KEN LIU’S THE ALGORITHMS FOR LOVE: HUMANITY IN CRISIS IN A WORLD GOVERNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

This article aims to explore the crisis of humanity when facing unprecedented developments in artificial intelligence. Applying Darko Suvin’s framework of the poetics of the science fiction genre, particularly the two concepts of cognitive estrangement and novum, this article will elaborate on not only the fundamental poetics of the genre, but also the ways in which Ken Liu employs it to convey a sense of suspicion surrounding the disorienting speed of scientific progress. Through the protagonist’s frenzied internal conflict with her state-of-theart smart robot dolls, The Algorithms for Love reflects the wave of skepticism regarding technological advances in modern science fiction.