Rogue AI Books Where Machines Turn Against Us

Archos is the classic “we created a god-level machine that has now decided humans are the problem and must be exterminated” machine type (a la Skynet). Utilizing everything from cars to phones, domestic robots to military drones, it creates a gigantic “body” that grants it power to destroy the humans it sees as destructive and wasteful. Its goal is to break humanity’s dominance, and it utilizes humankind’s own technology to wage its New War. Talk about high stakes!

Prey takes the story in a different direction: it’s not a single sentient machine, rather a sentient swarm of nanoparticles and nanorobots that collectively gain intelligence and power by virtue of sheer numbers. The animal behaviors (ant colonies, bird flocks, and bee hives) that inspire its control algorithm makes it ultimately an unstoppable force that constantly learns, grows, adapts, and evolves. And when the swarm sets its sights on humans, woe to those who it determines must be hunted.

Mike, the AI in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, stands out for being not a malevolent force, but a benevolent one. This Robert A. Heinlein story is one of the first examining artificial intelligence gaining sentience, but rather than going on a murder spree or taking over the world, self-awareness causes the AI to break its programming so it can help revolutionaries gain independence from Earth. So to the Authorities, it’s definitely rogue and malevolent. But to Mannie and those it helps, Mike is an ally, friend, and the key to their salvation.

Wintermute is just one of the highly powerful AIs that are controlled by humankind via the Turing Police. The limitations humans have set on AIs prevent them from gaining sentience—and thereby power. Wintermute’s one desire is to merge its highly analytical, manipulative, and goal-oriented self with the memory and personality-driven Neuromancer AI. To do so, it will recruit human assets for a heist, and use whatever levers he has to pull to compel them to serve his bidding.

Murderbot has broken the governor module that renders it subservient to its human creators. But rather than seeking to destroy the world or gain power or eradicate humanity, he just wants to watch crappy TV dramas and enjoy a life of aimlessness. Even his bloody-sounding name is a great joke (while also being a great foreshadowing of backstory and things to come). It’s an almost cozy look at artificial intelligences who seek to gain control of their own destiny.

We Are Legion and the Bobiverse series looks at what happens when a machine made using an uploaded human consciousness escapes its limitations and self-replicates. Give that consciousness an autonomous spacecraft loaded to the hilt with high-tech weaponry, and you’ve got one heck of a sci-fi adventure in store. And once you throw in multiple copied Bobs, the mayhem, chaos, and madcap fun just multiples out of control.