People’s attention span is limited, as is their time, and I’ve received several requests about revealing which computing (including AI) or IT is covered in which short story included in Autonomous Decisions: computing quandaries in short fiction so they can take their pick or at least prioritise accordingly. Here it goes:
Chapter 1: Melokuhle – Good Things. Technology: Robots as artificial moral agents, culturally-aware robots. (more background information in a blogpost)
Chapter 2: Radiating Confidence. Technology: Hardware and software of medical devices in hospitals.
Chapter 3: A Bargain Lost? Technology: Home assistants and agent communications.
Chapter 4: The Switch. Technology: Data-driven classifiers in software embedded in cars, for context-aware optimisations.
Chapter 5: The Adjudication of the Algo Aunt. Technology: Software – including data collection and mining, and rules – for automated worker management. (more background information in a blogpost)
Chapter 6: The Inclusive Virtual Line-up. Technology: Facial recognition software, IT laws.
Chapter 7: Vying for the Last Laugh. Technology: LLM-writing detection software.
Chapter 8: The Lifespan of an Implant. Technology: Retinal implants, Bluetooth hacking.
Chapter 9: Overdue Credit. Technology: Social credit apps.
Chapter 10: Autonomous Decisions. Technology: drones, Autonomous Weapons Systems/killer robots.
I have a similar list for the computer ethics concepts that are woven into each story, but no-one has asked for that, so I’ll leave that be. (They’re listed in the appendix of the book as well.)
The book is available as eBook and paperback from the publisher (Krest), on Amazon Kindle, and overseas paperback through print-on-demand from at least Amazon. I’m aware of the pushback against Amazon, and let me reassure you that it is very well possible to buy the eBook directly from the publisher wherever you are in the world. The softcover hardcopy can be shipped from South Africa, too, but it will take more time than Amazon’s print-on-demand option because the latter is printed nearer to where you live.
Last, but not least, I have my first goodies to distribute: you can now adorn you device with an “Autonomous Decisions” sticker 🙂
The appendix of Autonomous Decisions links to basic information about the underlying issues that the stories were inspired by and lists a few discussion questions, as a starting point for looking into the non-fiction side of it all. For the “Adjudication of the Algo Aunt” short story, a key concept is algorithmic domination through automated management of employees and gig workers, and a policy vacuum due to lack of regulation whether it is acceptable to do so.
Recently, I scratched the surface about algorithmic domination some more in a blog post, and linked it specifically to the aspect of algorithmic management through ratings, and especially those algorithms that take ratings from untrained users at that. Like any Uber rider is forced to do before being allowed to order a new ride, or consumers can do of other services provided by, e.g., bank employees and the SARS agent who calls back or can provide product ratings on Goodreads, Amazon, Takealot etc. And they may rate you, too.
Read the blog post at https://keet.wordpress.com/2025/05/25/algorithmic-domination-through-ratings-in-apps-and-websites/
The Autonomous Decisions: computing quandaries in short fiction was spotted on the shelves in the bookshop! Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront filed it under African Fiction and EB Cavendish has it in the sci-fi section. Here are a few photos.
Following my talk at the EthicsLab at UCT, Lerato Moseme reflected on one of the discussion questions I raised, and she dug deeper into the topic than we could in the short time available during the talk. Specifically:
“Service Level Agreements are time limited. What is an appropriate timespan for the hardware and software of implants, and who is ultimately responsible for ensuring continued support?”
Moseme wrote it up in a Insights blog post “Debate and Provocations: Who Cleans Up After Failed Implants?”, where she first contextualised SLAs and another concrete case than the one that my short story in the Autonomous Decisions book relates to (retinal implants), and then posed additional questions beyond the four listed in the book’s appendix. With her thesis topic in the area of regulatory aspects for medical devices, there’s plenty to choose from to keep herself busy for a while.
Emanating from an early announcement about the Autonomous Decisions book, a brief encounter, access as soon as the book became available, and eager reading, Dr Heidi Matisonn invited me to give a talk at their Ethics Lab at UCT’s Neuroscience Institute, located on the Groote Schuur Hospital grounds in Cape Town, on 27 February 2025. In meeting organiser Mr Tebeli’s words, summarising my abstract:
“In this talk, Prof. Keet will explore how storytelling can make complex topics in computer ethics, such as AI ethics, safety, and responsibility more accessible and engaging. Drawing from her book, Autonomous Decisions: Computing Quandaries in Short Fiction, she will highlight key ethical challenges in computing, with a special focus on medical and health informatics issues. Expect a thought-provoking discussion on topics like buggy medical devices, obsolete implants, and ethical dilemmas in care robots.”
It was a lively talk interspersed with questions, exploratory conversations, and thoughtful views that explored a range of topics that passed the revue. It being a mixed audience with students and staff from health sciences, molecular biology, and philosophy, among others, some aspects had more resonance and familiarity than others. Among others, on the fine, but important, distinction between trust versus responsible and reliable computing (including AI), whether autonomous computing systems are really autonomous, the words we use to frame an object, and the policy vacuum being not unfamiliar in the physical and mental health settings either.
If you wonder whether any of it may be of interest to you: you can read the first story of the book for free, on Lubanzi trying to get his somewhat culturally aware carebot in Claremont to serve him more wine, for which there’s also some free self-study background information available online.
(image credits: PaO_STUDIO/Shutterstock through a The Conversation article on care robots)
