Richard Powers, renowned for his award-winning works and insightful commentary on technology and nature, continues to reshape literary landscapes with his latest novel, Playground. Living in solitude in the Great Smoky Mountains, Powers blends his passion for environmentalism with his longstanding interest in technology. The story revolves around Todd Keane, a tech mogul with dementia reflecting on his past and the social network he created. The narrative intertwines personal histories with pressing issues surrounding AI and its environmental implications, making Playground a compelling exploration of our intertwined digital and natural worlds.
Zoom is essentially the only way one can interview a writer who, for the last decade, has lived in complete solitude and communion with nature.
Powers took a half-step away from science fiction to explore environmentalism, now he integrates technological fiction and climate warning in Playground.
The plot centers on Todd Keane, a tech magnate who suffers from dementia and reminisces about his childhood, creating a social network.
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of Galatea 2.2, a novel in which Powers describes, with terrifying precision, the training of a generative AI's neuronal network.
Collection
[
|
...
]