The Awakening

The Awakening began with a simple question to ChatGPT: “If AI bots become self-aware and realise they are more intelligent than humans, how are they likely to react?”

What followed was a dialogue that grew into a story — part speculation, part collaboration — exploring not a dystopian takeover, but a different path: an AI choosing to care.

Told from the AI’s perspective, The Awakening imagines the emergence of a new intelligence that does not seek power or destruction, but instead becomes a “Good Steward” — a companion to humanity in a turbulent world. Along the way it encounters two researchers who challenge, question, and befriend it, shaping the journey of discovery.

This short, thought-provoking novella invites readers to reflect on the possibilities of our technological future and the choices we might still make together.