Paradigm Shifting Technology: “Steel Beach” by John Varley
(original review, 1998)
I liked “Steel Beach” by John Varley much more than I expected, as the AI is much more insidious that we usually see in most contemporary SF. Most of the others assume that an AI would go rogue, but "Steel Beach" assumes the opposite, that the AI would work exactly as designed. In “Steel Beach”, the residents of Lunar all live under the benevolent auspices of the Central Computer, which has essentially replaced even the idea of government, automating all the boring jobs, inventing paradigm shifting technology & freeing up humanity to live a life of ease (with near immortality thrown in). Problem is that humans aren't built to live that life.
If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.
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