I absolutely love this concept but the execution is very lacking. I feel like treating this with a bit more subtlety and more of a grounded approach would have made for a much more interesting and thought provoking read; as is, it made me want to stop reading about 10 pages in, although that could very well the result of a mismatch in our senses of humor

2040 by Pedro Domingos was a surprising read that I didn’t quite anticipate. I'm open to all genres, and this satirical take was no exception. The story’s wild and chaotic elements were entertaining, but there was a surprising depth to the book that wasn’t immediately apparent. The absurdity of the characters cleverly masked the underlying themes.

Set in the year 2040, the book begins on the night of a highly unusual election. The Republican candidate is an AI named PresiBot, created by a startup called KumbAI, whose team is clearly in over their heads. On the other side, the Democratic candidate is a fabricated Native American chief with plans to dismantle the United States. Yet, the story doesn’t focus much on these two characters. Instead, it centers on KumbAI and its CEO, Ethan.

At its core, this book is a thought-provoking commentary on the potential pitfalls of our current trajectory, delivered with a hefty dose of absurdity. The narrative ends on election night, and while my husband asked if the abrupt conclusion left me frustrated, I found it fitting. I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters, as none of them were particularly likable—a choice that might be deliberate.

This would make for a timely and entertaining read leading up to our current election. The release timing couldn’t have been better.

This was a funny one! I had a good time with 2040. This book is a satire about a robot running in the American presidential election in 2040. There was a little more slapstick humor than I had anticipated and there were lots and lots of puns. It won’t be for everyone’s sense of humor.

3.5 stars-- 2040: A SILICON VALLEY SATIRE by Pedro Domingos is a satirical look at American politics, specifically the past eight years. In 2040, KumbAI has developed a robot, an AI Republican candidate for president named PresiBot; The Democratic candidate is a fake Native American calling himself Chief Raging Bull. A televised debate sets the scene as the ‘puppet’ candidate goes off-script, and the ‘panic button’ is lost in the ensuing melee of rioting and anarchy. No longer able to control their candidate, KumbAI sells their company to rival tech giant Happinet but the result is another spiral into chaos leading up to the day of election, and the resulting win.

2040, set in a futuristic America, reflects upon much of the past eight years of American politics, the run for president, and the ensuing fall-out when a political dare becomes reality, and the people in charge lose control of their presidential candidate. A caustic, cynical and farcical look America’s current political machine, reminiscent of an extended SNL satirical skit, 2040 mirrors the spiral of respect; the growth of racism and discrimination; the sectioning off of the American people, and the narcissistic attitude of the people in charge.



THE READING CAFÉ: https://www.thereadingcafe.com/2040-a-silicon-valley-satire-by-pedro-domingos-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6725147209


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Chapters/Indigo (Sandy sch) posted

A satire about the political agenda between a 1% Native American and an AI robot.

I was honestly so excited for this book and was greatly disappointed . I felt the characters were a little too unrealistic even for the satirical plot. It felt like the AI was from 10 years ago and not from today’s age. There’s no way a bot would need someone to constantly monitor and override 10 years from now considering the strides that happen on a monthly basis now.

There were so many parts I had to skip because it felt too ridiculous and even sometimes very inappropriate.

Ghost Busters Meets Dr. Strangelove

On the eve of a US Presidential election an unusual contest is unfolding. Will technology outpace traditional human electioneering tactics? Will people be too engaged with their devices and apps to care? Or simply lulled into indifference of expected stability?

Sound familiar?

Pedro Dominguez’s satirical science fiction, “2024”, imagines a near future US presidential election with opposing candidates playing out in in a dystopian urban San Francisco as a microcosm of the country:

• Posing as a Democrat, John Raging Bull, a wannabe Indian, intent on evicting all peoples except the original native Americans
• With Republican backing, PresiBot, a work-in-progress AI robot whose creators struggle to update while warding off corporate raiders and other disgruntled denizens

Readers should be forewarned the political party affiliations are a passing reference and have little to do with the madcap antics of this novel. In fact, the 2024 fictional world incorporates elements such as contained population zones, above and below ground; free-lance enforcement groups beyond the police; over-the-top buildings - not unlike the city of 1984 Ghostbusters!

The plot trails after three principal characters: Ethan Burnswagger, CEO of KumbAI (kumbaya?); his CTO Arvind Subramanian; Chief Data Officer, Emma Zong.

A seemingly diffident West Coast personality is Dave Newald, all-powerful head of Happinet interconnecting various public communication devices. He lives in his 300th floor office of the Flower building with floors named after the Seven Deadly Sins. The company motto: “Happinet Listens”. He is also inventor of the “neurosniffer”, an “unprecedented window into the individual’s emotional state.”

In fast paced chapters with titles like “Lords of the Valley”, “The Singularity Is Here”, “Only We Can Save The Planet”, “Ethan’s Run” and “The Machine Room Where It Happens” the author builds the story of the struggle to control the election’s direction and outcome while slyly sending up recent political, technological, even fictional tropes.

A quick, enjoyable ride and much welcomed breezy relief from the recent media humidity.

While "2040" was an engaging read, featuring an intriguing premise, it seemed to rely too much on satirizing current-to-2024 events to move the story forward. The characters felt a bit one-dimensional and the plot was on hyperspeed (I would classify this more as a novella than a novel, it felt much shorter than its advertised 228 pages and I finished it in only a few hours), so most of the ideas and concepts felt a little half-baked. However, it did feature some amusing dialogue and could be useful to some readers as an introduction to satire and speculative fiction.

2/5 stars.

2040: A Silicon Valley Satire by Pedro Domingos offers an intriguing blend of satire, technology, and politics that hits close to home, reflecting the extremes currently seen in the US. While the premise was promising, the execution left me wanting more. Despite being a short read, I struggled to stay engaged, and the ending felt disappointing. The characters lacked depth, and I found myself wishing for more focus on the actual political aspects rather than the drama surrounding the founders of PresiBot. Although the book had its moments, it didn’t fully deliver on its potential, leaving me somewhat unsatisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

The 2040 presidential election stirs up more entertainment than the 2024 election.....which is a tough goal. But an AI robot running against a Lakota Indian Chief that will eject those lacking Native American blood paints a picture too intriguing not to read. Between the cover art and the story synopsis, just the thought of what Pedro Domingos could do with the story made me smile. Yes, it's a satiric look at the election process that has ballooned into the best soap opera on television. The book is short, no huge commitment, but it was entertaining and still brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. While it probably will not be the year's best selling title, if you talk to the politicians on the TV, you need to read this.

I was drawn to this book as I wanted something a bit different, a bit of a change. I usually steer clear of anything political, satire or otherwise however, I read a book of a similar genre about 6 yrs ago and I loved it. Which is why I had high hopes for this one.
Whilst this is a good, easy, quick read, with quirky characters and dialogue, it’s one of those that probably won’t stick with me in the future.
If you’re looking for a change in genre, want to try something out of your comfort zone, then definitely give this one a go.

Fast-paced, short, entertaining.

This portion of the blurb summarizes the book well, and intrigued me enough to pick this book up:

“The Republican candidate is an AI named PresiBot, created by a tech startup, KumbAI, who are in deeply over their heads. The Democratic candidate is a fake Native American chief seeking to abolish the United States. What could go wrong?”

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. It is satirical and meant to be funny, but I found it a little too over the top and outrageous. There wasn’t one character I could remotely connect to or root for. 2.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I LOVED this book!! I’m not typically one to grab a satire (esp a political one) but the premise of this book was too good to miss! 🇺🇸🤖

2040: A Silicon Valley Satire is a satire about the presidential election in 2040. Who’s running? The Republican candidate as an Al named PresiBot, and the Democratic candidate is a fake Native American chief named Raging Bull.

Hilarity ensues (in a laugh so you won’t cry kind of situation 🥴).

We’ve got tech giants, tech startups, polls and social media, campaigns, Al, the fragility of our nation, you name it! This is a mocking assessment of the current state of America - from tech giants’ empires and the anxiety and publicity around Al. It is set in a dystopian San Francisco in a future that is a little scarily not that far away. 😵‍💫💻👽🤖🦾🦿👩🏼‍💻

The characters have a resemblance to actual ones which the author claims “may or may not be a coincidence”. This was actually my favorite part - that Domingos took pros and cons of real life candidates, switched which party, and shined light on how ridiculous some aspects of each side really are - and how so many adopt or accept things because it’s one “their side.”
🫏🇺🇸🐘

The premise alone of this book piqued my interest enough to open it up and I found that once I did I was clicking my seatbelt along on this wild ride.🎢

No matter your political affiliation - I think everyone will enjoy this one! 🇺🇸

And to top it all off - the cutest PR package!!💕

Thank you to @netgalley, Pedro Domingos, and @bookbabyofficial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 💗🤖

Releases August 20, 2024!

I was very excited about starting this one. Not only do I appreciate political satire, but reading a narrative about an AI presidential candidate during election season—when AI is a prominent topic in the tech industry—seemed like an incredible opportunity. However, upon completion, I found myself with mixed feelings.

The premise is excellent: a tech startup develops an AI, integrates it into a robotic body, and campaigns for it as a presidential candidate. However, I encountered some issues with the execution. The author effectively extrapolates a satirical near-future, both politically and technologically. The writing is engaging, featuring several humorous moments. The characters involved in the startup are relatable, even if not always likable, and the PresiBot is entertaining. Conversely, the opposition candidate and his supporters felt excessively exaggerated and appeared over-the-top and absurd. I believe the author pushed the satire too far, leading much of the book to feel farcical and causing it to miss its intended impact.

That said, I did find enjoyment in the book, although it wasn't what I anticipated. Throughout the novel, I was reminded more of a parody you might encounter on Family Guy or South Park, both of which are shows I do enjoy from time to time.

Written with a very lean prose, this humorous satire supposes an AI running for President against a 1/1024th Lakota man whose platform is literally destroying America by “kicking out all the colonists.”

Lots of parallels to draw, and your enjoyment will depend on your style of humor. While entertaining, and a very quick read, I felt it was too dependent on dialogue while leaving some more interesting ideas by the wayside.

A fun diversion if you somehow don’t have enough politics in your life.

A fun and quirky story!
This is a story about a fake Native American Indian chief and an artificial intelligence robot who are running for president. A very unusual idea for a book but it was a lot of fun. If you like dark humor this book may appeal to you .

The concept of this book hooked me immediately. A presidential election set in the future between a robot and a fake Native American? I was absolutely curious to see how the concept would grow.

It wasn’t what I expected, which disappointed me just a bit. This was very focused on the behind the scenes, which was still interesting at least, so I still enjoyed reading the book. However, there were some points that felt like the right-wing’s version of what will happen if “wokeism” takes over. Some projections felt pretty spot on, others just felt dramatized.

My biggest critic for the book? The ending. I wish it had ended before we found out the winner. Usually, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers (which this gave anyway), but between the options I think having the election results not be shared at the end would have been a bit better. The point of the book should have been more of a warning than an actual election.

Anyway, I did enjoy reading this book, and I think the cover is fantastic as well. Overall, a pretty good read.


Rating: 3.3/5

Recommend? Sure

Hysterical!! What a brilliant statement on the state of the union. Everyone should read this satirical portrait of what could potentially take place in the United States today. I'd love to see Pedro Domingos continue this story with the hopes that all who see this book laugh and think as hard as it made me contemplate.

I loved this book! I will definitely be recommending this to everyone. I think it is a MUST read! I loved the humor, and the realness, and it reminded me of Bo Burnham's song "Funny Feeling" because, it really does just hit so much! A great eye opener to the world, served on a funny, satirical, platter.

Even by satire standards, the characters are unlikeable. Every character is underdeveloped and most are just downright undeveloped at all.

The main character’s foray into the “real” world seems very superficial, drops bits of satirical world-building but doesn’t feel worthwhile for the story. Often the commentary feels rushed and some of the it seems misguided: a man writing satirical commentary on sexual consent doesn’t come across how he might expect it to. It doesn’t provide anything meaningful to the discussion. And while satire might attempt to normalize the unethical or unsavory, this commentary seems to imply that consent has gone too far in today’s world when, in fact, it has a long way to go. This section doesn’t read to this woman as witty or edgy. Rather, it seems out of touch and even apologist. The only notable woman character is Emma who devolves into fawning over Ethan. Her only role is to serve as a subplot between Ethan and Arvind.

The story itself is rushed and seems underdeveloped in many places. The ending was unsatisfying and did not raise questions the way I had hoped it would.

Ultimately, this seemed to be more a satire about social media than about politics. I was intrigued by the political nature of the blurb but let down significantly by the execution.

Lastly, at a few points, the story gets lost in the tech jargon. As an expert, Domingos surely knows what he’s talking about but it detracts from the actual plot.

When Ethan and Arvind started their AI company, and needed a way to demonstrate the capabilities of their product, they decided to make an AI presidential candidate. PresiBot, becomes the nominee for the Republican Party, and sets off the chain of events in this book. I laughed so hard, and genuinely loved the zany mix of characters. So many social themes that concern us today are touched on within the pages of this story, as well as the dread that many feel when discussing the current limitations of AI, and what the future of AI entails. I found this to be an easy read, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment.