Ted Chiang
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Articles by Ted Chiang
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Jonathan Borofsky, Hammering Man, 1990. Image courtesy of the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery. According to folklore, John Henry worked on the railroads in the late 1800s; his job was pounding a steel chisel into rock with a sledgehammer so that a stick of dynamite could be dropped into the resulting hole and detonated to shatter the rock. As the story goes, he competed against a steam-powered drilling machine in a race and won, but died of exhaustion shortly afterward.
Historia twojego życia
Historie, które przekraczają granice wyobraźni -- od pierwszego kontaktu po najgłębsze tajemnice świadomości -- zmieniając sposób, w jaki myślimy o świecie i sobie samych Każde z zawartych w tomie opowiadań to precyzyjnie skonstruowany eksperyment myślowy, który nie tylko fascynuje pomysłem, ale też zostawia czytelnika z pytaniami, które wybrzmiewają jeszcze długo po lekturze.
3.5万亿的末日叙事：AI 没有意识，但它正在制造最昂贵的幻觉
2026年6月4日，昨天，Claude背后的AI公司Anthropic发布了一篇文章，标题很惊悚：《When AI builds itself》。 直译过来，就是"当AI建造它自己"。 这不是一个普通标题。它几乎像科幻小说第一章的名字。一个由人类制造出来的系统，开始参与制造下一代更强的自己。造物不再只是造物，它开始进入造物主的位置。 只要这个故事再往前推一点，你就会自然滑向那套熟悉的末日想象：AI自我改进，速度越来越快，人类来不及理解，也来不及控制，最后整个文明被自己发明的东西甩在身后。 Anthropic这篇文章的核心说法是，Claude正在加速Anthropic内部的AI开发。工程师写代码更快，模型能帮助跑实验，能优化训练流程，也能参与代码审查。文章里有一个很抓眼球的数字：Anthropic工程师现在平均每季度交付的代码，是2021年到2025年期间的8倍。 它还配了一张柱状图，时间轴从2021年第二季度一路拉到2026年第二季度，柱子在2025到2026年之间突然陡峭上扬。图上标注着Claude各代模型的发布时间：Claude 1、2、3、4，然后是Claude...
No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious
Listen1.0x 0:0034:52 Anthropic is regarded as a giant among AI companies, but perhaps what it really excels in is anthropomorphism. Earlier this year, the company released an 84-page document titled Claude’s “constitution,” Claude being the name of the large language model that is the company’s flagship product.
No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio breaks down how China's philosophy on AI differs from the US As the biggest artificial intelligence companies in the US ready themselves for their massive public market debuts, Chinese rivals aren't focused on the bottom line. Billionaire investor Ray Dalio, who visited China in April, said the country views AI more like a utility that should be in the hands …
Weekend with Sarah Mughal Rana: ‘I daydream a lot’
Sarah Mughal Rana. Artwork by Hyphen. Photograph courtesy of Sarah Mughal Rana Sarah Mughal Rana is a Canadian author who lives in Oxford. Her first young adult novel, Hope Ablaze, was published in 2024. In 2025 she published the first instalment of a fantasy trilogy which follows the quest of teenage assassin Khamilla, in search of revenge. Dawn of the Firebird is a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller. The sequel, Fall of the Heavenly Crane, is due to be published next year.
Výdech
Koupit Koupit eknihu Antikvariát Nová kniha kultovního autora science fiction. Devět ohromujících povídek z blízkých realit, v nichž je něco zásadně jinak. Ted Chiang přináší fantastické odpovědi na otázky, které nás zajímají od nepaměti, a do nich vnáší nová dilemata. Kdybychom měli k dispozici bránu v čase, daly by se vymazat naše vlastní skutky z minulosti? Nabídne-li se lidem možnost nahlédnout do nesčetných paralelních světů, jak konkrétně to dokážou využít – anebo zneužít?
Science Fiction Books To Read if You Love Project Hail Mary
With Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary now a major motion picture, this is a great opportunity to read the New York Times bestseller. Weir delivers an action-packed drama following a man named Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling), who finds himself as the only survivor on his ship. However, he doesn’t recall how he arrived here or his mission.
Sci fi, and indeed all speculative fiction, is often associated with doorstopper books and long series. What are the advantages of a short novel? They didn’t used to be doorstoppers, did they? When I was growing up, when I started reading science fiction, most of the novels were quite short. I remember seeing the Asimov Foundation novels, and they were enormous compared to the other science fiction that I read.
Ted Chiang on Superintelligence and Its Discontents in J.D. Beresford’s Innovative Work of Early 20th-Century Science Fiction
J.D. Beresford’s The Hampdenshire Wonder is generally considered to be the first fictional treatment of superhuman intelligence, or “superintelligence.” This is a familiar trope for readers of science fiction today, but when the novel was originally published in 1911 it was anything but. What intellectual soil needed to be tilled before this idea could sprout?
The Distinction Between Imaginary Science and Magic
Ted Chiang received the Humanist Inquiry & Innovation Award at the American Humanist Association’s 83rd Annual Conference, held virtually in September 2024. This award honors those who have advanced human understanding and innovation in ways that uphold humanist values, work that exemplifies the power of inquiry and innovation to promote human dignity, freedom and progress. Chiang is a renowned science fiction writer.
The Humanist Magazine | Fall 2024
Archive Amy Goodman received the Humanist of the Year Award at the American Humanist Association’s 83rd Annual Conference, held virtually in September 2024. The award recognizes a person of national and international reputation who, through the application of humanist values, has made a significant contribution to the human condition. Amy Goodman...
How to tame AI: More regulations, or maybe a boycott?
Have the risks of artificial intelligence risen to the point where more regulation is needed? Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus argues that the federal government — or maybe even international agencies — will need to step in. The Food and Drug Administration or the Federal Aviation Administration could provide a model, Marcus said last week during a fireside chat with Seattle science-fiction author Ted Chiang at Town Hall Seattle.
LINKS - September 11th, 2024
Welcome to LINKS — my attempt to provide Rhapsody readers with five interesting stories that tell us something about what it means to be human . LINKS is published every Wednesday. Have a link you want to share? Drop it in the comments. By Ted Chiang, The New Yorker “Despite years of hype, the ability of generative A.I. to dramatically increase economic productivity remains theoretical.
Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art
In 1953, Roald Dahl published “The Great Automatic Grammatizator,” a short story about an electrical engineer who secretly desires to be a writer.
Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art | The New Yorker
A person using generative A.I. to help them write might claim that they are drawing inspiration from the texts the model was trained on, but I would again argue that this differs from what we usually mean when we say one writer draws inspiration from another. Consider a college student who turns in a paper that consists solely of a five-page quotation from a book, stating that this quotation conveys exactly what she wanted to say, better than she could say it herself.
A.I. Chatbot, Will You Be My Friend? Seven Stories of Robot-Human Relationships
Smart robots have populated fiction for generations, but now with artificial intelligence exploding around us, we’re seeing more titles than ever that grapple with this technology. In the following novels and stories, authors delve into personal relationships between humans and A.I. consciousnesses that may or may not inhabit bodies. Themes of loneliness, love, personhood, and power are inescapable.
Prompting Techniques for Anthropic's Claude AI
The field of large language models (LLMs) like Anthropic’s Claude AI holds immense potential for creative text generation, informative question answering, and task automation. However, unlocking the full capabilities of these models requires effective user interaction. This is where the art of prompting comes into play. Prompting allows users to provide clear, concise instructions guiding Claude’s responses.
February Reads
Flora Qian is a writer I first came across through Eastlit, an online journal of writing from across East Asia. I then asked her to contribute a story to In The Empty Spaces, an anthology I co-edited back in 2014 (more about that later this year). South of the Yangtze is her first novel, published after winning the International Proverse Prize, and it’s a brilliant debut.
The Three-Body Problem
Audiobook13 hours Written by Narrated by Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5/5 () About this audiobook This program is read by Rosalind Chao, who stars as Ye Wenjie in the Netflix adaptation, 3 Body Problem.
Developing AI Like Raising Kids
Should we care for machines the way we do for children? If so, how? And what are the ethical and political implications of doing so? Can speculative science fiction offer insights into how we create and tend to a rapidly advancing reality of artificial intelligence?
I can hardly bear it when it is over, I can hardly bear it when it starts - Film - e-flux
This video utilizes footage from the Arecibo telescope collapse that occurred in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in December of 2020. The Arecibo telescope was the world’s largest single aperture telescope and has produced the strongest and farthest-reaching messages ever transmitted off-planet.
Wishful Thinking & AI: An Evening with Ted Chiang and Dr. Emily M. Bender
A Clarion West Fundraiser Ted Chiang and Dr. Emily M. Bender in Conversation Moderated by Tom Nissley Hybrid Event: In-person at Town Hall Seattle and Online in Zoom November 10 at 7:30 PM UW Professor of Linguistics Emily M. Bender talks with award-winning science fiction author Ted Chiang about the hype, realistic expectations, and who should be involved in the conversation around AI. Moderated by Jeopardy! champion and Phinney Books owner Tom Nissley.
Netflix Losing A Modern Sci-Fi Classic, See It Before It's Gone
Let’s face it: our’s is an era in which sci-fi films favor high-octane action and over-the-top spectacles. Not that we’re faulting either action or spectacles—but every once in a while, a movie thankfully comes along treading a different path, one combining high-concept, realistically rendered genre fare with human, philosophical themes. Arrival, which earned the adoration of audiences and critics alike, is such a movie.
Writers respond to AI optimism: ‘It’s mostly nonsense’
How will “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” venture capitalist Marc Andreessen’s paean to economic growth and artificial intelligence, play to a wider audience? The reviews are in from two award-winning writers who are familiar with the impact of generative AI on creative professions. “I think it’s mostly nonsense,” science-fiction writer Ted Chiang said Oct. 19 at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle.
AI Risks
There is no shortage of researchers and industry titans willing to warn us about the potential destructive power of artificial intelligence. Reading the headlines, one would hope that the rapid gains in AI technology have also brought forth a unifying realization of the risks-and the steps we need to take to mitigate them. The reality, unfortunately, is quite different.
The Very Best Films And Shows Hitting Netflix This September
By Andrés Muñoz As we reach the tail end of the summer, most of the highly successful Hollywood hits have been released (I see you, Barbenheimer). Now, we’re looking for our autumn thrills. Whether on the big screen or in the comfort of our homes, screen-based entertainment is a constant in our lives. This insatiability spurs content production and distribution platforms to keep us at the edge of our seats with new amusing tales or by buying the rights to stream some all-time classics.
Masked Figures, Visual Rivers and Lore Islands
1. The PriceMaster Please take some time to watch this incredible piece of performance art. On Saturday, February 10, 2001, in Denton, Texas, a group of friends held a garage sale where all of the (absurd) prices were determined by “ThePrice Master“, a mysterious masked figure on a tiny stage.
All Booked | Soapboxing for Sci-Fi Original
Ciao, It’s Anika from the Indy webteam, taking over the All Booked newsletter this week. My day in the sun has come; I’ve been given a platform to talk about books. I do not wield this sword lightly, and so I have come today with my very best: the infinitely exciting, ever-evolving, wildly diverse…science fiction! The first sci-fi I ever read was “Flowers for Algernon” and the first novel Ender’s Game (both amazing) in middle school.
Using Peace, Quiet, and Introspection to Intensify Your Writing
I want to talk to you about the concept of using peace, quiet, and introspection to add some intensity to your writing. While your story can certainly be an insane sprint for the finish line (such as in my 1,501-word story, “Undone” that’s ONE SENTENCE) or a continuous barrage of horrifying elements, never letting up, let’s look at the ways that taking a break from the action, from the darkness, from the fast-pace unfurling of your story can actually make those moments stronger.
Impolite Influences: Theodore McCombs’s Bookshelf for ‘Uranians’
Photo credit: Carly Topazio Reality, even at its worst, is too polite to say everything that needs saying. The permission of speculative fiction is to reach above the merely plausible for those high shelves of meaning. That’s also the promise of queer fiction: we’re not bound to repeat the common wisdoms, we can offer an outside perspective. My debut collection Uranians tries to make good on both those potentials, and while writing it, I turned often to these books to reinspire me toward that goal.
Will A.I. Become the New McKinsey?
When we talk about artificial intelligence, we rely on metaphor, as we always do when dealing with something new and unfamiliar. Metaphors are, by their nature, imperfect, but we still need to choose them carefully, because bad ones can lead us astray. For example, it’s become very common to compare powerful A.I.s to genies in fairy tales.
Science fiction solutions
When Betsy Huang, an English professor and Clark’s Andrea B. and Peter D. Klein ’64 Distinguished Professor, picked up J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” at age 12, Bilbo Baggins’ adventure to lands vastly different than his comfortable home in the Shire felt relatable. It was just two years after Huang immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan.
Calling All Aliens
Are we alone in the universe? Is there other intelligence out there? COSMIC, the most ambitious SETI search yet, hopes to answer that. We hear updates on this novel signal detection project being conducted on the Very Large Array in the desert of New Mexico. Also, we chat with award-winning science fiction writer Ted Chiang about how he envisions making contact with aliens in his stories, including the one that was the basis for the movie Arrival.
589: Goebbels in the Machine
Hosts Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister have over 40 years of professional website building experience between them. Every week they discuss what went wrong on the Internet and who's to blame. "Sporting a nice balance of serious sensibilities, sarcastic cynicism, and downright funny moments, it’s a good case study of the realities of the online experience. " ~ Fast Company
ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web
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ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web
In 2013, workers at a German construction company noticed something odd about their Xerox photocopier: when they made a copy of the floor plan of a house, the copy differed from the original in a subtle but significant way. In the original floor plan, each of the house’s three rooms was accompanied by a rectangle specifying its area: the rooms were 14.13, 21.11, and 17.42 square metres, respectively. However, in the photocopy, all three rooms were labelled as being 14.13 square metres in size.
Andrej Karpathy: Books
The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams, 2006 A twisted, raw, curious portrayal of a future with an AGI gone... mixed. Nexus by Ramez Naam, 2012 Highly enjoyable world-building set in a Neuralink future. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, 2002 Short Story collection. Required reading. My top 3 favorites are Understand, Story of Your Life, and Division by Zero. The Martian by Andy Weir, 2011 Castaway but on Mars. Excellent story. Cool science. Highly entertaining.
10 Best Sci-Fi Movies Based On Books
Many great films have their origins in equally great books. Sometimes, adaptations to the screen take generous liberties, changing the stories drastically, while some stay faithful to the source material, keeping the plot points the same beat-for-beat. Whichever occurs, book-to-film adaptations can make for incredible resurrections of authors’ labors of love.
10 Best Movies You Didn't Know Were Originally Short Stories
When the credits roll, it’s not surprising to see that a film was based on a novel. Some authors, like Stephen King, are prolific in writing books that go on to be adapted for the big screen. Something less common, however, is seeing a film that has been adapted from a short story. Short fiction often simply doesn’t have enough content to be brought to life in film, but when it does, it can wow viewers with its strong character development and quick plot points.
Science Fiction and Philosophy
Before we get into the five books you have chosen, might you tell us: what’s your special interest in science fiction, and how does it tie in with philosophy? Well, partly, I just love it. There’s something to be said for pursuing what you love. But I also think science fiction is a great fit for philosophy in a couple of ways. Speculative fiction, generally, I think of as fiction that explores scenarios beyond the ordinary run of human experience.
Exhalation: Stories (eBook)
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad. This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users Joined Sep 2019 L3: Novice 168 Posts Today at 05:59 AM #3 Looks interesting, I'm in. Thanks OP! This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users Joined Jul 2012 L2: Beginner 86 Posts Today at 11:01 AM #4 This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users Joined Jul 2010 L1: Learner 11 Posts Today at 11:46 AM #5 Great book to use those "no rush" shipping credits on.
Why the Term "Literary Fiction" Doesn't Work Anymore
Literary fiction is one of the most misleading terms in the writing world, and I think we need to retire it. Some people use “literary” as a reference to quality. Others use it as a description of the content of a work of fiction without judging how good that work is. In the end this means that a group of people who are purportedly very concerned with words—writers and readers—are using them badly. This causes confusion, pretension, and even an odd separation of groups of young writers.
Get outside and get your groove on with yoga, music, ‘Dirty Dancing’ and more
People participate in a yoga session during a previous year of the Breckenridge Music Festival. It, and yoga at local ski resorts, is just a few ways people can get outside to enjoy the sun. Photo from Breckenridge Music Don’t know what to do this weekend? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Pull up a seat to the counter and I’ll tell you about everything that’s hot and happening.
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Books Like 'The Giver' That Will Change How You See the World
If you love Lois Lowry's classic novel, then your eyes will be opened by these ten other reads. Promoted by Open Road Media | By Archita Mittra | Published Jun 1, 2021 Divergent By Veronica Roth Want more sci-fi?
40 AAPI authors who made the USA TODAY bestseller list, including Jenny Han, Sanjay Gupta and Ali Wong
Books from Asian American Pacific Islander writers have always found a home on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list. From memoirs and fiction to romances and humor, their works are as diverse and dynamic as the authors themselves. AAPI authors represent an important part of the ever-expanding and evolving American literary canon. We've curated a sampling of 40 AAPI authors who have appeared on our bestseller list. Authors range from debut to stalwarts and write in a variety of genres.
Seattle
E. J. Koh is the author of the memoir The Magical Language of Others (Tin House, 2020), winner of the 2021 Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the poetry collection A Lesser Love (Louisiana State University Press, 2017), winner of the Pleiades Press Editors Prize for Poetry. Her poems, translations, and stories have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Slate, World Literature Today, and elsewhere.
Why Computers Won’t Make Themselves Smarter
God isn’t the only being that people have tried to argue into existence.
Daria, BTS, Ted Lasso, and More: The Art That Got Us Through
TED LASSO I don’t think I’ve ever needed comfort TV more than I did this past year, and I cannot overstate how much Ted Lasso lifted my spirits. The title character, played by Jason Sudeikis, is earnest, wholesome, and heartwarming, and though there’s some allusion to America being on the decline, at the end of the day, everyone is on the same team. — Julie Bogen, senior editor MUSIC LIFE GOES ON BY CARLA BLEY Jazz is often tritely used as a synonym for freedom, but that’s wrong.
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