“My favourite story in the collection though is undoubtedly Mary Robinette Kowal’s “A Little Wisdom”, a lovely and sweet story that highlights the many ways in which AI could truly benefit humankind, while also realistically pointing out some potential issues. The slice-of-life story follows an elderly art historian and her robot support dog (she suffers from Parkinson’s disease) through what begins as a regular work day, but soon morphs into an emergency thanks to a tornado. The warm and cheering tale deftly interweaves technology and art, and the positive impact they have on human beings, especially when afraid. It left me feeling optimistic about the future, even one with AI overlords. – Physics World
“A Little Wisdom” is one of my short stories that can only be found in the pages of an anthology rather than floating about online. It, along with many others, is available in Entanglements: Tomorrow’s Lovers, Families, and Friends, edited by Sheila Williams.
It’s a story that fits well into the theme Physics World put forth: the manner in which AI is becoming entangled into not just physics, but also our daily lives. One informs the other.
We don’t talk about the impact that AI will undoubtedly have on human relationships, which are dominated by emotion and not cold hard logic
Also mentioned in the review are Hugo and Nebula Award Winner Nancy Kress, Dr. Lisa Yaszek, Xia Jia, Suzanne Palmer, and many others.
You can read the full text of the review at Physics World.
