The Funniest Centaur Alive

Future Tense Fiction

Illustration of a person's face, close-up, their eyes closed, wearing over-ear headphones, in color. Floating over the face are distorted versions of the same person's face, encased in bubbles, in black-and-white.

The Funniest Centaur Alive

By Gregory Mone A story about standup comedy, AI, and the ethics of human enhancement.

Illustration of a wood shelf mounted on a green-painted wall. On the shelf, a trophy, a microscope, and images of DNA helixes. The image is shattered like it's being viewed through broken glass.

A Healing at the Triple B Trophy Lodge

By Scott Sherman A story about psychology, cloning, and violent catharsis.

Illustration of a wood tabletop. On the table are a drink in a glass, held in a person's left hand, a driver's license or similar ID, and a pair of red-framed eyeglasses.

A Time Between

By Kevin Galvin A story about augmented reality and detective work.

An illustration of two people holding a mysterious black orb, staring into it to see their own reflections. Around them, a profusion of strange colorful plants.

Patrons

By Cassidy McFadzean A story about extraterrestrials, creative economies, and the politics of taste.

An illustration of two hands caressing the face of two identical blond men standing one in front of the other in a room that implies a cozy, modern log cabin.

Parasocial

By Monica Byrne A story about celebrity, imagined intimacy, and virtual doppelgangers.

An illustration of a person kneeling, looking up at a set of four towering computational servers in glass-fronted cabinets. The scene is in shades of blue, pink, and purple.

Sad Robot

By E.R. Ramzipoor A story about what happens when an AI goes to therapy.

An illustration of an oil rig in the ocean, with a helicopter flying above it, rendered in shades of blue, white, and grey.

Rigland

By Suyi Davies Okungbowa A story about oil rigs, community, and redemption.

A human figure running in the distance, away from the viewer, on the surface of a giant bright pink brain.

Void

By Julián Herbert A story about artificial intelligence and addiction.

Illustration of a person in a long-sleeved shirt with neck-length hair standing in front of a small desk and looking out of a floor-to-ceiling window over the ocean.

No Regrets

By Carter Scholz A story about geoengineering, billionaire hubris, and “altruistic” narcissism.

A courtroom drawing–style illustration showing a person in a blue suit interrogating a mounted glowing screen on the witness stand, with the judge looking on.

The Big Four v. ORWELL

By Jeff Hewitt A story about a copyright lawsuit against a prolific A.I. author.