Dream Machine

by Appupen, Laurent Daudet

A TIMELY STORY ABOUT THE ADVENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS.
The founder of an AI start-up at the core of the ChatGPT revolution, is on the verge of selling his technology to a large digital conglomerate when he begins to see and hear things that raise questions about the true motivations of his client. Is this the deal every entrepreneur dream of, or the start of a long and difficult battle that threatens humanity as we know it?
Writer and artist Appupen and co-writer Laurent Daudet deliver the most urgent story of our time in all its many dimensions. Exciting, baffling, ethically challenging, it demands engagement, and action

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science, Artificial Intelligence, Technology

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comics as visual storytelling medium is really powerful. You can use it to explain complex topics with good drawing and relatable story lines. The Dream Machine is an excellent example of this power of this medium. Lauren Daudet (An AI researcher) and Graphic novelist Appupen combine to cover explanation of how AI (or more specifically Neural Networks and LLMs) work. The story starts off with the explanation of how technology works and how the different components of Neural networks work together. Slowly the narrative shifts to more dystopian tale of how large corporations are using AI to control the narrative about themselves and the world. It doesn't seem farfetched if you have been reading the news and following the rapidly evolving world of AI. The last portion of the story strikes a more hopeful tone about how the world can be better of with AI if it is used a variety of fields such as education healthcare and improving our daily personal lives as as assistant. The last chapter of the book innovatively contains scenarios of the endings as generated by ChatGPT (both text and images). The artwork and palette are really well illustrated. Also some of Appupen's (George Mathen) characters such as Rastraman make an appearance with some nice Easter eggs. A book worth reading for the AI explanations. the innovative style and the gripping story line as well.

[Larakaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive yet accessible. The artwork is a bit too illustrative for my personal taste and often lacks dynamics but it's still good. Read it if you want to understand AI

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to find a signed copy in the bookshop. This was a timely tale about the dangers of AI and huge corporations, such as Facebook. The art was nice but the book was dual-tone only and not full colour. This was a nice read and I would try to read more books by the author or more graphic novels from the Indian authors. So till then I shall go and Keep on Reading.

I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.

[Prashanth Srivatsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into the exponentially growing AI revolution, the good, the bad, the ugly depicted from the point of view of scientists, artists and the common folk.

Appupens illustrations embody both the beauty and the terror of AI's true potential. It's a book that ought to be read by a group of friends, and then sit around a dinner table and discuss.

[Rehana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dream Machine is a graphic novel about AI and its significance and complications in human lives. Hugo, the protagonist, is the founder of an AI startup who is about to merge deals with a tech supergiant, REAL.E, whose entire vision is to take over the world with the help of artificial intelligence. After discussing his doubts with his partner Anna and his friends, Hugo is caught in a moral dilemma. Now, Hugo has to decide what he wants quickly or else he will suffer one way or the other. 
 
I went in with the least expectations into this book because sci-fi is not for me. I haven’t enjoyed science fiction on AI as much as I should have before. But this book was an instant hit. It stuck with me since the first page, and I knew I would like it. The illustrations and the storyline were outstanding. The way the dangers of unsupervised and overuse of AI are narrated through fiction is commendable. At some point, you realise you are taking in a lot of information in the form of a story and yet you do not feel overwhelmed at all.
 
There is also social commentary, discussion on climate change and a dystopian world, politics, and world affairs. A lot of information I received from this book was new to me and I am glad I read this book. Definitely a must-read to understand how artificial intelligence can be used to support humanity and how it can be destructive when dealt with by people who abuse its power. And it is a graphic novel. So, it doesn’t really take much of your time. Hugo is the new superhero you must look out for. 
 

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘‘Dream Machine: AI and the Real World‘‘ is a graphic novel that blends polemic, meditation, and fiction to warn against the dangers of corporate-controlled generative artificial intelligence (gen AI).

Appupen's creative talent shows through in the images that accompany the story, adding to the visual experience and complementing the thought-provoking ideas discussed in the book. The combination of ideas, science, and storytelling in ‘‘Dream Machine‘‘ offers an engaging and intellectually stimulating reading experience, allowing readers to consider a future in which AI enhances rather than limits human potential.

This graphic novel is a must-read for anybody interested in the growing landscape of AI and its tremendous influence on society.

To sum up, ‘‘Dream Machine: AI and the Real World‘‘ is an engrossing book that gets into the possible ramifications of AI, providing a relevant and emotional contemplation on the ethical and moral implications of technological advancement. This graphic novel provokes thoughtful considerations on how technology shapes our shared future and is a crucial contribution to the conversation on AI, ethics, and creativity.

[Ajay Ramaseshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non technical easy to read take on the recent developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The story has been written in a style of a graphic novel. The central character in this movie owns a small startup and is excited to sell his idea and get acquired by a huge coglomerate. However, later he discovers their intentions are not so straightforward. And he could just become a pawn in their big game of automating the world losing control over his intellectual property, his employees etc.
The danger of AI eliminating jobs, misinformation and deepfakes spreading hate and propaganda, reducing attention span amongst youngsters due to addiction to digital devices, the never ending "upskilling rat race" to stay relevant as technology grows at an exponential pace which is causing mental fatigue is brought out well in this book. The cartoon illustrations by Appupen are vivid, beautiful and captiviating.
If anyone wants a sneakpeek into this field without technical details and wants to understand how the world would look like a decade from now with the AI field maturing, this is a great read.

[Nikhil Kamath · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dream Machine provides insights into the Artificial Intelligence revolution over the years.

Set as a story of an entrepreneur who runs his own AI-startup, the book takes you through the various nuances of the technology and how AI has its own pros and cons. Hugo is on the verge of signing the deal of a lifetime if a tech giant, but is sceptical of the motive of this company and how they want to use the technology he and his team have developed.

As the story progresses you get to learn the insights about how the technology works and how it can be a destructive force if it is in the wrong hands. The book takes inspiration from various real life instances and uses them to take the story forward.

Towards the end the authors have highlighted how AI can even develop stories and art with the right kind of prompts.

Overall, I found this book to be very engaging. It is a little text-heavy for a graphic novel, but is a good source of information as well.

[Ashwini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dream Machine is a simulacrum of the current discourse on AI - it is techno-optimism interspersed with unanswered questions on societal impact, energy consumption and the digital divide. This book acts as a primer to understanding the hype that surrounds AI. The last chapter of the book is poignant in that it allows the reader (and in effect humanity) to decide what the ending of the book will be through our actions and it's resulting consequences. I was hoping to see the book pick a lane in the discourse and explore the nuance within but it remains a surface level exploration and thus a great introduction to the topic.

[Faizan Ansari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an introduction to where AI is right now and how we must all think about it - not as an inevitable step for progress but with more thought and caution. Excellent art by Appupen if that's your thing. There are times when I wished the graphic novel was more entertaining, or just had more punches per page, but this one is definitely more educational than anything else. Quick read though - 2-4 hours.

[subzero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is a
1. Basic intro to what is an LLM and what is AI
2. Social commentary on the state of the business of AI and the risks
3. Pointed commentary against some large AI-first tech companies and their real involvement in making a lot of money at the expense of a lot of things we cherish.

It was not preachy, it was fearful. Which is why I strongly recommend the book.

[Anders · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was neat but also kind of boring. It's terribly topical but instead of going for a more engaging story, it does a lot of time "educating" the reader on the practical and real-life contexts of AI. I actually respect and like that choice-they do it well-, but like I said, it becomes a bit dry in sections.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then we get a graphic novel designed to put across some aspect of science and technology while simultaneously entertaining the reader - and for the most part they try hard and then fail painfully. The most succesful I've seen so far is Robin Cousin's The Phantom Scientist - but I'm afraid Dream Machine doesn't come close.

The storyline features a small AI startup with an impressive generative AI, a startup with which a big, bad corporation is trying to get an exclusive contract. We see the head of the startup wrestling with whether or not to take the contract as he finds out more and more details about what generative AI is doing to people (most of which he surely knew anyway) and of the devious plan of the big corporation to gather vast amounts of data and eventually to be able to control whole countries. Move on folks, nothing dubious to see here.

The good news is that we do find out lots about generative AI along the way. And the underlying message that AI can be used for good or for bad purposes, while not exactly original (insert any tech of choice) is fine. But this is a terrible medium through which to deliver the message. With one exception (covered in a moment), hardly anything actually happens. Graphic novels are all about action - but apart from travelling from venue to venue there is no action here. It's all either conversations about AI or lectures about AI. The graphic part adds nothing to this - in fact the layout gets in the way of reading the text. The pictures rarely illustrate anything useful, while the wordy speech bubbles are so small it's hard to read what they say.

The exception I mentioned where it all comes alive are in the 'Super Hugo' sections. These are very short inserts that feature the main character's dreamworld alter ego as a caped superhero. Here he takes on the perils that face the technology in a literalised form. They are quite fun and at least something happens, even if it's not in the real world - but they aren't enough to save the whole. Another brave failure, I'm afraid.

[Pallav Bhattacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cautionary tale for our times. But more than the story elements it works excellently as a primer on AI. Artwork uses only 3 colours throughout, setting a grim mood and an uncertain ending. The last chapter is written by AI, with the writers' help giving out 5 scenarios it could go from here.

[AMIR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent graphics by Appupen and good to understand basic concepts and issues with AI. However it is text heavy in parts and some might find the going tough

[K Megha Nambiar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appupen's artwork excels, the narrative structure and overall writing leave something to be desired.

[Cae Ruzam · Rating 1 out of 5]

You should have asked your KI how to write an entertaining story.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book walking through today's concerns about AI. The last chapter is a novel way to finish the book.

I wonder how long it will remain current.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title page gives a clue about the contents of the book. A well-written book.

[SofiaHof · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's super informational and teaches how important it can be to use AI responsibility.

[LGK_RBT · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5