The humanoids
by Jack Williamson · first published 1949
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From back cover of Avon Books paperback April 1980: STRANGE BENEFACTORS From far beyond Earth came a generation of benevolent robots whose sole purpose was to serve man by ending wars and easing his bodily and spiritual ills. Dr. Clay Forester, brilliant scientist and citizen of the distant future, had been recruited by a band of dissidents to stop the fledgling "brave new world." But why should he try to kill humanity's only hope for everlasting peace? A vagabond band of psychic anarchists are determined to defeat the invincible robots. And Clay Forester must discover the secret o
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…stature - was Asimov's pal; their friendly barbs at each other are hilarious. Each writer has a unique style and outlook, and they're all worth reading. You'll find many unforgettable stories (such as 'The Humanoids', by Jack Williamson). Indeed, writers like James Schmitz were so far ahead of their time that they're still awaiting re-discovery.
on “Isaac Asimov: Man of 7,560,000 Words (1969)” ↗This is the plot of The Humanoids, by Jack Williamson (1947): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Folded_Hands This is an excellent example of the prescience of thoughtful science fiction. If Asimov popularized robotics and the famous…
on “OpenAI Charter” ↗With Folded Hands (novella) The Humanoids by Jack Williamson ( ~ 1949 ) Simple premise: Slowly the humanoids spread throughout the galaxy, threatening to stifle all human endeavor. ie. Humanity gets hugged to death by AI via robots that helicopter…
on “Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?” ↗Jack Williamson attempted a kind of exposition of these issues in The Humanoids (1948), the follow up to his classic story With Folded Hands (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Folded_Hands). What's interesting about the book is his attempt to validate a human existence in which…
on “AI will create 'useless class' of humans” ↗…humanity, do address it. That's about as good as it gets. Frank Herbert's Dune has the "Butlerian Jihad", but Herbert's idea of robot social organization is just humans in robot costume. Jack Williamson's "Humanoids" stories, about benign but overprotective robots, reflect someone getting the goal system slightly wrong. In more popular culture, The Forbin Project (1970), a movie which seems to be enjoying a renaissance,…
on “Why the Culture Wins: An Appreciation of Iain M. Banks (2017; by Joseph Heath)” ↗