I think Way 2 was what the author intended - it's not actually meant to be a true utopia. Thus "failed utopia".
But the story raises a couple interesting questions, that I don't notice an answer to.
How did the AI do all this, given the confines of human technology at the time it was set?
And if the AI could do it... what's stopping a human from doing the same?
I envision someone having those precise thoughts on either Mars or Venus, and (either swiftly or gradually) discovering the methods needed to alter reality the same way the AI did. Soon, everything is set, if not "right", at the very least back to "normal".
I think Way 2 was what the author intended - it's not actually meant to be a true utopia. Thus "failed utopia".
But the story raises a couple interesting questions, that I don't notice an answer to.
How did the AI do all this, given the confines of human technology at the time it was set?
And if the AI could do it... what's stopping a human from doing the same?
I envision someone having those precise thoughts on either Mars or Venus, and (either swiftly or gradually) discovering the methods needed to alter reality the same way the AI did. Soon, everything is set, if not "right", at the very least back to "normal".
... although... (read more)