Novel depicting terrifying AI-controlled future wins UK prize

The novel "Hum" by American author Helen Phillips has won the prestigious Climate Fiction Prize 2026, an award celebrating literary works that explore themes of climate change and humanity's future. This marks the third novel from Phillips, following previous acclaimed works.

"Hum" centers on May, a woman displaced by an AI-integrated humanoid robot known as "hum." In a society heavily monitored and controlled by technology, May struggles to find new employment. She eventually agrees to undergo an experimental facial alteration procedure to evade AI identification, a process that offers her a chance to earn money.

With the funds from the experiment, May decides to take her family to the Botanical Garden, depicted as the last remaining green space in the city. However, this excursion quickly transforms into a harrowing experience, highlighting the commodification of nature itself. The natural world has become a "ticketed attraction," accessible only through payment.

Judges lauded "Hum" for its chillingly plausible depiction of a future increasingly dominated by technology and AI, where even natural environments are privatized. The novel was described by The Guardian as "enchanting but terrifying," resonating with contemporary anxieties about surveillance and the environmental crisis. Phillips's inspiration reportedly stemmed from a personal experience with targeted online advertising, prompting her to explore worst-case scenarios of algorithmic control.

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The feeling of shudder just stuck with me. I started thinking about the worst-case scenarios that could happen when algorithms and surveillance systems know too much about people.