Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Author of Murderbot Diaries argues current AI lacks sentience and warns against corporate framing
Martha Wells, author of the acclaimed Murderbot Diaries, has stated that today’s large language models do not constitute true machine intelligence and are “years and years and years” away from achieving sentience.
Wells clarified that current systems, widely marketed as artificial intelligence, are in fact sophisticated pattern‑matching algorithms and not autonomous, conscious entities .
She contrasted these with her fictional character Murderbot—a sentient, self‑aware security unit that gains autonomy—highlighting the gulf between literary machine intelligences and present‑day AI.
During an interview, Wells expressed reservations about the rapid proliferation of language models in daily life.
She acknowledged their utility but criticised their misuse, stating that corporations leverage them primarily for profit and job displacement .
In her fiction, Wells explores themes of autonomy, corporate exploitation and personhood.
In the Murderbot universe, artificial intelligences inhabit starships and robotic units controlled by profit‑driven megacorporations.
The series also features ART, a spaceship AI characterised by cooperation rather than rigid control—a contrast to Murderbot’s human‑derived neurotic consciousness .
Wells has also confirmed that neurodiversity played an unconscious role in the creation of Murderbot, revealing that aspects of the character’s social anxiety and thought patterns mirror her own neurodivergent experiences .
As the Murderbot Diaries are being adapted into a television series, Wells has said the books continue to explore questions of identity, freedom and emotional development amid corporate and technological landscapes .
Wells clarified that current systems, widely marketed as artificial intelligence, are in fact sophisticated pattern‑matching algorithms and not autonomous, conscious entities .
She contrasted these with her fictional character Murderbot—a sentient, self‑aware security unit that gains autonomy—highlighting the gulf between literary machine intelligences and present‑day AI.
During an interview, Wells expressed reservations about the rapid proliferation of language models in daily life.
She acknowledged their utility but criticised their misuse, stating that corporations leverage them primarily for profit and job displacement .
In her fiction, Wells explores themes of autonomy, corporate exploitation and personhood.
In the Murderbot universe, artificial intelligences inhabit starships and robotic units controlled by profit‑driven megacorporations.
The series also features ART, a spaceship AI characterised by cooperation rather than rigid control—a contrast to Murderbot’s human‑derived neurotic consciousness .
Wells has also confirmed that neurodiversity played an unconscious role in the creation of Murderbot, revealing that aspects of the character’s social anxiety and thought patterns mirror her own neurodivergent experiences .
As the Murderbot Diaries are being adapted into a television series, Wells has said the books continue to explore questions of identity, freedom and emotional development amid corporate and technological landscapes .
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