"Artificial Wisdom" captured my attention with its intriguing premise: in a future ravaged by climate change, an AI is running for global dictator. As Marcus Tully, a journalist investigating a murder on a floating city, races against time, I found myself questioning the line between progress and peril.
Weaver paints a vivid picture of a world grappling with environmental collapse and the rise of powerful technology. The concept of AI seeking political control felt chillingly plausible, and I appreciated the novel's exploration of these timely themes. Although the technological elements occasionally felt a bit awkward, I was captivated by the fast-paced plot and the moral dilemmas it presented.
Unfortunately, the ending left me with some unanswered questions, but it also sparked a desire to see where Weaver takes this story next. Overall, "Artificial Wisdom" is a thought-provoking and suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of dystopian thrillers and anyone interested in the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement.

Artificial Wisdom is set in an environmentally ravaged future world, where the stakes of survival are high and not everything is as it seems. The tale follows Marcus Tully, a journalist investigating a murder on a city that floats on the sea. With an AI running for the position of global dictator, Marcus has little time to find out what's going on.

The characters in this novel are fully formed adults, finely drawn. They have needs, wants, quirks, and motivations that put them at cross-purposes. The world-building, as well, in terms of the environment, is compelling. The drawback of this narrative is the day-to-day tech with which the characters interact. Virtual worlds are all well and good, and the play between those and AI entities is interesting, but the interfaces feel clunky and based on tech that exists today. No paradigm shift here, just plodding along in innovation for the next 25 years, I suppose.

Still, if you can thoroughly suspend your disbelief nevertheless, this would be a good read for anyone interested in near-future mysteries.

This is great shot at fusing a future with developed technology responding to every human vicissitude ... which are mostly entirely full of the detective/journalist-on-a-big-story model: hero, suffering alcohol addiction tendency; high stakes unaccountable death of close love interest .. in this case, pregnant wife; distorted information from problematic source .. etc .. but these at least ground us in complicated plotting .. political power-grabbing that sounds like 2024, at least. So, that's csmart, but makes things plodding along a bit. Tully, the lead investigator, is often supplanted by his team October and Livia . With a miraculous protector called Haymaker helping out. Dystopia far- future is foretold and played out .. lots of explanation required to trawl through (I skimmed) .. overall a good, savvy detective/journalist investigating read with no easy ending .. tear-jerking along the way however (I won't say how) .. plaudits for accomplished work!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of this book. An unusual book with dystopian and AI themes, it was a good premise. I was intrigued!

Artificial Wisdom starts off as an interesting dystopian/political thriller, then morphs into a more prosaic murder mystery (though it does return to the political conspiracy at the end). I enjoyed elements of it, particularly the Roman references and the interactions between the team, but I would have preferred less exposition and more pace.
*
Copy from NetGalley

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. The book had a novel premise on climate control and the potential for moderation. I really enjoyed maybe for the first 75% , I thought it had interesting constructs around AI and its integration into society. It dealt with many issues facing the world today quite apart from climate and AI. It touched on the divide between rich and poor, the problems around media reporting - how much is true and what is manufactured from suspect information and introduced facets of technology that require further thought.

However I felt that the ending took itself away from the author's control that had been evident in the rest of the book. Could Tully have got things so wrong. Could events have changed so much or perhaps been non events in the first place. I got thoroughly confused and for me this has dropped what would have been a 4 star rating to one of 3.

It appears that this is a debut book for Thomas Weaver and it has much to reccomend it. I would not be put off from trying something else by the same author as his imagination and creativity are evident. Part of me feels like there might be a second book that continues the story but I am not certain

A human, with human faults or AI built by humans but with a seemingly logical brain. This is a scenario that Thomas explores with superb writing and storytelling skills

A thriller murder mystery from the near future, defiently an interesting perspective on where the world could be heading with the rise of AI and climate crisis.

A clever concept with a dystopian feel - I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it felt very ‘current’. Themes of climate change and isolation gave it a recent feel, especially following the covid years. Add into this the potential of AI and you have an intriguing story which sometimes felt a little scary as an insight into what may happen in the future. A great read!

3.75/5 Stars

This was unexpectedly good and weird but in a good way. There were large chunks of this read that were a bit convoluted at times but other sections that melted like butter in my minds eye. The themes of climate change and isolation were timely and you could feel the recency inspiration across every page. Would highly recommend for fans of Blake Crouch and William Gibson.

When I requested this, I was intrigued by the summary but also wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. Well, I'll do this more often because it seemed to work quite well for me. I love dystopian novel but, aside from the hunger games and a few others, they mostly seem dystopian for the aesthetic only and not the commentary such an environment requires. And a commentary I got with this one. It proposed a future that didn't seem so far away or so impossible when you watch the news a little and, while it is scary to think about, I absolutely loved the vision of the author here.

Unfortunately I did not have time to read this book before publication and it has since been archived. Best of luck to the author.

"Artificial Wisdom" by Thomas Weaver is a captivating and timely exploration of a dystopian future entwined with the unnerving potential of AI. Weaver weaves a narrative that delves into the delicate balance between the promise of AI to solve our most pressing issues and the looming threat of its potential control. The way the story intertwines a dystopian environmental backdrop with the evolving AI landscape is both thought-provoking and absorbing. "Artificial Wisdom" is a must-read for those intrigued by the intersection of technology, society, and the environment.

Clever concept, decent characters, and an adventurous storyline. Unfortunately, this kind of fell flat for me. The dialogue was monotonous, repetitive, and at times it was over the top with certain explanations. Although, I do believe this read will find it's niche audience and be well loved by those that enjoy futuristic, Lovecraftian novels.

I received this arc for free and my review is voluntary.

If you are one of the many who worry about climate change, its effects on the planet, and the dystopian future we are heading towards, you will love this book as much as I did.

The book follows a man called Tully, an investigative journalist who lost his wife a decade ago due to an unspeakable climate disaster. He is contacted by a whistleblower with a news story that no one could resist and is pulled into a murder plot that involves one of his team and could shape the outcome of not only one of the biggest elections in the world but the outcome of the human race itself.

The mix of sci-fi, real-world issues, human greed and the need to find the truth combine this into a breathtaking book that sends shivers down your spine. A must-read, especially with climate change and AI being such big issues in our lives.

The first thing I should mention is that this isn't my normal genre of book but I found the plot interesting so wanted to give it a go. I enjoyed the book. especially the climate change side of it and the detail of the tech used. It did take me a while to read it as I found it a bit hard going at the start but the further I got into it the more I wanted to know what happened. Wasn't keen on the ending as it felt a bit rushed and almost unfinished?

A chilling look at the not too distant future, with a speculative but very believable scenario of where we might be heading with the climate emergency and artificial intelligence. The ambiguous ending leads me to suspect there will be a sequel - can’t wait to read it!

Outstanding read, with believable characters and a narrative that keeps you reading to the very end...highly recommended...many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC!

It is 2050 and humanity is on the bring of disaster. The world is struggling with major issues such as the climate crisis and artificial intelligence. With a heatwave claiming the lives of over four million people is our only hope of survival to have an AI dictator governing the world?...Read it!

The author demonstrates incredible imagination looking to a future world combining where Artificial Intelligence could go, where climate change is going, all mixed in with a very credible Geopolitical situation. It's a good thought provoking process. What role might AI play in tackling climate change, taking decisions away from nation states and to what extent nation states control that AI for their own purposes versus the good of mankind? Could the super rich exclude themselves by building structures to protect themselves from climate change? All good stuff and well thought through by Thomas weaver,

Character development is very good. You feel you get to know the main characters. I thought the main character, Tully, was a bit overdone, but only until I understood why. This leads to some very clever twists late on in the book and an ending that opens the door for a challenging sequel, as the originality of this book will be difficult to follow on from.

Thoroughly recommend. A page turner!

Touching on two important issues of our time, climate change and AI, Artificial Wisdom is an intriguing novel about what it might take to save humanity from a dying earth.

Mysterious, thrilling, and fascinating, this story takes you on a wild ride.