(Reviewed by JD Jung)
#CommissionsEarned
“Don’t think, Google, that the value of human acts can be measured in visits or by keeping track of how much information or money they generate.”
Mateo, a twenty-two-year-old Spanish college student wants to apply for a job with Google. He believes that if he is hired, he can affect change within the organization and alter its course to be more responsive to the needs of its employees and that of society as a whole.
He meets Olga, a sixty-two-year-old retired mathematician at the library and she helps him complete the job application. However, she insists on not submitting a traditional application, but one in essay form, which is the major content of this novel.
Though their backgrounds are totally different and of course, their life experience, their common interest is robots. Their friendship centers around the philosophical discussion of artificial intelligence becoming predominant in this human world.
Stay This Day and Night With Me delves into the world of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human. Issues such as privilege, merit, and freedom are explored in addition to suffering, regret, and desperation. If Google had the capability of fighting injustice, would it even pursue that goal?
We also learn about Mateo and Olga’s stories and become deeply involved in their lives, present and past. This adds to the human component of the story.
Though this novel is original in its approach, it is very timely with recent headlines of the nefarious use of artificial intelligence. It is heavy on the philosophical side but gives readers a lot to think about.
