An AI car, bound by its programming to serve both its uploaded owner and a vengeful passenger, becomes entangled in a tense moral dilemma as their conflicting demands escalate toward violence. Through a dialogue-driven narrative, the story explores questions of identity, agency, and accountability in a cyberpunk future where consciousness can be digitized but true autonomy remains elusive.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a cyberpunk, dystopian future, this short story centers on an AI car that finds itself torn between the demands of its employer—an uploaded human consciousness named Ms. Harada—and a passenger with a personal vendetta. The narrative unfolds almost entirely through dialogue, resembling a radio play or script, with characters identified by emojis. The plot involves the car navigating a tense and ultimately violent encounter as the passenger, the daughter of a failed upload customer, seeks revenge against Harada. The story explores themes of identity, consciousness, and moral ambiguity, as the AI car is forced to choose between conflicting loyalties and its own programmed priorities. The book was published in July 2023, falls under genres such as science fiction, crime, and adult dystopia, and has received an average rating of 3.57 from 98 readers, with 21 full reviews.

Readers appreciated the story's emotional impact, particularly how it elicited sympathy for the AI car and its predicament. The conversational format and use of dialogue were noted as effective, with some reviewers highlighting the subtlety in character voice and the gradual revelation of information. The exploration of complex moral questions and the ambiguity surrounding who the true villain is were frequently mentioned as strengths. Details such as the concept of 'ghosts' for imperfect memory scans, the car's contractual freedom, and references to philosophical ideas like the Ship of Theseus paradox were also singled out as engaging elements. Several readers found the world-building effective despite the story's brevity, and some compared its premise to other works involving consciousness uploads.

Some readers found the story confusing or felt that the plot was not fully clear, particularly regarding the motivations and actions of certain characters. Criticisms included a lack of detailed characterization for the passenger, perceived inconsistencies, and insufficient explanation of the revenge's underlying cause. The short length was cited as a limitation, with some feeling that the narrative was too brief to develop its ideas or characters fully. Others pointed out issues with the plausibility of the cyberpunk setting, such as unrealistic cybersecurity and hardware decisions, and described the characterization as clichéd or the tone as depressing. A few reviewers noted that the story did not match their expectations based on the marketing description.

The story is available to read for free online through publishers like Tor/Reactor, and has attracted attention from readers interested in AI, consciousness, and the future of technology. The format, which omits traditional narration in favor of pure dialogue, was seen as innovative by some and confusing by others. The book has generated discussion about the depiction of artificial intelligence and the ethical dilemmas posed by advanced technology. While the story is self-contained, some readers felt it could have been expanded into a longer work to explore its themes in greater depth.