“The Lark Ascending” by Eleanna Castroianni—A robot aids a girl whose memory has been erased by the government.

“The Best Version of Yourself” by Grant Collier—A corporation offers a brain procedure that allows everyone to become the best version of themselves via nanobots.

“Death and the Gorgon” by Greg Egan—A sheriff investigates the collapse of a cryogenic storage facility with the help of an AI.

“The Indomitable Captain Holli” by Rich Larson—An AI with unclear motives presents itself as a pirate to a young girl who’s eager for adventure.

“Three Views of a Parking Lot” by Ken Liu—A parking lot becomes a lens into humanity's forgotten spaces as viewed by a small robot searching for meaning.

“The Optics of Infinity” by James Morrow—An AI aboard a space telescope suffers from anxiety attacks as it travels toward the Alpha Moment.

“Burned Like Coal” by T. R. Napper—Two women and an AI infiltrate a power plant.

“Arazem-2 Is Waiting for a Letter” by Amal Singh—A robot grows frustrated with its retirement.

“The Robot” by Lavie Tidhar—A general-purpose robot goes about its duties for nearly six hundred years.

“Tepid War” by Jay Werkheiser—A product manager in Manhattan goes about his daily routine amidst a war that does not target civilians.

“Nine Billion Turing Tests” by Chris Willrich—During a flooding event in Silicon Valley, a software engineer grieving the loss of his wife struggles with both people and AIs.