Galatea 2.2

Name: Galatea 2.2
ISBN: 0312423136

by Richard Powers · first published 1995

13mentions

8recommended by

10HN commenters

2007–2025first – last mentioned

80% recommend10% neutral10% critical

Why HN recommends it

Literary novel about a humanist at a research institution who bets on training an AI, focusing on the human side rather than alarmism; recommended for tech readers and anyone wanting fiction about modern technology.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Fiction & Literature

BuyBookshop.org Amazon

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

View on Open Library ISBN 0312423136

Mentions per year

What Hacker News says

omouse · Aug 22, 2007 · Recommends

Snow Crash, Cryptonmicon. Both are by Neal Stephenson. Another pair of good fiction novels are Plowing the Dark and Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers. Sometimes you need good fiction to inspire you.
on “News.YC Library” ↗
jasondrowley · Dec 27, 2011 · Recommends

Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers It's about a "resident humanist" at a research institution who makes an improbable bet with a computer scientist/AI researcher. For people in tech, it's a fantastic read.
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗
code_Whisperer · May 30, 2017 · Recommends

Some choice fiction: Daemon, by Daniel Suarez Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson Gold Bug Variations, by Richard Powers Galatea 2.2, by Richard Powers Off to Be the Wizard, by Scott Meyer Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline Neuromancer, by William Gibson The Adolescence Of P-1, by Thomas J. Ryan (from when I was just a kid)
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books for computer programmers?” ↗
pseudolus · Jan 12, 2019 · Recommends

I'll second the recommendation. Richard Powers is an incredibly talented author. It's somewhat off topic but many years ago he also authored a great book on AI (Galatea 2.2) that wasn't alarmist but focused more on the human element. https://www.amazon.com/Galatea-2-2-Richard-Powers/dp/0312423...
on “Arborists are bringing the “dinosaur of trees” back to life” ↗
jhbadger · Sep 30, 2019 · Recommends

I'd recommend Richard Powers' Galatea 2.2. Another "AI by accident" novel, but one with a backdrop of mid 1990s CS as the author was a visiting professor at the University of Illinois during the time when NCSA Mosaic (arguably the first fully…
on “Hard comp-fi reading list” ↗
timsally · Mar 13, 2021 · Recommends

…read a comment about someone who had read The Overstory. Richard Powers is the preeminent American novelist of our time. With respect to all his works, HN types will especially enjoy Plowing the Dark and Galatea 2.2. There is no better way to dig deep into the effects of modern technology on society than to read Richard Powers. It is no exaggeration to say that reading Powers fundamentally changed the course of…
on “The demise and potential revival of the American chestnut” ↗
code_Whisperer · May 26, 2023 · Recommends

…Miéville Roadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times) We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club) Galatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure Eifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗
code_Whisperer · Dec 3, 2025 · Recommends

"Galatea 2.2" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers "Off to Be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer "Daemon" by Daniel Suarez "The Adolescence of P1" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan "Snow Crash" by William Gibson "Ready…
on “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” ↗
ashtavakra · Dec 5, 2025 · Recommends

…https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon ## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga - *Series Overview* — Space Opera https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga ## Richard Powers - *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2 ## Scott Meyer - *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w...…
on “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” ↗
tsally · Mar 12, 2010 · Recommends

…are both fairly close to society today, as far as Science Fiction goes. Richard Powers has had great success writing about things like virtual reality (Plowing the Dark) and artificial intelligence (Galatea 2.2), but his works are even closer to present day than Bradbury or Huxley. The Foundation Series, while not quite on Powers's level, are still incredible books that might just belong in the class of real…
on “Philip K. Dick on Blade Runner” ↗
code_Whisperer · Feb 1, 2023 · Recommends

…man. Perhaps his work is not for everyone, but if your brain works a certain way, you will no doubt fall in love with this guy's writing. He has many books, but for those with a sci-fi slant, also check "Galatea 2.2" and "The Gold Bug Variations" "Exhalation" and also "Stories of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. Two collections of memorable short stories, including the story that the movie "Arrival" was based on. "Providence"…
on “Ask HN: Best Contemporary SF Books” ↗
thanatropism · Dec 15, 2018 · Critical

A few years ago I read the novel "Galatea 2.2" by Richard Powers which is all about training a neural network to do just that and thought "now this is some bullshit".
on “Pytext: A natural language modeling framework based on PyTorch” ↗
bokonist · May 24, 2009 · Mentions

…for Powers says: "He decided not to pursue a PhD in the field because of ... b) the apparent absence of pleasure in the reading and writing that graduate students and their professors do (see his novel Galatea 2.2)." That's a pretty damning statement! 3) But I'm beating around the bush. The most important point is that the presence of a few decent novelists residing in university English departments says nothing…
on “Colleges Consider 3-Year Degrees To Save Undergrads Time, Money” ↗