Name - Twenty-Two Steps to Become Us
Written by - Hannah Yang
Published on - Clarkesworld issue 242 November 2026
In the current world, when we are spending every day wondering whether any creative work is created by Artificial Intelligence or if the electronic communications we are having are with them or with real humans. Author Hannah Yang uses her latest story in Clarkesworld to imagine a future where we can't be sure if the person we are interacting with in real life is human or a synthetic person imitating them perfectly.
This is certainly a possible future in the current technological landscape and it is damn scary. The author details a future where humans start using learners that slowly learn to look and act like a person so that they might do their work more effectively, and like the current condition with AI these learners have become very popular with everyone and even people are being forced to use them in workplace. Naturally, the pay for jobs has lowered and everything turns very difficult for those who don't find this technology acceptable.
This is a bleak tale at times, as the narrator goes through awkward situations and heartbreaks due to her inability to blend in with the learners. She eventually is forced to employ a learner herself and things continue on a downward spiral. But, fortunately the author ends on a hopeful note and the ending is the best part of this short.
I didn't like the main character Jolene initially, who felt a bit too self-centered and sceptical. But with the slow reveal of her circumstances, the author made me care for her. That scene where a learner was used to breaking up with a real person reminded me of some of the heartless ways people rely on AI rather than interact with others, and is sure to stay with me for some time.
This gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.
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