CUTE – A darkly comic near-future dystopian satire

*Cute* is a razor-sharp satire that explores the darkly comedic side of our increasingly tech-driven world. For fans of *Black Mirror* and authors like Dave Eggers and Ben Elton, this novel offers a biting critique of technology, politics, and the often absurd intersections of these realms.

Set against the backdrop of a near-future UK grappling with the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence, the story revolves around a government initiative designed to address the social and psychological fallout of widespread job displacement. The UK government’s challenge to propose solutions becomes a stage for a high-stakes competition among various players, each with their own agenda.

At the heart of the narrative is Andy Samuels, an advertising guru who views the project as a chance to escape his monotonous existence. Teaming up with his friend and chatbot expert, Rick Osborn, Andy devises Colin—a pocket-sized personal robot designed to promote positivity and mental well-being. Andy’s focus is on winning the competition, but Rick envisions Colin as a potential savior of society’s fractured psyche.

The novel takes a satirical approach to the intersection of technology and human behavior, highlighting the often misguided optimism of those who believe that technology can solve all our problems. Jacob Chastain, the ambitious minister overseeing the project, sees Colin as his ticket to political advancement. Meanwhile, Colin itself is portrayed with an almost unsettling earnestness, embodying the well-meaning yet ultimately flawed nature of technological solutions to deeply human issues.

The author, known for the award-winning *Hacking George*, excels at creating a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The characters are well-crafted, each driven by their own desires and misconceptions, making their interactions both hilarious and revealing. The tension builds as the seemingly innocent idea of Colin spirals into a catastrophic scenario, underscoring the novel's central theme: that sometimes, the best intentions can lead to the worst outcomes.

*Cute* is a gripping read that challenges readers to think critically about the role of technology in our lives. Its satirical edge provides both humor and a sobering commentary on how algorithms and AI are increasingly trusted over human judgment. For anyone interested in a thought-provoking, darkly funny exploration of the pitfalls of modern technology, this book is an addictive and insightful choice.

Cute is the second novel by British author, Bob Palmer. In a Britain where, in the face of an increasing AI presence, people feel insecure about their employment or discouraged about even getting another job, where the cost of mental health support is burgeoning, what does a government that is no longer trusted do to improve morale?

The top minds eventually decide that an advertising agency is their best bet: a competition to come up with the most effective solution to what ails their fair land. Which is why Andy Samuels, having read through the inches-thick government brief, sets out to convince his partner, Oliver Weston that it’s worth their effort for Weston Samuels Agency to pitch.

From the brief, he understands “They want us to make working people more efficient and … and … make the unemployed feel more valuable. A national mind shift. A step change in culture. To change both how we approach work and how we can stay sane in this crazy world.”

Andy can’t ignore the lightbulb moment that provides a novel idea that he believes might just be different enough, effective, and make them money and, rather to Oliver’s chagrin, enlists a former colleague, now bot developer at Sigmabot, Rick Osborn to produce what will be designed to be a friend to its owner.

The prototype that convinces not just the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whose wife just happens to have shares in Sigmabot, but also the PM when he sits in on the Weston Samuels pitch, is a furry, wide-eyed yellow ball that purrs when stroked, knows everything about you, and goes by the friendly name of Colin.

It takes a bit more than that to get Colin accepted by most of the powers that be, but soon the whole country is clamouring for a Colin of their own. Does it work? Does it live up to its promise? It certainly makes Andy, Oliver and Rick very rich, and puts the government in a more favourable light, but is it what the country needs? And is it entirely benign?

Palmer populates his tale with thoroughly credible characters, several of whom demonstrate that no matter how pure the intentions, power corrupts. In a highly original plot, there are government cover-ups and leaks, meddling by foreign powers, an assassination, smear campaigns, and suicide, none of which require much suspension of disbelief. A salutary tale that will keep us wary of AI, Palmer’s latest is topical, cleverly plotted, often laugh-out-loud funny and thought-provoking.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and the author

If Black Mirror left you feeling uneasy about our tech-obsessed future, Bob Palmer’s Cute is bound to crank up those feelings in the most darkly hilarious way. This sharp satire dives into the chaotic aftermath of our over-reliance on technology, set in a near-future UK struggling with AI-induced job losses and societal changes.

The story follows Andy Samuels, an advertising whiz who, with his chatbot expert buddy Rick Osborn, creates Colin—a pocket-sized robot designed to boost mental well-being. What starts as a seemingly harmless gadget quickly becomes a symbol of misplaced optimism as the government seizes the opportunity to appease the masses. Palmer’s satire expertly skewers the absurdities of our tech-driven world, critiquing how we often see technology as a fix for deeply human issues. With Palmer’s trademark humor and insight, Cute offers a thought-provoking and entertaining read that’ll have you pondering our tech-fueled future long after you’ve turned the last page.

I was drawn to the book by the image on the cover of the, well, cute little robot, and the book's subtitle, which clued me into the content. I was expecting something along the lines of Black Mirror and wasn't disappointed. But with this being a novel, you got to delve into the premise and consequences more than an episode of a TV show. And on to that premise: In Britain in the near future, a team develops a bot that will help with mental illness, motivation, and be a personal assistant and friend. It comes in the form of a cute animated furry ball. The first part of the book is about the development of the bot, and the team's attempt to secure the nation-wide contract. Once deployed, all seems well, until a potentially devastating side effect is noticed. Cue the government cover-up to maintain the status quo, a movement to stop bot use, and greed overriding sound decision making. This was a fast, engaging read that gave me lots to think about. I kept getting angry at the corruption and lying and politics, but I think that was the point. Recommend for fans of Black Mirror, The Circle, and other works that explore the downsides of tech in our personal lives.

Crazy Amazing.
I am a Black Mirror Fan.
This would fit into the show.
It's a fascinating look into the not so distant future regarding tech, mental health, mass gaslighting, and the authoritarian government.
Most of the shows on Black Mirror seem to come to fruition in some sore of sense, and I could easily envision this fiction book coming true.

The story flows - there's some wonderful humor.

It's a can't put down and once you do, can't stop thinking about it kinda book!

The perfect mix between British wry humour, distopian AI future, and social commentary—all with a cute furry ball.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about an ad-man that uses his creativity to win a government bid to increase the productivity and health of an increasinly lazy, ill, and mentally unresilient population. It is a near-future that doesn't seem to far-fetched, and one that uses some classic British satire to poke fun, and raise a critical eye to the way we are heading as a society.

This is a multi-POV story, which I normally adore, but I felt the pacing in this one might have suffered just a tad from having 1-2 too many POVs. I craved a bit more depth to the relationships between the main character Andy and his family. It felt a bit odd to me that he would let things with his family slide so much without insisting on some changes, or making his voice heard a bit more. While I enjoyed the seedy political angle that was presented, I felt these could have been toned down a bit and limited to only the one main politico that matters rather than jumping around. It took away from going in deeper elsewhere.

Conversely, I also felt that that balance between the personal, business, political, and societal impacts of a clever new AI device that is built to solve our problems and become insanely addictive at the same time (think Furby with AI) were well presented and believable.

The impact of our polarized worldviews was also clearly shown and I'm glad he didn't miss this imporant part of how we interact as a society. There is so much instant hate and anti-everything instead of looking at actual facts or seeing the humans around us, and Mr. Palmer deftly wove this into his story.

It is poignant, real, and entertaining all at once—not an easy task to accomplish.

If you're like me and you enjoy your sci-fi with satire, your dystopia with humour, and your societal commentary with a good dose of worst-case scenario, you'll likely enjoy this read.

The editing and writing are clean and flow nicely, with only the odd slip-up into a wrong word (or once a last name changing from Yang to Want), but it's so minor you'll not notice it amidst the doomsday device that is a cute little furry ball named Colin.

I was drawn to this book because of the bright yellow cover and the smiling robot face. I feel confident I was meant to be drawn in by these attributes because as the book describes insides, it is all part of the marketing ploy to get the public on board with acquiring their own "Colin" robot. A small, personal tennis ball sized best friend who helps you keep up with your tasks, keeps you on track with health and wellness, and aids you in feeling useful while the world no longer needs you in the workforce as you are being replaced by... robots.

I loved the sass, the wit, the tongue in cheek humor and the fact this book is very self aware. I may have been drawn in by the CUTE smiling face but I stayed and flipped page after page for the content. The marketing team trying to figure out how to relieve his own personal boredom and win a huge contract with the government. And the government trying to find a way to prevent the English people from being so apathetic. Ultimately the world gets Colin and it works well for a while. but when AI learns a bit too much too fast, we kind of wonder what we have gotten ourselves into.

I had a really fun time reading this book. Sure, it does ride the line of being a bit overly political but I think there are a lot of things right now in this world which do and I kind of think it's appropriate social commentary. I wasn't taken too far out of the story when those plot points came along and was able to enjoy the antics. I would think about getting me a Colin, if only I could turn him off every once in a while for some significant privacy :D