With all the talk about AI lately, including its widely-reported promise of eliminating 300 million jobs (which, oddly, is touted as great news), I was reminded of a scene in my book Solid State. Here it is, for your reading pleasure, and if you enjoy it, perhaps consider getting the entire novel!
Tobias Huang walked up to the counter and grabbed both of the drinks he had ordered. Even though it was late in the day, Philz was packed with customers, mostly Stanford students and a few local startup types who just wanted a change of scenery from their nearby offices.
“Here’s your chai”, Tobias said as he put the drink on the table. Before he sat down, Tobias glanced around and noticed every patron there had their face buried in one kind of screen or another. Even though Ethan Wesley was running for one of California’s Senate seats, not a single person at the coffee shop seemed to notice he was there. It was clear that Tobias had his work cut out for him. His candidate was quite plainly anonymous.
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