Thank you to Pedro Domingo’s and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited by this book. A short satire set in a futuristic America detailing a presidential election between a Native American and an AI robot sounded intriguing. Unfortunately the satire was too heavy handed and some of the choices made felt a little prejudiced against Native Americans.

It was painfully unfunny.

The story entertained me, but I didn't connect with any of the characters. That kept me from feeling super invested in what was happening. I also think that I read it too close to the election because I hated how close to home it hit.

No Spoilers Section

Overall Impression
This book presents a disappointing take on the current state of AI, marred by troubling racist and sexist undertones. While I understand that it aims to be a satire, it often feels like the author is using sarcasm as a shield for bigotry. The writing lacks depth, following a loose plot that attempts to echo the themes of 1984, but ultimately falls short. Although I recognize the author's intentions, the execution is severely lacking.

Characterization and Themes
The portrayal of women in the book is particularly problematic. Many female characters are overly sexualized, and their depictions suggest a male author who misunderstands women's perspectives. The narrative frequently employs a "don't look behind the curtain" approach, relying on this trope to propel the story forward without offering substantial development.

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Spoilers Below
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Target Audience and Simplistic Tropes
This book seems to be aimed at a niche audience, yet it is riddled with simplistic tropes that feel out of place, especially given the author's background in computer science. For instance, during a scene in the data center, the protagonist struggles to free himself from an ethernet cable handcuff, with a line stating, "But the core—this wasn't going to work against the thick core wire." It’s surprising that someone with expertise in the field would misrepresent such a common data cable.
Misrepresentation of Female Characters
The treatment of female characters is particularly egregious. The mention of a "Token Female Officer" serves as a blatant critique of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, which is both distasteful and unnecessary. Additionally, there are cringe-worthy moments, such as a scene where a woman swoons after a lackluster conversation at a bar, leading to a sexual encounter. Another instance involves the CTO's girlfriend literally throwing herself onto the protagonist's lap, which feels forced and unrealistic.

Final Thoughts
If I could rate this book zero stars, I would. The combination of poor writing, problematic themes, and a lack of genuine character development makes it a frustrating read.

I was so pleased with this book. I read it while I was in the middle of a slump since it was a satire that got me out of my last reading slump.

The book themes investigated politics, AI, Corporate Domination, and Social Class in a non oppressive or preachy way. It was a light, dialogue driven steady paced read until the very last two chapters which tied everything up abruptly. Wish they had spent more time there. Nonetheless, this was a very good read and can't wait to see what this author comes up with next

This book was provided as an eARC was by the publisher Book Baby via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Book Baby and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

I requested this because I got an email from NetGalley asking if I wanted to read this and I liked the cover. I had no idea what it was about. I was worried that it was going to be too close to the election season to read this and enjoy it but it was so far out there that it didn't really bring back any real feelings about it. It is pretty much about a bunch of tech guys who make an AI robot who they jokingly try to get to run for presidency. The reality of America in 2040 according to this book is incredibly grim. Its even more racist, more segregated, more ... idiotic. There's a lot of conversations between the tech guys that I found dragged on a bit. The two choices of candidates were terrible - the fact that an AI bot is a better choice than the other one feels like something that could happen and that's just a sad sad reality of American politics.

2040 by Pedro Domingos is a strange, little book. I love satire and speculative fiction, but this book missed the mark.

The premise is interesting . . . an AI bot runs for president against an Lakota candidate who wants to abolish the United States. None of the characters were likeable and I had a hard time rooting for anyone. Maybe I just didn't see the humor in this one.

I thought it would be a fun book to read during the U.S. election season, but it was just too grating on my nerves.

Very cool premise, that didn't quite land for me personally. Surprisingly, there's not much of the PresiBot in the book, instead focusing much more on the adventures of the programmers/creators in managing him and running his campaign.

The pros were the story was lean and moves quickly. I loved the different strategies they took to position Presibot to the public. And the adventure to control him (which I had not been expecting to be the plot) was interesting. I particularly enjoyed this dystopian view of the future.

For me one of the biggest cons was female characters. To say they were one-dimensional would be an overstatement. They barely exist and have little agency. (Other than the woman running the other campaign who has a small, but interesting role.)

Also, the writing felt a little stilted and underwritten to me. For a satire, it's not particularly funny and the dialogue is very basic back and forth. This is likely a matter of personal preference.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this would be a topical choice for the moment we’re in, as it is about candidates running in a U.S. Presidential election. Our candidates here are PresiBot, who wants to “optimize” America; and Raging Bull, who wants to dismantle it and send everyone back to where they came from.

While those are the candidates, our actual main characters are the two software developers who created PresiBot – Ethan and Arvind. They feel like they “solved” Artificial Intelligence, but their startup company is tanking. How can they show the world just what their AI is capable of?

A recent Supreme Court case had conferred personhood on robots, so Ethan gets the idea that their AI could run for President! It was just supposed to be a crazy stunt, conceived while drinking, that would bring in clients. They have to contract a different company to create a “body,” as their campaign manager insists that it’ll look better. But then, PresiBot clinches a major party nomination.

What we see as the chaos ensues is an America divided… no, literally, with fences and checkpoints to keep people in their own “sectors.” The biggest business is a social media platform, on which everyone is fed whatever news the data miners think will make them the happiest. Much of San Francisco lives in the shadow of their flower-shaped building, which is several hundred stories tall.

This is a satire, of course. But it kind of feels like if our world right now just went further off the rails… could this be close to the 2040 looming in our own future?

This is a slim, fast-paced read. Yes, there is some tech speak in it, but nothing overwhelming.

This is a me not the book problem, I think. I DNF'd this at 20%.

When I saw that this was labelled as political satire, with the premise it had I thought it would be great. I am sure that there are readers that this would work for, but for me this is not satire. This is comedy with some political characters. I wanted the subtly disruptive nature of "A Modest Proposal" whereas this is in your face slapstick.

This is just not for me. The book reads very quickly, and I am sure there is an audience for it. If you are interested in reading it, I would read the first chapter and if you don't like it, go ahead and and put this down.

2040 is a fun and quick read for anyone who enjoys sci fi set in the world of basically today. There are many moments where it's important to remind oneself "this is satire"! My main critique is there there is a lack of realized women characters in the book. There are maybe 3 speaking women characters and together they comprise half a person. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book.

Not a bad satire. A bit in the nose in some places, but I like that element of it. I wonder where our democracy will go to this November and sadly this book is fair warning about what can happen if we’re not careful. There were some missed opportunities in the story, I thought, which makes this a 4 star book, but for the mist part, you take our poopshow of current political climate, add AI, and some very hyperbolic scenarios and you have 2040. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen exactly like that. It’s a fun book.

I had high hopes for this book but it fell short. I felt like it had so many opportunities to not fall into so many stereotypes and be overly abrasive but it didn’t happen. The debate scene was fun to read even if it was ridiculous. I wish I could give it a better review.

2040 was a book I chose way outside my typical genre but I couldn't pass on the political satire! I really enjoyed reading this laughing throughout at how ridiculous the candidates were. I think the novel sheds some scary realities of robots and AI and just how big companies can get if not properly monitored. The writing was easy to follow which made for a quick read, as well.

I love this novel! When I first tried reading it, I set it aside, thinking "Too much dialogue," and the Native Americans are not being shown with any dignity or respect, but, but, I have to review this ARC, so I tried again. Third time was the charm. I was hooked!

If you love the dark humor and slapstick mishaps of the TV series "Fargo," you will surely appreciate the action and antics in this story.

Pedro Domingos is witty, satirical, clever, and funny. I'm motivated now to see what else he has written.

In the days when I wrote long, thoughtful book reviews for Perihelion Science Fiction ezine, this novel would have had three pages of praise and excerpts. It seems people want short and simple, not long and detailed, so, here it is.

Great political satire, just in time for the 2024 presidential debates and election. Read and enjoy!

Strange Look At The Future

I’m thankful that this was a relatively short story or I never would have made it to the end. The year is 2040 and there is a deranged 1/1024 Native American Indian and an artificial intelligence running for President. The Indian wants to kill everyone but Indians living in the United States, the artificial intelligence is literally falling apart. It’s a really strange story that failed to capture my imagination.

I received an advance copy of 2040 from NetGalley, this is my honest review.

2040
by Pedro Domingos

(Almost spoiler free)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. After reading the first page or so to get a feel, the following day I read the rest in one sitting.

This story is an absurd satire. However, it's something of a fairly large pool that's only several inches deep. When all is said and done, it's entertaining, but it left me wanting and somewhat disappointed.

The abstract does this book a disservice. It is not what it claims to be. This story is not a scathing critique, nor is it dialog driven in the manner of, say, the witty banter of a good vintage film or a Mamet play. The description set up expectations that were not met.

The premise of the book is intriguing. A number of interesting scenarios are presented. Unfortunately, none of them are explored. The topics include sentience, artificial intelligence, the rights of living creatures, the rights of indigenous people, politics, democracy, identity, discrimination, the rights of corporations, and more. There's a lot broached here. None of it is investigated to any degree. It's all for show.

I thought this book was going to be satire, but it's more general humor. Some of the humor seemed like it would be grounded, but the book leans into slapstick and the absurd. The story seems to reference many aspects of reality within the United States, but doesn't explore them - either their current state or the history leading up to it.

While reading the book, several unexpected left turns took place, including tonal shifts. Some of these new elements didn't make sense considering what came before them (e.g., how the city is divided).

The ending of the book feels abrupt, unearned and unsatisfying. As always, your experience may differ from mine.

This feedback may seem like a list of issues. However, parts of the book are entertaining and, as mentioned earlier, it's an easy read. The story introduces a lot of interesting topics ripe for deeper exploration. Unfortunately, all of them are glossed over. If you're looking for a silly surface level humorous quick read, this may be for you. I had high hopes for the book, but came away disappointed.

Side note: There is a sole real world reference that stood out to me that was out of place and seemed ill-advised. It was simply a name drop that, like everything else, wasn't followed-up on. It didn't seem in keeping with the rest of the book.

Pedro Domingos’ *2040* presents a satirical vision of a near-future America, where the absurdities of politics and technology collide in a comedic yet unsettling narrative. Set against the backdrop of a presidential election, the book features an AI candidate, PresiBot, juxtaposed with an outlandish Democratic contender—a faux Native American chief named Raging Bull. While the premise brims with potential, the execution leaves much to be desired.

From the outset, Domingos draws readers into a world that mirrors contemporary political chaos while exaggerating it to absurdity. His portrayal of Silicon Valley’s quirks—from self-driving avocado delivery drones to outlandish tech jargon—evokes both laughter and a sense of dread at how plausible this satire might be. As an AI researcher, Domingos brings an informed perspective that enriches the narrative; however, this depth doesn’t entirely translate into character development or thematic nuance.

One of the book's strengths lies in its humor, particularly embodied by PresiBot, whose algorithm-driven charisma offers a witty commentary on modern electoral politics. Yet, the humor sometimes veers into caricature, with characters feeling more like exaggerated tropes than fully fleshed individuals. Raging Bull, while intended to be a critique of identity politics, often comes off as too absurd to be taken seriously, diminishing the potential for meaningful commentary.

Despite its engaging moments, *2040* struggles with tonal consistency. The political satire, while ambitious, is often heavy-handed, lacking the subtlety that could elevate it beyond mere farce. Readers may find themselves yearning for a more nuanced exploration of the implications of such an AI-driven political landscape, particularly as the narrative unfolds towards an ending that feels too neatly resolved. In wrapping up the story in a matter of pages, Domingos sacrifices the lingering questions and complexities that could spark deeper reflection on contemporary political dilemmas.

While the initial premise is enticing, the execution falls short of its potential. The narrative is entertaining but lacks the depth to leave a lasting impact. Domingos’ critique of a chaotic political system and the absurdity of modern technology offers ample opportunity for reflection, yet the superficial treatment of its themes ultimately detracts from the reading experience.

In conclusion, *2040* serves as a light-hearted satire that may entertain those looking for a humorous take on future politics, but readers seeking depth and a thought-provoking exploration of these themes might find themselves disappointed. Domingos provides an amusing romp through a bizarre political landscape, but the execution doesn’t quite match the intriguing premise. For readers looking for a quick and amusing read during election season, it’s worth picking up, but with tempered expectations.

I am not American to state the fact, but I can say we can all find the irony in everything happened in the book.
For the plot. As it is not a long story, every second something was always happening. It was action-packed and interesting the whole fricking time.
My favourite part was when Ethan went on a journey because of a lost gadget so valuable in the time of need.
This trip was humorous, absurd, but other than all that we got to know more about this world's society and community. In the beginning of the book I did not realise that this was in any way dystopian or utopian other than the date we know it takes place in, but as we got more information, the world-building turned out to be one.

I think this story has a few moral lessons to learn and share. The faulty of our kind and how we humans can and will always make mistakes. At the same time we can have a great time and laugh at all these things.

Brilliant, and I enjoyed every word of it!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Book Baby for providing me an eARC for an honest review! Unfortunately, this was a DNF For me. I think I see what the author was going for, but I am not sure I was the audience for the book. I like the concept and see the potential in a satire like this, but for me it just never quite got me hooked.

I was very excited about starting this one. Not only do I appreciate political satire, but reading a narrative about an AI presidential candidate during election season—when AI is a prominent topic in the tech industry—seemed like an incredible opportunity. However, upon completion, I found myself with mixed feelings. The premise is excellent: a tech startup develops an AI, integrates it into a robotic body, and campaigns for it as a presidential candidate. However, I encountered some issues with the execution. The author effectively extrapolates a satirical near-future, both politically and technologically. The writing is engaging, featuring several humorous moments. The characters involved in the startup are relatable, even if not always likable, and the PresiBot is entertaining. Conversely, the opposition candidate and his supporters felt excessively exaggerated and appeared over-the-top and absurd. I believe the author pushed the satire too far, leading much of the book to feel farcical and causing it to miss its intended impact. I understand that the idea was to mirror the present absurdity and dementia of the today's US political climate, but Domingos goes a bit too far with the story.