2040 is a science/speculative fiction and political satire novel by Pedro Domingos. It is due to be published on the 20th of August 2024 by BookBaby. A review copy of the text was provided. There are affiliate links at the end of this review.
Blurb:
“I told you not to read books like this.” —Your Mom
When AI and the culture wars collide, hilarity ensues.
The 2040 presidential election is unlike any in US history. The Republican candidate is an AI named PresiBot, created by a tech startup, KumbAI, who are in deeply over their heads. The Democratic candidate is a fake Native American chief seeking to abolish the United States. What could go wrong?
With PresiBot plummeting in the polls and tech giants like Happinet scheming to take over, KumbAI’s brash CEO Ethan Burnswagger and reluctant CTO Arvind Subramanian struggle to keep their company, their friendship—and their lives—under control. But the center cannot hold, and KumbAI, the campaign and America careen inexorably toward disaster.
Fast-paced and dialogue-driven, as befits our ADHD age, 2040 is a scathing critique of the current state of America—from the tech giants’ all-encompassing empires and the fear and hype surrounding AI to the invasion of the mainstream by ever-kookier political ideas. Set in a dystopian San Francisco in a near future we can all too easily anticipate, it features characters, entities and incidents whose resemblance to actual ones may or may not be purely coincidental.
If you want to have wicked fun while discovering what AI really is, how the tech industry works, where our deepening polarization might lead us, and—most important—how to break out of this cycle, this is the book for you.
Review:
In the not-so-distant future, Pedro Domingos takes us on a wild ride through a Silicon Valley that’s both eerily familiar and absurdly exaggerated. His novel, 2040, blends satire, technology, and political chaos into a delightful cocktail that leaves readers both amused and contemplative.
In 2040, the United States faces an unprecedented presidential election. The Republican candidate? An AI named PresiBot, created by the tech startup KumbAI. The Democratic candidate? A fake Native American chief who aims to abolish the country altogether. As the campaign unfolds, we witness a collision of AI algorithms, culture wars, and good old-fashioned human folly. There’s a lot of human folly.
Domingos masterfully captures the zeitgeist of our times. His portrayal of Silicon Valley’s excesses, from self-driving avocado delivery drones to blockchain-powered dating apps, is both hilarious and scarily plausible. The tech jargon flows effortlessly, making you wonder if you’ve accidentally stumbled into a startup pitch meeting. It’s perhaps unsurprising that Domingos possesses such knowledge of both the culture and technology about which he writes, as he himself is a prominent AI researcher. I like when people write fiction from a place of academic authority, like Fred Hoyle, when he wrote The Black Cloud; one of my favourite novels.
The characters are equally memorable. PresiBot, with its algorithmic charisma and data-driven campaign promises, steals the show. The fake Native American chief, Chief Raging Bull, provides a satirical mirror to our obsession with identity politics. And let’s not forget the eccentric venture capitalists who fund KumbAI; each one more bizarre than the last.
While the novel’s humour is its strongest suit, it occasionally veers into caricature. The satire can be heavy-handed, leaving little room for subtlety. And yes, the ending, followong on from the grand showdown between PresiBot and Chief Running Bullshit, feels a tad too neat. It’s as if Domingos wrapped up all loose ends with a bow, leaving readers craving a messier, more unpredictable resolution. This might be where suspension of disbelief finally gives way.
And here lies the rub. A five-star review demands that extra spark—the unexpected twist, the lingering question, the emotional gut punch. 2040 delivers on wit, but it shies away from profundity. Is it a neater ending than we deserve? Perhaps if Domingos had dared to leave a few more threads dangling, we’d be talking about a masterpiece.
2040: A Silicon Valley Satire is a must-read for anyone who chuckles at tech bros, eye-rolls at political absurdity, or secretly fears that AI might take over the world. It’s a clever romp through a near-future America that’s both hilarious and unsettling. Just don’t expect it to change your life—unless, of course, you’re an AI running for president
Rating: 4/5
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