Almost Human by Barbara Woodhouse

Almost Human by Barbara Woodhouse

No human is perfect. But suppose we were able to create machines which are like humans - only better, cleverer, more beautiful, more empathetic. And perhaps more rational. Where does that leave humans?

In the lonely and isolated environment of a desert camp, Sheila and Derek Boyd's marriage is falling apart. As part of an experiment, Boyd's employer, the Universal Robotics Corporation, suggests the introduction of 'Hughie' an empathetic humanoid robot as company for Sheila. The result is disastrous. And when Andie, the beauteous female robot, joins Boyd as a companion, the fall-out is catastrophic.

Participating in the experiment, Camp agronomist Stella Mayfield tries to come to terms with what will become the new norm, but the more interaction she has with robots, the more worried she becomes, unlike fellow guinea pigs, HR manager Guy Trenhaile and technician Hod.

Seven years later, Stella finds sophisticated AI permeating all aspects of UK society and a robot caring for her mother and her fears return with greater force.

The question hangs in the air. Has human ingenuity handed over control to a superior intelligence, creating beings who will succeed them at the top of the evolutionary tree?

Barbara Woodhouse, the dog lady, is already well-known to millions of Americans thanks to her appearances on CBS' 60 Minutes & the U.S. News and World Report. Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way, her hugely famous BBC television series, is now available in syndication. Barbara spent three years in the 1930s on a cattle ranch in Argentina, where her amazing ability with animals allowed her to break in hundreds of wild horses. Barbara was born in Dublin in 1910 and raised in Oxford, England. Barbara has had three children, maintained a farm, bred and broken horses, and taught 17,000 dogs on her famed weekend courses, which teach perfect obedience to basic commands in only six and a half hours. Barbara married Dr Michael Woodhouse on her return to England, where they currently live. Juno and Junia, her Great Danes, have appeared in over 100 films and television shows, and she has achieved international fame with her own films, recordings, television programs, and books.