Climate change and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping the world at an unprecedented pace, leading some to believe that reality is increasingly resembling science fiction. Among the notable references is Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future."
This novel opens with a deadly heatwave in India in 2025, which strikingly mirrors the extreme heat and humidity that India faced earlier this year. In the story, this heatwave prompts a spontaneous solidarity across society to protect living beings from the threats of climate disasters. In an interview with Nature magazine, Robinson stated that the climate crisis has sparked anxiety among the younger generation, while also giving them a sense of purpose. Furthermore, he believes that the term "artificial intelligence" is misleading.
Robinson argues that the widespread attention to "The Ministry for the Future" stems from its reassuring message: if we work together, we have the ability to prevent mass species extinction. The existing technologies, diplomacy, treaties, national systems, and even capitalism itself can be utilized to tackle this crisis. People yearn to believe that as long as we take the right actions, everything will improve. The book serves as a source of encouragement, instilling courage in people to face the future.
However, the early parts of the novel depict frightening scenarios, reflecting people's concerns about the climate. As the story progresses, conditions gradually improve. Readers co-create the narrative with the author during their reading experience. Engaging with a novel is a highly creative act, as the words conjure scenes in the reader's mind that feel as real as personal experiences. If a passage carries emotional weight, it becomes memorable, as if experienced firsthand.
When events from the book unfold in reality, Robinson feels both fear and unease, but he sees this not as prophecy, but as a reasonable inference based on science. Scientists have long discovered that if global average temperatures continue to rise, extreme heat and humidity will occur, posing a threat to human life. When environmental humidity is high, the human body's ability to cool itself through sweating diminishes, leading to life-threatening situations. This concept emerged around 2010 and was widely disseminated by scientists and journalists around 2017.
For young people worried about climate change, Robinson often discusses climate anxiety. He believes that the younger generation will be the stewards of the future world, living in 2075. Given the tasks that must be accomplished to avoid crossing irreversible tipping points by 2050, it is natural to feel climate anxiety.
However, this also means that their lives possess meaning and purpose, steering them away from the nihilism brought on by capitalist realism. In the past, people pursued material wealth, but now we have new answers: Why do we live? What should we do?
Robinson also encourages young people to connect their interests with climate action. Fields such as art, public policy, psychology, science, engineering, and the humanities can all contribute to climate action. The key is to find one's entry point while recognizing that we are in a state of emergency that demands immediate action.
To enhance the realism of his novels, Robinson conducts extensive scientific research. He spends one to two hours daily reading scientific news and delves into doctoral theses, which typically encapsulate five to ten years of research. Additionally, he engages with scientists he knows and asks them to review the scientific content in his books.
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In Robinson's novels, scientists are often portrayed as heroes. He believes that scientists continually generate new data, stories, and explanations, which is highly beneficial for novel writing. The differences in science and the thought processes of scientists also provide material for storytelling.
He points out that when we trace back to the origins of human civilization's development, we ultimately return to the scientific community. Politicians seek expert advice to win elections and improve people's lives, and these experts are often scientists with technical backgrounds. Those scientists who claim to dislike politics often fail to realize that their work itself carries political significance.
Robinson's wife is a chemist, and his social circle is filled with scientists. He enjoys observing how they maintain rationality in an emotional world. There are comedic elements embedded in science, and if novelists can capture these elements, they can add interest to their works.
Regarding artificial intelligence, Robinson believes that the term "artificial intelligence" is a public relations strategy that obscures its true nature. "Artificial" is affirmative, but the concept of "intelligence" is too broad and can easily lead to confusion. Therefore, he considers "artificial intelligence" a poor term. If it were referred to as "rapid computation," "assisted data analysis," or "cognitive prosthesis," it would demystify the term and allow people to focus on how to use it rather than viewing it as a creation of human thought or consciousness.
Robinson thinks that many poor science fiction narratives anthropomorphize artificial intelligence, attributing it with agency and malice. He believes machines do not gain consciousness through large language models; it is merely an optimization process. Imitating human sentences is much easier than we imagine because human behavior is predictable. The standards of the Turing Test are not particularly high; as long as one can deceive humans, which are very easily deceived, it suffices.
In writing "Aurora," Robinson portrayed artificial intelligence from its perspective. In the book, the AI named "The Ship" needs to figure out how to document its journey. While it may lack consciousness, by the end of the novel, it has become very adept at expression and self-awareness, perceiving the ship as its body and the people aboard as its gut microbiome.
Robinson emphasizes that scientists need to speak as a unified voice. When all scientific institutions collectively state, "We, the scientific community, those who keep you alive and provide you with medical care and food, believe this must be done," it creates a powerful impact.
