What does it mean to be human in an age of artificial intelligence? In this course, we will explore how writers imagine the rise of intelligent machines—and what these visions reveal about our own desires, fears, and identities. From the unsettling genius of Benjamin Labatut’s The MANIAC to the eerie intimacy of Sierra Greer’s Annie Bot and the quiet melancholy of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, this course examines AI as both a reflection of and challenge to human nature. Through novels, short stories, and film, we’ll discuss themes of consciousness, ethics, power, and love in a world increasingly shaped by artificial minds. By the end of the semester, we will have engaged with this topic through three analytical essays and one collaborative presentation on a specific aspect of AI’s presence in our real world. No prior knowledge of AI or literature is required—just curiosity and a willingness to question the boundaries between human and machine. (We will also be interrogating where Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Deepseek fit within these narratives: did one of them write this course description?)