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Ted Chiang
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The Lifecycle of Software Objects Hardcover – July 31, 2010

by Ted Chiang (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 91 ratings
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What's the best way to create artificial intelligence? In 1950, Alan Turing wrote, 'Many people think that a very abstract activity, like the playing of chess, would be best. It can also be maintained that it is best to provide the machine with the best sense organs that money can buy, and then teach it to understand and speak English. This process could follow the normal teaching of a child. Things would be pointed out and named, etc. Again I do not know what the right answer is, but I think both approaches should be tried.'

The first approach has been tried many times in both science fiction and reality. In this new novella, at over 30,000 words, his longest work to date, Ted Chiang offers a detailed imagining of how the second approach might work within the contemporary landscape of startup companies, massively-multiplayer online gaming, and open-source software. It's a story of two people and the artificial intelligences they helped create, following them for more than a decade as they deal with the upgrades and obsolescence that are inevitable in the world of software. At the same time, it's an examination of the difference between processing power and intelligence, and of what it means to have a real relationship with an artificial entity.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    150 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Subterranean
  4. Publication date
    July 31, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1596063173
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1596063174
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Is science fiction a literature of ideas, or of characters? Works that focus on the former often neglect the latter, and vice versa. It's very difficult to examine complex abstractions and simultaneously articulate the mechanisms of fiction: most writers who attempt this balancing act end up throttling back on the ideas, or fail sideways into technical writing. So Chiang's novella--the second piece he's ever published that's long enough to stand on its own, following the 2007 Hugo- and Nebula-winning The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate--is a welcome surprise: a triumphant combination of the rigorous extrapolation of artificial intelligence and artificial life, two of the high concepts of contemporary SF, with an exploration of its consequences for the ordinary people whose lives it derails. Ana Alvarado is a former zookeeper turned software tester. When Blue Gamma offers her a job as animal trainer for their digients--digital entities, spawned by genetic algorithms to provide pets for players in the future virtual reality of Data Earth--she discovers an unexpected affinity for her charges. So does Derek Brooks, an animator who designs digient body parts. The market for digients develops and expands, cools and declines after the pattern of the software industry. Meanwhile Ana, Derek, and their friends become increasingly attached to their cute and talkative charges, who are neither pets nor children but something wholly new. But as Blue Gamma goes bust and Data Earth itself fades into obsolescence, Ana and the remaining digient keepers face a series of increasingly unpleasant dilemmas, their worries sharpened by their charges' growing awareness of the world beyond their pocket universe, and the steady unwinding of their own lives and relationships into middle-aged regrets for lost opportunities. Keeping to the constraints of a novella while working on a scale of years is a harsh challenge. Chiang's prose is sparse and austere throughout, relying on hints and nudges to provide context. At times, the narrative teeters on the edge of arid didacticism; there are enough ideas to fill a lesser author's trilogy, but much of the background is present only by implication, forcing the reader to work to fill in the blanks. (Indeed, this story may be impenetrable to readers who aren't at least passingly familiar with computers, the Internet, and virtual worlds such as Second Life.) Fortunately, sheer conceptual density keeps the story solidly real. The life cycle of the software objects in question is viewed through the prism of the human protagonists' own life cycle, and this skeleton is the armature on which hangs that very rare thing: a science fictional novel of ideas that delivers a real human impact. Reviewed by Charles Stross. Charles Stross's novel The Fuller Memorandum is due out from Ace in July.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Ted Chiang has made his bones in SF as a master of the short story, so a much longer work than is customary comes as a surprise. "The typical science-fiction depiction of AI is this loyal, obedient butler; you simply flip a switch, turn it on and it's ready to do your bidding. I feel like there's a huge story being glossed over," Chiang tells Boing Boing about the genesis of The Lifecycle of Software Objects. To be sure, the ethical issues that he raises and the depth of the technology (even for a novella) overshadow character development and some hasty plotting. Chiang's distinctive voice is evident here--a tech-industry insider, he's always been fluent in geek-speak and has a knack for translating heavy ideas into workable plots--and his first foray into the long form is a success. It would be his readers' good fortune if the author decided to take up novel-writing full time.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Subterranean; Deluxe Hardcover edition (July 31, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 150 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1596063173
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1596063174
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

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Ted Chiang

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4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
91 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Joseph M. Reninger
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and Thought-provoking Imagining of Artificial Life
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2012
Verified Purchase
One of the great challenges faced in computer sciences is developing artificial intelligence. Is it possible? Is it inevitable? Is it even a worthwhile goal? Ted Chiang's Lifecycle of Software Objects goes one step further and looks at artificial life. What if practical science delivers digital beings who can learn and grow? How should they be treated by the people raising them?

In the story, Ana Alvarado is a former zoo keeper who takes a job with a software company, Blue Gamma. The company is designing intelligent software objects to be pets in Data Earth, a sort of Second Life digital reality where people interact through avatars on various continents. These pets are called digients (digital entities) and they are designed to be cute and fun. But more, they are able to learn and grow, so the owner is able to experience the satisfaction of caring for something that will provide lots of positive feedback.

Ana develops a friendship with Derek, an animator who designs the animal-based bodies of the digients. They both adopt digients and become quite attached to their software entities. The digients are more than mere pets (they can talk fairly quickly) but less than real children (they are not biological), which brings up many of the dilemmas and conundrums that the owners have to face. As with many start-up companies, the initial successful years lead to decline and dissolution. The company's last act is to make the "food creating" software available to the few owners who want to continue running their digients (most people have just turned theirs off). The owners face a new challenge when Data Earth also becomes obsolete and the digients have no other people to interact with in the virtual reality. The need to port the digients to the new system becomes more critical as the digients become more aware of their own environment and their own desires for a fulfilling life.

The story is full of many wonderful and interesting ideas. The exact nature of the digients is ambiguous. Are they persons in their own right or merely self-developing software? How important should they be in a person's life? Having gone through a cycle of attachment and abandonment with primates at the zoo, Ana is reluctant to give up her digient and wants to do what's best for him and the other digients. Which means she may have to make sacrifices for him. But should she?

Her on-going relationship with Derek is also a source of interesting ideas. They seem "made for each other" but he's married at the beginning of the story. Can they just be friends? Will their friendship over the digients hurt their significant others? When conflicts arise, should they support each other (and their digients) at the cost of their real world relationships? Chiang develops these ideas without providing pat answers or obvious conclusions. Like in real life, situations become difficult and the need for compromise and understanding becomes paramount.

I really enjoyed this book and will probably re-read it after having some time to process the ideas. I did read it on my Android phone's Kindle app, which worked well except for the occasional maps which were too small to read on the three-inch phone screen. I have loaned the book to my wife on her Kindle and the maps are just as small and hard to read on a regular Kindle. The other art is fine.

For more insightful commentary on the book, check out Julie and Scott's A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.
2 people found this helpful
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Rocky Sunico
4.0 out of 5 stars Elegant, Beautiful Story
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
First, the core concept behind these Digients as more "organically" developed artificial intelligences is certainly interesting. As much as they are fundamentally collections of code, their programming accommodates a certain degree of "growth" and "learning" for lack of better terms and they need constant attention and input from their handlers in order to continue to develop. Thus it's not as easy as simply updating their code and evaluating their responses but more about trying different training techniques and strategies and seeing how the Digients respond over time.

The "mistake" that a lot of us make when we think about artificial intelligence is how we imagine it to be machines becoming more human. But what we fail to account for is just how different their way of "thinking" can be over time, especially depending on their environment whether real or virtual. And this is a notion that Chiang plays around with in a manner that demonstrates how much thought he has put into things. And there's a heck of a lot more to deal with.

The team deals with all the problems of a cutting edge programming team with a new product and just how quickly technology changes. In a short span of years we watch them rise and fall as companies fold, demands change and technologies continue to push forward. And all through this we see how people deal with their Digients or perhaps stop dealing with them as the months become years.

Do you ever think about your older gaming console and how you tired of it as newer versions were released? What about the virtual pet you may have adopted on some website or specialized device? Or even the last time you played a particular game that was all the rage before but is now a "classic" somewhat past its time? The Digients face a lot of these problems as user interests shift to more interesting or even just newer products.

There's also a bit of a love story in this book, but it's sort of a sad one given you wish the persons involved were more forceful about their feelings. But then again, we are talking about the types of people who are drawn to caring for animals, computer programming and related design work, which aren't always the most social of fields.

The book ends on a somber note - you get some sense of closure but you do wish that there was more to follow. Despite the brevity of this book, you can't help but get completely drawn into the lives of these characters, especially the Digients, and thus wonder what is going to happen next for all of them. Throw in the beautiful artwork of Christian Pearce (including the cover), that add a certain degree of tangibility for the Digients and their story - or perhaps their plight?

The Lifecycle of Software Objects clearly has a lot of thought put into it and will make you think even more after you've read through it. It's a truly original and novel piece of fiction and I do look forward to reading more of Chiang's work in the future.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Emmanuel KERHOZ
4.0 out of 5 stars GENIAL
Reviewed in France on June 6, 2011
Verified Purchase
Des considérations extrèmement intéressante. Un incontournable pour tous les passionnés de Turing et d'IA. Moins bon comme scénario de SF, mais reste de bon niveau quant au scénario.
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D. R. Cantrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb. Just superb.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2011
Verified Purchase
The last time I reviewed one of Chiang's short stories I loved it, and I loved this much longer (but still short-form - I'm not sure whether it's a "novella" or a "novelette", or whether there's a difference between the two, and I don't really care) story for much the same reasons. It is grounded somewhat more in a feasible extrapolation from current technology and pastimes than Exhalation is, and is perhaps more immediately accessible for that. Where his earlier short story "Exhalation" is broadly speaking an exploration of himself by the only character, The Lifecycle of Software Objects looks primarily at two main characters (one of them an entertainment AI the other a human) and how their relationship grows and changes over an extended time. It's even better than Exhalation, but the quality is just as high - I can't think of anyone living or dead who writes better than Chiang, and precious few who match him. It's better only because that top quality writing, evocative as well as entertaining, is sustained for so much longer.

I recommend that you buy it, because the author deserves his royalties, but it's also available online for free on the publisher's website, which is how I read it. But I have now bought it too. The book has some illustrations in it that aren't online.
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Jonathan H N Chin
3.0 out of 5 stars not on par with some of his other work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2013
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Attractive book, competent storytelling, just not up to the high standard set by Tower of Babylon; Seventy-Two Letters; Hell is the Absence of God, etc.
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