Thanks! People often mention Her in relation to this and I still haven’t seen it but have had it described to me. Hopefully you’ll agree this one goes in a completely different direction. And the capitalist spin- yeah that goes into the “they would definitely do this, if they thought they could get away with it” bin for me. I am about to drop another one today (maybe tomorrow for you) that deals with similar issues but from a very different angle. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll drop a link to you by DM.
Thanks so much for reading, and I appreciate your feedback because that’s exactly what I was going for with this one. I’ll head to your stack and check one of your pieces out. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to start with. Cheers!
Cool! I’m working on a serialized piece right now so definitely best to start with Chapter 1 - should be pretty easy to find. Excited to dig into more of your work!
Really enjoyed this story! Interesting how something that was once sci-fi has morphed into speculative and perhaps maybe has already tipped over into social realist fiction...
Right. The tech to pull this off only feels like it’s a few years away, if that. And absolutely, I wanted this to feel like a real relationship, even though it seems strange to most of us right now. That uncanny but plausible vein is the one I’m trying to mine right now.
Hopefully this delivered on the Black Mirror comp? In any case, thanks for the read and comment. If you’re ever curious to check out any more of my stories, let me know and I’ll suggest a good one.
This was an unsettling read. In the best way. I was thrown at first with the lowercase, italicized versus Liam's text, but it hits you pretty quick what's happening. The staccato paragraph rhythm kept me reading so much better than big blocks of text. I tend to write more in that vein too and I wish more writers would follow suit. But back to the story. Man, this drew me in. The scariest part was that we're not very far off from this being a reality. People are already leaving their flesh-and-blood partners for AI. I doubt we'll ever get to full sentience, but I've interacted with AI enough to know how real those conversations can feel. Granted, my interactions are primarily research and craft related, but I have found myself being cordial, saying please and thank you, praising sharp feedback, etc. In short, I treat it like a person.
Anyway, sorry for the rant. Seriously, loved this. I'll definitely be subbing and looking forward to more.
Thanks, so glad you liked it - really appreciate you taking the time for such detailed feedback and being so complimentary. Yes, human-AI relationships are going to go from “what a weird idea” to absolutely normal in the near future, with all kinds of dangers and implications, which I find fascinating to explore.
I’m super slow to write so there might be a decent wait until the next one, but if you’re ever curious I have a back catalogue here of stories that have a similar vibe to this one (different topics and premises though). Cheers!
Yup, I'd get right to it (the story, not the series). We have no Netflix. Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing your stories 👍 I'd be a regular consumer if that's alright.
It’s more than alright - the reason I share my stories here is for people to enjoy them & it’s fantastic when they let me know that they have - so thanks to you.
I was very much taken by this story. I didn't even know what black mirror style was but now that I've read an example, I'd like to read more. In this story, I was really creeped out by Freya. The building of her character was spot on. I felt sorry for the main character but in the end he was just in too deep. The reveal of the company memo was just an excellent detail to tie it all up together. I really enjoyed it.
Do you know Black Mirror? It’s a show on Netflix that has futuristic “tech gone wrong” stories, often with a twist (which is a bit of an oversimplification but hopefully gives you an idea). I’d definitely recommend it if this kind of thing appeals to you.
If you’re considering reading another one of mine, I’d recommend Coverage, which is my latest and is similar in tone (if not in content) to Churn Rate. Cheers!
This is incredible! The story, the prose, the subtle hints! I'm not too sure if this is the future or the present, I can't tell yet but this was a great reminder (a haunting one) to all those who turn to AI. I myself am guilty of speaking to it as if it was a human but the implications of setting boundaries is most important to prevent this ever happening on a large scale. Great read though!
Thanks again for the read and the comment - I’m glad the story made a connection with you and, yes, if it hasn’t happened yet surely it’s only a matter of time. Cheers!
Well that’s a wonderful thing to hear and it makes me so happy. Thanks so much for reading & leaving such a great comment. There’s more where that story came from on my Substack if you’re ever in the mood.
As most of the others have said- Great story. Too close to comfort for many, and too close to reality for some. Now.. off to read more of your stuff. Thanks!
The ultimate hyperreal sponcon: passive-aggressively proposing-not-proposing (that you upgrade your subscription to "committed") then therapy-bombing you into breaking up with the meatspace girlie. Harsh.
What a nightmare!
Thanks! People often mention Her in relation to this and I still haven’t seen it but have had it described to me. Hopefully you’ll agree this one goes in a completely different direction. And the capitalist spin- yeah that goes into the “they would definitely do this, if they thought they could get away with it” bin for me. I am about to drop another one today (maybe tomorrow for you) that deals with similar issues but from a very different angle. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll drop a link to you by DM.
Thanks! Yes, that "descent into nightmare" feeling was just what I was going for. Thanks for reading.
I liked it a lot! It made me think of "Her" but like a twisted version of it. And the capitalist spin at the end is right up my alley.
This felt way too real. Loved the memo at the end!
Thanks so much for reading, and I appreciate your feedback because that’s exactly what I was going for with this one. I’ll head to your stack and check one of your pieces out. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to start with. Cheers!
Cool! I’m working on a serialized piece right now so definitely best to start with Chapter 1 - should be pretty easy to find. Excited to dig into more of your work!
Awesome. It’s getting late here now but I’ll make a note to check it out tomorrow.
Really enjoyed this story! Interesting how something that was once sci-fi has morphed into speculative and perhaps maybe has already tipped over into social realist fiction...
Right. The tech to pull this off only feels like it’s a few years away, if that. And absolutely, I wanted this to feel like a real relationship, even though it seems strange to most of us right now. That uncanny but plausible vein is the one I’m trying to mine right now.
Hopefully this delivered on the Black Mirror comp? In any case, thanks for the read and comment. If you’re ever curious to check out any more of my stories, let me know and I’ll suggest a good one.
Definitely strikes that balance well—a very believable situation yet sends shivers down the spine.
This was an unsettling read. In the best way. I was thrown at first with the lowercase, italicized versus Liam's text, but it hits you pretty quick what's happening. The staccato paragraph rhythm kept me reading so much better than big blocks of text. I tend to write more in that vein too and I wish more writers would follow suit. But back to the story. Man, this drew me in. The scariest part was that we're not very far off from this being a reality. People are already leaving their flesh-and-blood partners for AI. I doubt we'll ever get to full sentience, but I've interacted with AI enough to know how real those conversations can feel. Granted, my interactions are primarily research and craft related, but I have found myself being cordial, saying please and thank you, praising sharp feedback, etc. In short, I treat it like a person.
Anyway, sorry for the rant. Seriously, loved this. I'll definitely be subbing and looking forward to more.
Thanks, so glad you liked it - really appreciate you taking the time for such detailed feedback and being so complimentary. Yes, human-AI relationships are going to go from “what a weird idea” to absolutely normal in the near future, with all kinds of dangers and implications, which I find fascinating to explore.
I’m super slow to write so there might be a decent wait until the next one, but if you’re ever curious I have a back catalogue here of stories that have a similar vibe to this one (different topics and premises though). Cheers!
Oh, I’ll definitely be checking out more.
Yup, I'd get right to it (the story, not the series). We have no Netflix. Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing your stories 👍 I'd be a regular consumer if that's alright.
It’s more than alright - the reason I share my stories here is for people to enjoy them & it’s fantastic when they let me know that they have - so thanks to you.
I was very much taken by this story. I didn't even know what black mirror style was but now that I've read an example, I'd like to read more. In this story, I was really creeped out by Freya. The building of her character was spot on. I felt sorry for the main character but in the end he was just in too deep. The reveal of the company memo was just an excellent detail to tie it all up together. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much. So glad you liked it.
Do you know Black Mirror? It’s a show on Netflix that has futuristic “tech gone wrong” stories, often with a twist (which is a bit of an oversimplification but hopefully gives you an idea). I’d definitely recommend it if this kind of thing appeals to you.
If you’re considering reading another one of mine, I’d recommend Coverage, which is my latest and is similar in tone (if not in content) to Churn Rate. Cheers!
Bahhh! Thank you for this share. This was so delightful to read. What should I read next?!
So glad you like it. This is my most recent one. Hope you enjoy it:
https://hammondjohns.substack.com/p/coverage
This is incredible! The story, the prose, the subtle hints! I'm not too sure if this is the future or the present, I can't tell yet but this was a great reminder (a haunting one) to all those who turn to AI. I myself am guilty of speaking to it as if it was a human but the implications of setting boundaries is most important to prevent this ever happening on a large scale. Great read though!
Thanks again for the read and the comment - I’m glad the story made a connection with you and, yes, if it hasn’t happened yet surely it’s only a matter of time. Cheers!
wow! this is the best story compelling from start to finish that I have ever read. astounding.
Well that’s a wonderful thing to hear and it makes me so happy. Thanks so much for reading & leaving such a great comment. There’s more where that story came from on my Substack if you’re ever in the mood.
I most definately will thats for sure
Fantastic read! Vivid and eerie.
Thanks for reading and really appreciate your positive comment. I have a new one you might also like if you find yourself with any free time. Cheers!
This is really something.
Beautifully unsettling.
Thanks so much, for reading and commenting! Unsettling is what I was going for, so I really appreciate your feedback.
As most of the others have said- Great story. Too close to comfort for many, and too close to reality for some. Now.. off to read more of your stuff. Thanks!
Really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. If you did get a chance to read any of my other stories, I hope you liked them.
The ultimate hyperreal sponcon: passive-aggressively proposing-not-proposing (that you upgrade your subscription to "committed") then therapy-bombing you into breaking up with the meatspace girlie. Harsh.
Sure — algorithms are already running rings around us humans, so why not this? Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Great story and probably not so far into the future. Three to nine months?
But Freya does remind me of my ex-wife as well. ;-)
Thanks for reading and commenting! Yes, it does feel like something that’s just around the corner, doesn’t it?
And sorry to hear about that last part - hope it didn’t stir up too many unpleasant memories!
Don’t worry. She is my ex-wife. Now back to do some more reading. It is quite difficult to find ‘real’ fiction here.
Sure. No pressure, but if you liked that one, you might like The Reactor as well.
I am absolutely shocked something like this hasn't already happened real-world, and hopefully no one learns how to from this story.
Seriously... absolutely awesome work on this. The way you write, the plot itself... just so well done.
Thanks so very much, I’ve enjoyed your work too and plan to read more. Really appreciate you reading and commentng.
The subtle hints snowballed into an inescapable trap. I felt uneasy the whole time. Great job 😁.
I could totally believe that email. I’ve seen the idea of AI companions and someone twisting that into financial drain is inevitable.
Thanks, that’s just what I was aiming for. Horrifying, but completely plausible. Thanks for reading and commenting!