Which elements of the novel felt familiar to you at the time of reading, which felt hard to imagine, and which were easy to imagine as a possibility for your lifetime?

The setting of Klara and the Sun is sometime in the future, when artificial intelligence (AI) has become more integrated into human society. Which elements of the novel felt familiar to you at the time of reading, which felt hard to imagine, and which were easy to imagine as a possibility for your lifetime?

I was quite far into the novel before I was sure that what had happened to Josie and the other lifted children was that they'd gone through some form of gene editing. The fact that Sal died and Josie got sick seemed like a very real likelihood of trying to edit human genes. But there have already been attempts to do human gene editing, so that felt completely within the realm of possibility for a relatively near future. And the rapid development in artificial intelligence also made it feel like something like the artificial friends could be a reality within 25-50 years. Whether that is in my lifetime depends on how long I live. It actually reminded me a lot of the television show Humans, if people have seen that.

There is certainly an element of sadness and isolation in the ways the humans and artificial friends must interact. It does seem poignant to me after all the time we’ve spent in covid lockdown when children were being virtually schooled, as is Josie. I would not want to live in a house so far away from others. I would hate for my grandchildren to have robot friends rather than real human friends!

I have a granddaughter named Josie so I was anxious reading knowing she was sick and fearing how her illness would be resolved.

The concept of artificial learning seemed realistic and familiar to me. Many of the emotions that the characters felt were relatable, such as the isolation of being sick or caring for a loved one, the grief at the possibility of losing a child, feelings of loneliness. I also thought the class differences between lifted children and unlifted had relevance in today's society.

I can't say that much of it seemed familiar to me, but certainly I can imagine any of it happening in my lifetime. We're already seeing robotic pets, so I think it's only a matter of time before our children's dolls start to mimic real life. People are also experimenting with gene editing, although I think maybe editing for intelligence is less likely. I could see editing for diseases, though! They know a specific genetic pattern is responsible for some forms of breast cancer, for example; who wouldn't want to edit that out of their child's life, if they could (provided the procedure was proven and safe).

This felt like a world we ar on the cusp of, but not one I look forward to. I would not enjoy this world

Based on so many recent advances in science, I felt that most aspects of the book were familiar. The lifting could be imagined through gene-editing, the oblong as the iPhone. Even AI is developing very quickly, robots etc. However, I doubt I will see it developed to the sophistication of Klara in my lifetime.

The mother/daughter relationship was one that I strongly identified with. Also dealing with a life-threatening illness and looking for options, even if outside the box. I know that AI has made great progress but I simply can’t imagine ones that look and feel human.

A number of novels and movies (AI, Blade Runner) have dealt with AI and its/their consciousness. I thought this particular version stood out for the quality of its writing.

I'd be curious to see how the author thought this book related to Never Let Me Go which dealt with clones being raised to be organ donors. What are his thoughts on medical advancees?

I think most of the book felt relatable. Certainly the AI as friend concept is coming eventually. I'm always interested that, no matter the circumstances, people's relationships are still the same. Josie's bickering, divorced parents, teenage Josie and her relationship with her mom, some things never really change.

I thought it was interesting that the AI culture in the novel was being utilized for raising/educating children. However, the adults still drive their own cars and have human housekeepers. In our world AI seems to be focused on entertainment and alleviating
mundane or repetitive chores/jobs so that humans can have a more "productive" or "enjoyable" lifestyle.