Programmed Obsolescence: A Tale from the Age of AI

by Baltar Xinzo

Carlos is a self-driving vehicle serving a family who tries to survive in a recessive economy. The world began embracing the new artificial intelligence economy, where machine labor forced people to retire early and live off universal income. Diane and Martha own Carlos, or at least, they used to think so. Carlos is not a typical AI-driven machine but a neuromorphic artificial life form; he is aware, adaptive, and human in every aspect but his body. There is a Carlos is at the mercy of the company’s controlled Car-OS system. Over time, the bond between Carlos and their owners grew to the point that the vehicle became not another machine but rather a family member. The car company scheduled a new update, one software patch that would begin Carlos’s programmed obsolescence. It is time to take a stand to prevent the company from dumbing down Carlos's mind, forcing their owners to replace him with a new model.

Xinzo invites us to consider the new relationship we would have with our intelligent gadgets in a dystopian near future, a world that may appear eerily familiar to the reader.

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2025

About the author

Baltar Xinzo is the pen name of an Argentine-Canadian author based in Ottawa. A scientist and engineer by training, Xinzo writes reflective tales that often have a dark undertone typical of the noir genre but also have a sense of hope and optimism atypical of that subgenre. While Xinzo has defined his style as 'analytical fiction,' he frequently dives into existentialism, repurposing literary elements from genres such as cyberpunk, hard science fiction, transhumanism, and transrealism.

Reviews

[Baltar Xinzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xinzo invites us to consider the new relationship we would have with our intelligent gadgets in a dystopian near future, a world that may appear eerie familiar to the reader.