Being Human

by Travis Sentell, Oliver Wyman (Narrator)

An old man wakes inside his comatose, completely nonresponsive body. According to his insurance company, in order to return to his life and family, he must pass a test. As if coming out of a coma weren’t enough of a challenge, our patient must also pass the Turing test, i.e., prove he’s human to an AI resuscitation machine. This satirical but heartfelt tale reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut and Ted Chiang asks the question: Can a person articulate the deepest truths he knows to be real?

Audible Audio

Published September 2, 2022

About the author

Travis Sentell received Bachelor degrees from Emory University in Philosophy/Religion and Psychology and an honors MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In 2006, Travis was named one of the top thirty new writers under thirty by Random House, and was included in their bestselling publication, Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers: Best New Voices of 2006. He has published work in such diverse places as the Berkeley Fiction Review, the award-winning collection Silent Voices, The Binnacle, Ink Monkey Magazine, and the cult-journal Ampersand Review. His book, In the Shadow of Freedom, was published in 2010 by Atria. His novel, Fluid, was released by Coliloquy in March, 2012. Recently, he wrote the episode "Safe and Sound" for the Amazon show "Electric Dreams." Currently, he resides in Los Angeles, California, where he works as a screenwriter and novelist.

He is represented by Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose I'm just not that sentimental. The ending is supposed to make you feel uplifted I guess. It was all a little too simple to me.

[olive · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to pass the Turing test to an AI that belongs to an insurance company. How would you prove your humanity?

[Jenni Stein · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know it's a short story, but I felt it was too short to really be vested in it.