What's one everyday system you'd like to see explored more realistically in post-apocalyptic fiction?

I've been thinking about how quickly things could fall apart without anything actually being destroyed.

Gas stations have fuel but can't pump it. Grocery stores have food but can't process payments or keep things refrigerated. Hospitals have generators but need fuel. Water plants need electricity and trained workers. Cell towers eventually lose backup power.

The interesting part is that these systems wouldn't all fail at once. Some places might last days, others hours.

I've been exploring this while writing a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel. To me, the real story begins when people have to decide who gets the remaining resources and who's responsible for keeping things running.

Which books handle the practical aftermath of an apocalypse particularly well?

I know that for many who frequent this sub, the answer to the question posed above will be never, but I urge everybody to think this through a little better and engage in the conversation.

The fact is that AI is part of our world now, and it is not going away anytime soon. To simply try and dismiss it because you are not happy with it is not particularly useful. Sure, some can isolate themselves to the point that they have very little contact with AI, but for the average person, that is just not reasonable (corporate America is making sure of that). And for the purposes of this discussion, I am primarily looking at the use of AI in the entertainment industry, including video, artwork, and books.

Personally, I use AI on a regular basis, but as a tool to assist me, not typically as a means to generate content. I find it useful in research, even though you do have the vet the data it provides. I also use it regularly as an editor, having trained the system I use to look for spelling errors, grammar, and awkward phrases, but not substantially rewrite what I have written. For those purposes, it is really quite useful and I plan to continue using it in that manner.

But I see people that post AI generated content in this sub that face harsh backlash, and I wonder if that is really fair in all cases.

I admit that when I see videos generated by AI, I am mostly turned off by them as I don’t think the technology is quite there yet. And if somebody basically prompts the AI through their creation of a video, that seems like much less of a creative work and more of a hack (and it is generally pretty obvious when they do that). 

But if somebody feeds a script that they wrote themselves into AI which includes detailed descriptions and directions, is that necessarily a bad thing? They created the story and just had AI bring it to life. This works as a proof of concept and a way to bring attention to their story, especially when they are starting out, when they otherwise would not be able to afford the production. Not that I want AI generated films to take over, and I believe this is more suited to short works, but it does at least offer an affordable launching point.

If somebody uses AI to generate a story based on a few prompts, that does not qualify as a truly creative work because in my opinion as it is just amalgamating ideas from other authors whose works are readily available on the internet. But if they use it to edit their work and tighten up their writing, that seems like a legitimate way to use the tool.

In addition, if an author uses AI to generate an image for their book, particularly the cover, that seems like a good use of the tool as well. Yes, you can argue that they should pay an artist for those images, but many indie authors out there don’t have the funds for that. And if a book does not have an engaging cover, that can certainly impact the sales.

I am currently in the process of using AI to generate the art for a comic strip that I have written the script for, but again, this is only as a proof of concept. I am using it to get across the idea of what I want it to look like, and then I will try and find a human artist interested in working on it. In the meantime, though, I may publish the strip with the AI art.

So I do believe that AI has its place if used as a tool to assist and supplement creative works. But when it takes over the majority of the creative process, that is when it verges on slop. I also believe there should be regulations on AI (and the industry self-regulating does not count) to limit its ability to mostly or completely replace humans in the creative process.  

I know that many of the people coming to this sub have a very negative view towards AI, but to just call anything generated from it slop is not very useful. It has become an integral part of our lives now, so we have to figure out how to best use it as a tool without allowing it to go too far and completely take over the creative process.  

Chime in with your thoughts, but for those who will say all AI is slop, please provide more of an argument than that along with viable ways to regulate and restrict it.

Hey everyone! I’d like to share the teaser for my original sci-fi series, BORDERING.

The story follows the Far Frontier, a cargo ship heading toward a remote cluster of frontier worlds on the edge of the Thousand Stars Alliance.

A disgraced enhanced soldier is forced aboard. A famous actress is hiding a secret mission. The captain has a past he doesn't want anyone to know about. And somewhere on the ship, there's a shipment of classified military cargo that raises some serious questions.

When an ion storm hits and the ship starts losing power, things begin to go very wrong. The crew soon discovers that their cargo may be far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

The series combines sci-fi mystery, space horror, action, and character-driven drama. This teaser introduces the world and sets the stage for the story to unfold over multiple episodes.

Most of the video content was generated using MiniMax H3. The dialogue is in Chinese with English subtitles.

🎬 Watch the teaser / EP01 / EP02 ​

I'd love to hear what you think, especially if you're into sci-fi worldbuilding and space-based mysteries!

Note: English is not my native language, so I used AI to help translate this post.

A new Babylon 5 fan animation is coming 👀

Across the stars, the story continues.

The countdown begins.

More soon. 🚀

#Babylon5 #SciFi #DigitalEraStudios #BringBabylon5Back

This is a neo-noir sci-fi thriller I wrote and narrated myself. It follows a futuristic PI named Kira. She helps people fix problems in their past. The money is peanuts and she's pretty miserable about it all. When a mysterious woman named Janin shows up to her office late at night, she's given a lucrative but dangerous offer. Her lover has been kidnapped and sent back to early 20th century New Orleans to be killed. Will Kira take on the case even with all the inherent dangers that case presents? Check it out and let me know your thoughts: https://youtu.be/c6VuZVwAHTw

I wanted to try a zombie story where the characters are cut off from the usual landmarks. No hospital, no highway, and nobody on the boat even knows what a walker is yet. Just a family offshore watching the coast stop making sense.

That’s the setup for The Walking Dead: Sunday. The first two screenplay episodes are at r/THEWALKINGDEADSUNDAY. I’d be curious whether the isolation works for you as sci-fi horror, and which part of the premise you’d want explored next.

I'm Joe Kosednar, an inventor and electronics designer who recently published a three-book science fiction trilogy, WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF AI.

The story explores what might happen when artificial intelligence becomes more capable than its human creators.

Can humanity maintain control? Will AI improve our lives, or will we gradually surrender the decisions that shape our future?

These questions form the foundation of the trilogy:

1. WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE
2. ALL OF US
3. STILL HUMAN

All three books are available on Amazon, and Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the entire trilogy at no additional cost!

You can learn more about the books on my BookBub author page:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joe-kosednar

I'd welcome hearing what other science fiction readers think about the relationship between humanity and increasingly capable AI.

Thanks for taking a look!

I'm developing a sci-fi thriller series about a man predicted to destroy the city he saved. What would make you want to watch episode two? 

Check out my latest prologue for my upcoming sci-fi time travel series. In this prologue, we follow Tomal Breshen, a former time travel officer. He was dismissed several years ago for several indiscretions in the field. An old friend arrives in his office and offers him a way back. The path he must take to do so is pretty dark, though. Will he take it? Check it out and let me know your thoughts: https://youtu.be/g8G9uQuxOHk