Author(s): Kiara Wright
Mentor(s): Nicole Dib
Institution SUU
Many science fiction texts explore the relationship between humanity and technology, often portraying technology as a threatening, oppositional force: an unnatural intrusion into the natural world of the human. Nnedi Okorafor’s 2020 short story “Mother of Invention” diverges from this tradition. Rather than shirking the use of artificial intelligence, the main character embraces it and accepts it as an essential part of her life. This paper seeks to demonstrate how the traditional, negative portrayal of artificial intelligence can become positive when it is outmatched by larger forces: specifically, societal decay and climate change. Using genre theory to consider the expectations and genre cues of speculative fiction, my paper will examine how speculative elements throughout the short story ask readers to reconsider technological development as an emotional resource, rather than a purely material one. Set in a dystopian future, Okorafor’s story follows the relationship between a pregnant woman and her smart home as they try to survive catastrophic storms with only each other for company. Similar to other canonical works of science fiction, the story places humanity and technology in opposition to each other; however, the artificial intelligence becomes a savior while humanity and its destruction of the environment is revealed to be the real threat. I propose that the smart home is a necessary resource that provides protection and genuine connection in the face of social decay, as the general population is characterized by greed and superficiality. In conversation with technological determinism and Marxist production theory, the paper will also explore the necessity of the smart home and how the presence of artificial intelligence within the domestic sphere shapes the society as depicted in the fictional work, ultimately making it more humane for ostracized members of the population. I will argue that artificial intelligence is positioned as the superior source of connection, acceptance, and protection in a world riddled with greed, apathy, and climate change.