Nothing could be harder.īut if we manage to avoid disaster, we will be living an AI-enchanced world, and inside AI-enhanced bodies. We need global consensus to tackle climate change. The whole question of future-tech will be irrelevant if we go on destabilising the planet – we won’t be merging into a transhuman, bio-engineered future, where we can live longer, healthier lives we will be fighting each other for basic survival. It’s been happening for some years, and as the buzzword of our era is acceleration, it is going to happen faster and faster. Jeanette Winterson: The biggest changes to the way we live will come from 2 directions: Climate breakdown, and artificial intelligence.

How did that interest begin, and why did you decide to write entire books on the topic? Read the interview in full below:īakchormeeboy: Your topics and issues of interest have evolved immensely over the years, and with Frankissstein and 12 Bytes, we seem to have entered an era of interest in AI and transhumanism.

We spoke to Winterson about her constantly changing style, her views of the world, and her plans while in Singapore. Exploring AI and transhumanism, Winterson draws on years of research into artificial intelligence ask challenging questions about humanity, art, religion and the way we live and love.Īrriving in Singapore as part of the 2023 Singapore Writers’ Festival, Winterson will be featured in three programmes this weekend, where she promises an intimate conversation and discussion about the future, and how to live, as she reflects on the power of imagination bearing fruit, artificial intelligence, and where we could be going next. Her latest work, 12 Bytes, sees the acclaimed author dive deeper into her latest pet topic of choice – technology. Snagging her claim to fame with her 1985 novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (which she penned at just 25 years old), Winterson has gone on to write thirteen novels for adults, two collections of short stories, as well as children’s books, non-fiction and screenplays. Jeanette Winterson is constantly upgrading.

The oranges are not the only fruit