The Lifecycle of Software Objects

Ted Chiang
SF Chiang


This is the story of two people and the artificial intelligences they helped create, following them for more than a decade as they deal with the upgrades and obsolescence that are inevitable in the world of software. At the same time, it's an examination of the difference between processing power and intelligence, and of what it means to have a real relationship with an artificial entity.

AI Possible Futures

  • The Mother Code


  • Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe


  • The Lifecycle of Software Objects


  • House of Suns


  • Excession


  • Autonomous


  • Emergent Properties


  • Foe


  • Sea of Rust


  • A Closed and Common Orbit


  • Klara and the Sun


  • Black holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe