoughtful, and it is fun to read. Charlie is a thirty-something, directionless dreamer, with a ragbag of intellectual interests anthropology, quantum physics, robotics , which McEwan uses as hooks on which to trail extensive info dumps from his research for the novel. The story is set in Britain, in an alternate Three days before, she had asked a mysterious question. Sort by. Novels ripe with tension, concealment and violence as well of moments of love, and perfect formal resolution. She was standing in front of me, her still beautiful face belying her seventy-two years. But still I had doubts. A general renaissance, a liberation into love, friendship and philosophy, art and science, nature worship, sports and hobbies, invention and the pursuit of meaning? Soon, these Adams and Eves were in despair.

This is a curious mashup of alt-history and the plot twists that McEwan does so well. View all 20 comments. Articles featuring this book. With a shock, I realised that it was her American lover, Nelson Algren. I'm granting this two stars instead of one because of that, but wow, I wish I hadn't wasted my time on this. I opened my mouth, but no words emerged. I don't want to give away too much because it's best for readers to absorb the narrative bit by bit. It is smart, and it is thoughtful, and it is fun to read. Miranda is a wispy, twenty-something oblique object of desire, whose Shakespearean name allows McEwan to tap into resonances about brave new worlds and uncomfortable relations with enslaved sprites. Nevertheless, that does not alter my fondness for McEwan's novels, past and future!

Publisher: Jangir Brothers Downloads: 77, Open Preview See a Problem? And he or it genuinely thinks he is in love, is anguished, even writes poems. Does it have rights and responsibilities? Machines Like Me is eminently readable — I was never bored or annoyed or impatient which happens too often with too many books — but even though Ian McEwan can undeniably string together words in satisfying arrangements, this book felt ultimately pointless. They day had been long and intense. This stubbornness must be illogical and that must be why, it is one thing the androids in this book fail to develop - once they come across all the violence, evil, stupidity, etc of the world, they kill themselves or go crazy. The prose quality - just look at this one: "Adam was retreating into his version of sleep. But, this is an alternative , which has futuristic technology.

What it actually is--well, yo Machines Like Me is a dumpster fire passing as a novel. It was, above all else, he insisted, a process of repair and consolidation from which he emerged daily, delighted to find himself to be, once again, self-aware, in a state of grace — his word — and to reclaim the consciousness that the very nature of matter permitted. Refresh and try again. Friend Reviews. May 15, Trudie rated it it was ok Shelves: read-harder , science-fiction. His handling of sexual assault and rape is problematic AF. Goodreads Librari Publisher: Liker.

In the end, I enjoyed reading the thoughts of this smart author although I was right about the setting. The book is ostensibly built on one manifestation of this technological innovation. Great Beginnings Let me ascertain that I have comprehended. Artificial minds are not so well defended. Nothing deep or predictive that could give psychoanalysis or economics a good name. Machines Like Me is a perfectly fine book. There's a good bit of technological, philosophical, and political chit chat in the book

Wtf Ian? These make them very good psychopaths. Of course, goodness is on show too, and heroism, grace, wisdom, truth. I can understand why some people do not enjoy McEwan's books. The book is ostensibly built on one manifestation of this technological innovation. View all 16 comments. It details many of the new, well-established concerns for creating real-life AIs without getting bogged down in the minutia of things like creating a truly moral artificial being. It all feels like a missed opportunity - as if McEwan has only dipped a toe into the possibilities of sci-fi, without having the courage to dive all the way in. Showing During his time there he manages to solve the P vs NP problem google search and then to create the basis for he development pf artificial intelligence.

Speculative Fiction. While many of these questions have been explored before, McEwan approaches them in a unique way. That said, he just about lands on his feet. Alan Turing alive and celebrated, and probably consequently technology is as far advanced as that known in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Thus 13 Eves and 12 Adams - of various races and ethnicities - come on the market. Singly, or minds en masse. Literary Fiction. View all 24 comments. It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment.

It will happen. The book is not entirely without merit. I agre Wtf Ian? There was nothing underhand in my plan. User Rating. I live in North Clapham, London. As it happens, Charlie has a crush on Miranda, the year-old Ph. Three days before, she had asked a mysterious question.

Turning had taken delivery of the same model that Charlie bought. I summoned my courage and pushed the button on the interphone. It's quite average, however, for an SF. Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Regan. View 2 comments. Why any of this is the case remains a bit of a mystery to me. Machines Like Me is a perfectly fine book. But, this is an alternative , which has futuristic technology. It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment. Updated May 24,

Might there be a point at which Artificial Intelligence will have to cast off the "Artificial"? It all feels like a missed opportunity - as if McEwan has only dipped a toe into the possibilities of sci-fi, without having the courage to dive all the way in. Thank you, next, Ian. Violent crime had its attractions too, so did bare-knuckle cage-fighting, VR pornography, gambling, drink and drugs, even boredom and depression. By the time Charlie does want to hear, it's too late. In real life, Turing was prosecuted in for homosexual acts. The thoughtful self-aware consciousness holds driving seat only in human minds. The outward simulation is not enough.

An unlikely but interesting theory. Sort by. We know for certain that his Adam was taken on regular helicopter journeys north. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Or, possibly, I need to reread the book. But in the end we have literal inhuman logic From a certain point of view, the only solution to suffering would be the complete extinction of humankind and ethics to the extreme: This is virtue gone nuts. It details many of the new, well-established concerns for creating real-life AIs without getting bogged down in the minutia of things like creating a truly moral artificial being. A number of his fellow Adams and Eves have fallen prey to existentialist despair.

Can its "life" just be snuffed out? Ian McEwan might be completely right to conclude in this novel that we, humans, are irrational beings and that the superior intelligence of future synthetic humans does not allow that we can ever co-exist in a meaningful manner. The Worst Bestsel He and Miranda, the beautiful young woman who lives in the flat upstairs, program Adam's personality parameters. Updated May 24, McEwan is, of course, trying to explore notions of human nature and justice, and how we construct these in an era of machine consciousness. We love. At times, it can be hard to know who is the human - Adam or Charlie - but Adam's inability to deviate from certain precepts is the ultimate tell. To return to my question: who did what? These are minor details in the exploration of the interactions between the characters.

Apr 25, Issicratea rated it it was ok Shelves: onwards , reviewed. Publisher: Liker. Science Fiction. Just what makes us human? I don't want to give away too much because it's best for readers to absorb the narrative bit by bit. The door buzzed, and I entered. I feel slightly conflicted about Machines Like Me , I generally like Ian McEwan 's writing Imperfect but better than I expected and with a satisfying conclusion while exploring relevant themes - 3. Set in an alternate recent past, McEwan investigates the dawn of sentient AI, and as current and as interesting as that concept may be to us today, he doesn't really add anything new to the imagined whatifs of this scenario. Imperfect but better than I expected and with a satisfying conclusion while exploring relevant themes - 3.

Apr 17, Marianne rated it it was amazing. Tempted they were not. Nothing wrong with some fun "what if" alternatives, but I got the impression that the book was striving to be a bit deeper than that. Login to FB Vivo Liker. Robots with an existential crisis. But still we stood apart, brilliantly unique, appointed by the creator to be lords of everything that lived. We'll inhabit a community of minds to which we have immediate access. What makes us addicted to artificial intelligence? Rating details. He's thirty-two, unemployed and living in a damp and dingy flat in Clapham.

Earn Money! There was only one person, we agreed, who could be relied on to give us an honest opinion. Nevertheless, Adam claims to be in love with Miranda and starts writing haikus for her. I'm talking about the worldbuilding. Beyond that, it's hard to pinpoint what was wrong with this for me. Machines Like Me is a perfectly fine book. McEwan asks the reader what if he chose imprisonment instead and is still alive. Free Only.