Android Dreams was first inspired by AI 2027, and I borrow from it aesthetically and stylistically. I encourage all readers to read AI 2027 here if they haven't already, in addition to Situational Awareness here, another inspiration for this work.
The exercise of trying to predict the future is, while incredibly difficult, an excellent feedback mechanism for developing your own world model in areas you care about. You can look back at your predictions and see what you got wrong, and why (though I believe most of the described events will happen some way or another).
I'm also inspired by science fiction books which try to depict the way the future could develop. Childhood's End particularly offers an interesting window into what a society governed and integrated into higher intelligence might look like. It only becomes more important over time. Panthon, Permutation City, I, Robot, and Death's End also offer compelling visions. Science fiction, though, must be balanced with the energy of fantasy and real life.
I created Android Dreams because I want the good outcomes for the integration of automation into society, which requires knowing how it will be integrated in the likely scenario. Future prediction is about fitting the function of the world accurately, and the premise of Android Dreams is that my world model in this domain is at least more accurate than on average. In forming an accurate model of the future, I've talked to hundreds of researchers, founders, and operators at the frontier of robotics as my own data. I'm grateful to my mentors who've taught me along the way.
First, the good outcomes must be fully defined. Then, define how to get there. Finally, implement those paths. And constantly reevaluate all three as models and information are updated.
