AI-Boon or Bane? – The Technical (T)Error by Rohit Kothari, a Book Review

A sci-fi story with a strong message and a musing we have been sitting over for a long time now, The Technical (T)Error by Rohit Kothari is a story that is many-layered, primarily sci-fi on the face, but speaks volumes about us humans as a species, harping on the finer aspects of technology and its necessary yet “dark” presence in our lives.

AI (Artificial intelligence) It’s the single most important technological advancement of our era and times, isn’t it?

Making things simpler, all at the touch of a finger. Life itself has become a cakewalk thanks to the advent of AI, which has become a compulsive sort of companion, especially for Gen Z. And yet, uncannily enough, I want to ask you all today: Is it safe?

You must be wondering what led me to question this comfort zone of ours today. Well, I just finished reading The Technical (T)Error by Rohit Kothari, and boy, it left me thinking and wondering! A story that made me reflect on the kind of technological advancement we are living in and the potential technological catastrophe we are surely going to be a part of…

So, there is “Suzi,” a kind of super cousin to Alexa who has been brought to “life” in this world by SayTech Engineering Private Ltd. and has become an indispensable part of people’s lives. And yet, as more and more people become dependent on it, what Rohit shows is the kind of red flag that is there, and we have been ignoring it all this while. As Suzi 2, the upgraded version, comes forth, having been brought out by Doogle and Finley, it makes life easier for people. And yet, we see a pandemic of minor deaths and terror attacks. Things become murkier, and people get into a quandary. But enter Guruji, who appears on the scene as a sort of messiah, trying to purge what is wrong, clear the air and truncate the wrongdoings.

Also, RK( Ranbir Khandelwal), a cop, and AK (Akshay Kewadia), a CAU agent, get on the path to uncovering the truth behind these. We, as viewers of this fantastic, sort of pre-apocalyptic scenario, have another question: Who is the real culprit? Is the truth really what it appears to be on the surface, or is it something else? Or is technology a boon or a bane? Can AK and RK uncover the truth and reverse what has been wrong before it is too late? 

AK and RK, both characters depict their respective character traits, and I felt Rohit has done reasonable justice to both of their sketches. Rohit has ensured moments of light humour as well to keep the narrative light, indulging and maintaining its gait throughout.

I also want to take a moment here and speak about the awesome cover design. Yes, I know you guys will be like, Hey, all writers work on their cover designs, but Rohit has done wonders with this one. That “tesseract” sort of cube on the cover gave me adrenaline right before I even commenced reading. It felt as though I was going to jump into a book sort of like “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch! You know, one of my favourites.

Read the book to discover more.

The story was great, and the narrative was fast-paced. I enjoyed the thrilling ride of the different facets of technology being portrayed, but as an afterthought, I feel a bit more detail wouldn’t have hurt.

Sci-fi fans, this one is a real treat for you. A multi-layered, multi-dimensional theme, this one will surely be awesome to delve into, by one and all alike. A story with a great message, this one is sure to resonate with all, young and old alike.

So, I hope you guys liked my book review, The Technical (T)Error by Rohit Kothari.

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