Jan 11: Sci-Fi Authors Talk AI

​Vernon Area Public Library joins more than 200 other Illinois libraries to host an online program, “Speculating About Our AI Future with Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu and Martha Wells” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 11. Three science fiction authors will discuss the promise, perils and possible impacts of artificial intelligence. 

• Sign up

A recording of the event will be available for two weeks following to registrants only. 

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction novelist, journalist and technology activist. He is the author of many books, including The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, a Big Tech disassembly manual; Red Team Blues, a science fiction crime thriller; Chokepoint Capitalism, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; and the Little Brother series for young adults. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. He also serves as a special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. 

Ken Liu is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards, he wrote the Dandelion Dynasty series, as well as the Star Wars novel The Legends of Luke Skywalker. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer and litigation consultant. Liu frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking and the mathematics of origami.

Martha Wells is a bestselling fiction writer whose work includes the Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King. She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, young adult novels and nonfiction. She is the winner of Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards and Locus Awards. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in 25 languages. 

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. 

ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).