While the plotting is inventive, Photina’s present-tense narration moves quickly, relentlessly so, with events passing so fast—and characters arriving at conclusions in such a flash—that at times key scenes lack impact, despite the strength of the ideas behind them. Still, the story has killer twists, especially those involving an upgraded Photina doppelganger named Gemini. Through betrayal and an unlikely alliance, Photina chases Gemini through Washington and New York to clear her name, all while employing a cool suite of powers and feeling overwhelmed by the temptation of human emotion.
Moskovitz explains how he used ChatGPT to help develop the story’s “decision points,” a shrewd device for a rumination on the progress of AI development. Through Photina’s observations of human feelings and interactions, Moskovitz comments on human foibles and triumphs, hubris and the capacity to love and sacrifice, which—along with insights into tech and psychology—will keep readers’ interest piqued.
Takeaway: An AI “SPUD” faces conspiracy and human emotions in this fast-moving adventure.
Comparable Titles: Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous, Martha Wells’s Network Effect.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
The Pinocchio Chip by Rick Moskovitz is an exciting short story that will turn your perception of the world, people, and emotions upside down from the beginning. The main character is an AI, who has been designed to learn all the aspects of human nature, under the expert guidance of Corinne. She is the designated human and scientist who served as its teacher and guardian, and who made it a member of her family. However, after a tragic event, the AI, named Photina by her creator Eli, who also created Photina’s more advanced and human-like counterpart Gemini, starts to experience strange visions and scary hallucinations, which make her lose significant chunks of time in the process. Not knowing whether it's a glitch in her system, an identity crisis, or an attack on her, Photina decides to leave to protect everyone around her. When it comes to choosing between her sense of survival and protecting her human family, Photina chooses the latter and sets out on a journey never thought possible.
The Pinocchio Chip is intriguing, exciting, and full of action and emotions. Rick Moskovitz describes the AI characters with such care and detail that it is hard not to think of these machines as human, even though they are not capable of experiencing and showing human emotion...yet. Moskovitz further plays with the notion of what could happen if AI becomes indistinguishable from humans. Since we are living in a world where the use of AI has taken off in recent years, he makes it even more plausible, triggering the reader's imagination with his excellent and engaging storytelling. The Pinocchio Chip is a well-crafted work of contemporary fiction, full of emotional turmoil, excitement, and intrigue, that will remind the reader of how important it is to be human in today's fast-changing world.
