If you’re getting your fall reading list together, Silicon Valley Reads has a few ideas.
Technology — and artificial intelligence — is a huge part of living in Silicon Valley and increasingly around the world. And it’ll also be the topic for the Santa Clara County “community reads” program, which will explore the theme “Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World.”
Three main titles were selected for the program, which starts with a kickoff event Jan. 30 at De Anza College: “The Mountain in the Sea,” a science fiction tale by former Santa Clara University professor Ray Nayler; Loneliness & Company,” a novel by Charlee Dyroff about a woman who is tasked with training an AI companion in a near-future New York where isolation has been seemingly eradicated; and “The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI,” by Dr. Fei-Fei Li, in which the Stanford computer scientist shares her personal journey and insights into the development and potential of AI.
With the rapid transformation of our lives spurred by AI, the goal of the program this year is to get people talking about what that transformation might mean.
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“We are excited to provide books and programs that ignite conversations about AI’s potential, helping everyone better understand and engage in these empowering tools,” said Santa Clara County District Librarian Jennifer Weeks, who also co-chairs Silicon Valley Reads.
The selections for younger readers are “Someday, Maybe” by Diana Murray, “ARTificial Intelligence” by David Biedrzycki and “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown, which was recently adapted into a hit animated film. The middle school/YA selections are Lindsay Lackey’s “Farther Than the Moon” and the graphic novel, “The Infinity Particle” by Wendy Xu.
An array of Silicon Valley Reads events — including author talks, panel discussions, demonstrations, story times and more — will take place in February and March 2025. The full schedule should be available at siliconvalleyreads.org just after the new year.