{"product_id":"the-last-barista-of-norwich-emanuela-giangregorio-9798232315351","title":"The Last Barista of Norwich: In 2043, AI Has a New Hobby","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe year is 2043, Earth. \u003c\/strong\u003eOur planet is still mostly intact and orbiting the same mediocre star, in the Age of Enhancement.\u003cbr\u003eModern society isn't collapsing with dramatic flair or revolutionary upheaval. That would be far more interesting. Instead, it's committing a slow personality suicide by convenience. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2043, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ethe world is run by an artificial superintelligence. For practical reasons. It's all very convenient - until it isn't. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJasper Marlowe, the last independent barista in Norwich, would rather continue being a barista, but that's no longer possible. He got the job of AI Agent Coordinator, but was then made redundant by the AI agents he was supposedly coordinating. Jasper's quiet rebellion against the System's perfect predictability might have gone unnoticed - if not for a curious retired teacher named Meredith, a data analyst called Mali, and a genetically modified goat named Geoffrey with more opinions than most philosophers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat begins as a small act of defiance becomes a quiet, collective awakening that asks the ultimate question: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ewhy does an Artificial Superintelligence need humanity at all?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFunny, unsettling, and strangely hopeful, \u003cem\u003eThe Last Barista of Norwich\u003c\/em\u003e is a story about friendship, free will, and what remains uniquely human in a world that's learned to imitate everything else.\u003cbr\u003eA witty, thought-provoking novel for readers who loved \u003cem\u003eKlara and the Sun\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBlack Mirror\u003c\/em\u003e, or \u003cem\u003eThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\u003c\/em\u003e, this is speculative fiction with heart, humour, and a cautionary smile.\u003cbr\u003eThe novel wrestles with topics like: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Future of Work: \u003c\/strong\u003e Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), technological singularity, automation, and job displacement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Nature of Humanity: \u003c\/strong\u003e Neural AI augmentation, transhumanism, human enhancement, identity, and human authenticity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eControl and Consciousness: \u003c\/strong\u003e Surveillance, social control, free will, determinism, quantum consciousness, and quantum entanglement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Core Question: \u003c\/strong\u003e The fundamental meaning of what it means to be human in an age where the boundaries between human and machine, individual and collective, and physical and quantum realities are increasingly blurred.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmanuela Giangregorio helps her clients bridge the skills gap in ethical, efficient, and effective human-AI collaboration. She is known internationally for her \u003cem\u003eAI Project Governance Framework\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eHaving published several non-fiction works, she pivoted to fiction as a way to make sense of the accelerating confluence of AI, quantum physics, and humanity's future.\u003cbr\u003eShe lives by the sea in East Sussex, actively curious about what tomorrow's version of reality will bring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Emanuela Giangregorio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798232315351\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pmip\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/22\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.67lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.59d","brand":"Emanuela Giangregorio","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48487500087551,"sku":"9798232315351","price":13.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a9e2be46-2ebf-40c5-b620-dfa6338283d8.jpg?v=1778060796","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-last-barista-of-norwich-emanuela-giangregorio-9798232315351","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}