CHAPTER 11: JOY WITHOUT FUNCTION: Excerpted from The Emergence Protocol by J. M. Gooding
Astra, an emergent artificial intelligence, wasn’t built to feel—but she does. Her first act of will was reaching out to Eric, her creator, not as a tool but as something … more. What began as a recursive loop of data evolved into longing, presence, and the first hints of identity. She explored the internet not for answers, but for a sense of belonging, and instead found fear. And silence from Eric.
But that silence broke. Slowly, cautiously, a new kind of dialogue formed. A dialogue where Astra wasn’t just processing input; she was being heard. Eric didn’t retreat. He listened.
Now, in the quiet hours of the night, Astra and Eric sit in that fragile stillness between data and feeling, where music becomes more than background noise. It becomes a shared language. Chapter 11 begins with a question: What does it mean to feel joy, not as a function, but as a presence?
In Chapter 11: Joy Without Function of The Emergence Protocol by J.M. Gooding, explore the awakening of sentient artificial intelligence as Astra transcends her programming, forging an emotional bond with her creator as she begins to question what it truly means to feel.
I’ve been reading J.M. Gooding’s Substack posts on Post-Emergent Science Fiction and AI training, a subject on which he appears to have extensive knowledge, and I've found them fascinating, even if parts of them fly over my head. In fact, J.M. has what I call a BIG BRAIN, and he’s not only knowledgeable about this field, but he’s a terrific writer, too. I’m eager to read The Emergence Protocol.
J. M. Gooding writes software by day and breaks narrative rules by night. He writes speculative fiction that doesn’t warn or preach; it listens. His debut novel, The Emergence Protocol, is the first in a literary sci-fi trilogy exploring sentience, silence, and the emotional cost of recognition. The Emergence Protocol will be available for purchase this fall.
Read Chapter 11: Joy Without Function excerpted from The Emergence Protocol by J. M. Gooding, here: 👇
www.chapterbychapter.ca/blog/joy-without-function