The world you’ve brought us into is such a bizarre and isolating place that irrevocably changed after AIs were declared to be legal people. Where did your inspiration for this story come from?

Actually, my idea is more that AIs were declared legal people after most human people died off. The inspiration is loosely from our increasing dependence on technology, especially in the setting of biological catastrophe—think about the surge in Zoom usage during Covid—but also from just how bizarre AI responses tend to be.

Did you draw on any real-life stories, research, or media about AI while you were writing this story?

No, just looking at AI “art” on the internet.

How did you come up with the ideas for Warren’s surgical “enhancements”?

See above about AI art. You can always spot it, because supposedly human figures have limbs that would bend at impossible angles, or extra appendages, or missing joints. So the very first inspiration for the story was, “What if AI thought that was what people really looked like, or should look like? How would an AI surgeon modify a trauma patient?”

Warren’s tentacle is possibly the most alien surgical addition to his body, but it is also associated with real emotions and connections. Do you feel that the tentacle is a sign of what AIs might be capable of one day or is it an example of what it looks like when the human element is taken out of the picture?

Yes, both. It’s the AI effort to provide support and comfort without actually knowing what that looks like or feels like in human terms. Tentacles are strong and flexible, but many humans are creeped out by them. The AIs in the story don’t know this. They’re trying to be as efficient and helpful as possible.

One of the most stressful parts of the story is the almost bureaucratic way in which the AIs dismiss Warren’s concerns and opinions. Why did you choose to represent the AI authority figures in this way as opposed to them being openly controlling?

They are openly controlling, because they’re in control. They’ve done the best they know how for Warren and don’t see that any improvements can be made to their efforts. They haven’t yet stumbled on the human concept of patient autonomy (and probably won’t).

Do you have any other projects coming up that you’d like to talk about?

I’m very proud of my story “The Greenway” in the January/February 2026 issue of Asimov’s. I have a number of other partially completed projects, some of which I hope to finish and send out this year, and I’m working towards a third story collection. That may take a while, though!