Which books and shows actually explain our AI eschaton? A writer's shortlist
gleech · x · 2026-09-27
In a thread on the "Great American Novel," writer gleech surveys which works of art have tried to explain America's central contradiction: voluntarily building the AI that threatens humanity. Candidates include Richard Powers' Playground (2024), Person of Interest (2012), a dismissive note on Mountainhead (2025), Labatut's Maniac (his pick as best so far), and Pantheon (2022). He frames David Foster Wallace's project—unifying irony and sincerity against addiction and discommunity—as the clearest prior attempt.
Related event: Readers Rank Fiction That Best Captures the AI Era(2 posts)→
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