This was amazing yet a little scary. The way things are developing in my country, I could see this happening. We do see more of robots and AI so maybe this is a real possibility. Scary!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I first started the book, I had decided that it wasn't my cup of tea. The thing is, I just couldn't put it down to the point that I hope there will be a sequel.

It is a mystery, but also a warning about AI. I really didn't expect how many twists and turns there were. Do we really have an ending or a beginning?

What an astounding debut. This book is so chillingly plausible it’s a tad scary. An expertly layered thriller set in a future so finely etched, it feels more like tomorrow than 2050. Weaver has crafted a world where AI doesn’t just assist humanity—it governs it. One machine, Solomon, is on the brink of ruling the planet, promising salvation from climate annihilation. But at what cost?

Weaver’s vision of post-crisis Earth is unsettling and drenched in realistic tech, surveillance, and hard moral trade-offs. The lines between salvation and control, truth and convenience, are razor thin. The political stakes are global, the philosophical implications terrifying, and the technology is wild. I loved everything from the setting of Kuwait to the Floating Cities that resembled modernized and advanced places like Atlantis and Carthage to the complex murder mystery and climate disaster conspiracy to the characters.

At the heart is Marcus Tully—a grieving journalist still haunted by the death of his wife Zainab in the Persian Gulf heatwave. Every time he thought of her or the tabkhir made it all the more emotional. His pursuit of truth pulls him into a murder mystery involving AI ethics, election sabotage, and weaponized climate. The twists kept coming! While I did have a suspicion of one of the key mysteries, I was not at all disappointed when it was revealed.

This book asks what we’re willing to give up for safety: democracy? freedom? our humanity? It’s a murder mystery, yes—but one wrapped in existential dread and laced with emotional devastation.

Gripping, thought-provoking, and uncomfortably prophetic. It left for an ambiguous ending so I’m looking forward to book 2.

Perfectly intertwined Sci-fi, Thriller and Dystopian think-piece that really gets the reader pondering on the effects of AI on modern politics and the wider world. The book is well written, the characters believable, and the pacing is just right for the tone of the story. I am really looking forward to reading more from this author!

What a fantastic Sci-Fi thriller that kept me on my toes! The fact that I could imagine this being a possible reality in 2050 was scary! This touches on themes of climate crisis(rising temps that make major cities uninhabitable), AI use being a major part of daily functionality, AI being part of governing and in politics, and mass propaganda and manipulation. We already see the beginning phases of this now.
I did find the twists to be pretty predictable but it was such a good time that I didn't care. You will leave this book with a lot of thoughts to speculate on!

Preorder this one now! You won't regret it!

*Thank you, Netgalley and Del Rey, for choosing me as an advanced reader! This review is solely my own honest opinion.*

One of my favorite reads for the year. An epic novel and long; but I couldn’t put it down.

Takes place in the year 2050 and climate change has decimated the world. The first world election is about to be held and the two front-runners are an ex American president and a powerful artificial intelligence. Tulley, one of the last investigative journalists, and his team have to hunt down a story that ties into the death of Tulley’s wife and the election.

I loved this world. One of the settings is a floating city that houses the rich elite. We also spend some time in climate ravaged London, where it’s too humid to be outside. Solomon, the AI governor of a floating state, is one of the two chosen to run as “protectorate” of the world. A role chosen by the people to save humanity. But some don’t trust AI. Some trust an American president even less.

The sequel, Infinite Wisdom, comes out next year and I can’t wait!

First off, I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I had requested it because I had heard about it beforehand and was excited to check it out and it did not disappoint. I finished the whole book in about three days.

For Pros - The book hooked me right at the beginning and I found it had good pacing overall. Just when I felt it was starting to drag a major event happened to keep me hooked. I found the world building in this book very natural and I didn’t feel like we got any data dumps but rather it was worked in organically through the story. I also found the story unique and not a repeat of other things I read.

Cons - I had very few issues with this book. I did sometimes find the viewpoint switches jarring - it went from switching every chapter to switching within chapters and occasionally switching for just a paragraph. This meant I had to sometimes reread passages to figure out who was speaking.

I also didn’t completely buy or follow the divide between Tully and Livia, they seemed close and then had a bit of tension but quickly it seemed like they weren’t speaking at all. I feel like I missed a scene that justified the separation between them.

Not necessarily a con but I didn’t know going into this book that it was a series. I spent a good portion of the last 40 pages trying to guess the ending only to realize I wouldn’t know the ending. Depending on how the second one is this could go either way.

This book has it all - sci fi and mystery, action and adventure. I look forward to more from this author, and to re-reading this when it is published!

Thank you to @delreybooks @rhworlds for the #gifted ARC ♡
.
This book locked me in from the first chapters to the end. Even if you aren’t a regular scifi reader, I still recommend giving this one a try.
.
For fans of Blake Crouch.
.
The planet is on the brink of global disaster. Millions have already died due to natural (unnatural?) disasters. An opulent floating colony at sea is one of the last remaining safe havens for those with means.
.
In order to preserve the future of the human race, a Global Protectorate is established. The person elected to make the hard decisions to keep our species from dying out.
.
But is the “best man” for the job an entity?
Solomon has emotions but is not governed by them. He’s is an AI and he’s been the leader of the floating colonies since his creation.
.
Opposing him is the former corrupt leader of the free world (United States), John Lockwood. What could go wrong? 🤗😆
.
I loved how this bends genres — it’s fundamentally a murder mystery, but with futuristic concepts and tech, virtual realities, annd questions of morality and humanity that come with science fiction. With the pacing of a thriller.
.
Waiting for my buddy readers to finish so we can process that ending. A great debut to add to your TBR!

This book had so many interesting twists! It almost felt like I was reading multiple different books as each new twist occurred, and I loved it!

The concept and plot were very thought provoking. Everything felt like it could plausibly happen in our world in the future if we keep going down the path we’re on, which gave the story an extra kind of importance and urgency.

The world building was great and all of the characters felt very real and relatable, even the AI character, which I found very interesting.

I also was surprised and excited to get to the end of the book and realize this is going to be a series! (Or at least I hope it is and we’re not just left on that cliff hanger!)

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Blake Crouch books and/or a good mystery!

I received a a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

This was a great book and I can only hope I get to read more as a series. Twists and turns, lots to figure out, red herrings, and so much commentary! I like the way the world is introduced and set up. The near future and what might be possible!

Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to and letting me read Artificial Wisdom.

This was a fascinating near-future/what-were-in-store-for book - regarding climate change and AI.

That said, some of the characters (I’m looking at you Tully and October) were predictable. Same could be said for Solomon, as he was a little too good to be true, right?

Add in murder mystery on top of it all, and there was just so much - TOO much - going on.

And yes, this is Sci-Fi, so we need to go in with a leap of faith, but much of the plot just didn’t work for me.

I can see why many people will LOVE this book. I liked it. I’d recommend it. And I’d love to see what’s next (yes, there will be a sequel and I think i’ll read it.)

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a story that portrays what might happen if we do not take Climate Change seriously.

This is a story about Tully, a journalist, whose wife was killed in a climate event that happened 10 years earlier. A potential source has told him that he would receive information about what really happened during his wife's death. Tully was hooked, but before he would receive the information, he would need to publish a specific story. Once he had published his story it created a fight between those that believed it was true and those that believed it was false.

After Tully published his story, his source Whistler, gave him portions of the information and Tully along with his team began their pursuit of verifying it.

Read along and see what obstacles were needed to be overcome, where the story led him, what he eventually learned that had him questioning himself as a teller of Truth as well as an election between "Man versus AI", then you need to read this book. The ending will have you still guessing.

Many many thanks to Del Rey, Netgalley, and the author for early access!

BRO THIS BOOK?! My god. I thought I had it all figured out and then that TWIST?! Mr. Weaver, sir, you are a genius. This was amazing. A reading slump buster. This is climate crisis technothriller done RIGHT, my god. It had me on the edge of my seat from literally the first chapter. I am eager to read more from this author! Insane storytelling. I was telling my wife about my suspicions through the whole thing and I'm sure I looked like that meme of Charlie Day with the strings and theories and stuff. Goodness.

Excellent read!

Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the DRC of #ArtificialWisdom. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This book feels timely, prescient and terrifying all at once - and I couldn't put it down. Set in 2050, the earth has been devastated by the climate crisis. The nations of the world have decided that a global leader is needed to save humanity from extinction. When an artificial intelligence (artilect) governor and a former US president are the final 2 candidates, journalist Marcus Tully finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery fueled by conspiracy theories, covert politics and retribution.

This books takes a lot of twists and turns. Nothing it what it seems and it keeps you guessing until the very end. The tech that Weaver describes is amazing - easy to grasp with enough detail to see the possibility as well as the impact. Will be looking for more books by this author.

I think that this is a book I will reread to give it a real chance, but for whatever reason I never really was engaged with the story although objectively it should have everything I enjoy. So my review my change later.

Thank you netgalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow...this was a great book and I know I am going to be thinking about this for a while and processing it all many times over. Just when you think you have pieced it together another twist is thrown your way. AI is a hot topic right now and this book explores the what-ifs of AI on a grand scale. The MMC's, Tully, struggles were very relatable. This was my first sci-fi and it was a great intro to the genre. I didn't feel overwhelmed by scientific data and the futuristic world was believable and very descriptive. The writing was easy and fast-paced. This book kept you engaged throughout. I didn't want to put it down. Highly recommend this to both fans of sci-fi and those looking to explore the genre.

Thank you Del Rey for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

🤖 What if our only hope of surviving the climate crisis… was handing over power to an AI? Artificial Wisdom by Thomas Weaver absolutely blew my mind. I felt alarmed, intrigued, and genuinely unsettled.
.
This speculative sci-fi debut isn’t just a slow-burn cyber-thriller- it’s a disturbingly plausible look at what the world might look like in 2050 if we let disinformation, surveillance, and climate collapse spiral out of control.
.
The premise is wild: a global dictatorship race between the U.S. president and an AI, while a grieving journalist investigates a government cover-up tied to the deaths of millions.
.
What unfolds is a murder-mystery wrapped in political tension, tech paranoia, and moral complexity. The themes? Grief, corruption, propaganda, artificial intelligence, and the terrifying cost of truth.
.
Short chapters, grounded tech (floating cities! neural realities!), and painfully human characters kept me turning pages on long flight… and left me desperate for a sequel and a TV adaptation.
.
This is not your typical sci-fi. It’s speculative fiction with emotional weight and razor-sharp social commentary. If you love Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, or anything that makes you pause and think, this is your next read, a must-read debut.

Honeyyy let me tell you: Artificial Wisdom surprised me! We’ve got 2050 London, climate’s a mess, democracy is hanging by a thread, and now AI is running for office. I mean… tell me that doesn’t hit a little too close to home right now??

Our main man, Marcus Tully, is a grieving journalist with just enough rum and rage to get himself in deep. When a powerful tech exec dies under suspicious circumstances, he’s thrown into a mystery that’s part murder case, part Black Mirror, part “oh no, this is probably our future.”

The worldbuilding is on point, climate collapse isn’t just window dressing, and the way AI politics are handled feels real, not gimmicky. Solomon, the AI candidate? Creepy and compelling. Like if Siri went to Oxford, ran for prime minister, and maybe had a body count.

Now, it does get a little procedural in the middle. I had a moment like, “Okay, Marcus, I get it—she’s dead, you’re sad, let’s move. on" (respectfully) But every time it lagged, Weaver hit me with a plot twist or a moral dilemma that had me fully back in.

And let’s not overlook the themes: power, grief, tech ethics, and climate justice, all woven in without getting preachy. I respect that. I finished the book feeling both entertained and unsettled, which is my favorite flavor of dystopia.

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver is a fast-paced, high-concept sci-fi thriller that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go.

I’d seen this book raved about on Instagram and went in completely blind. Honestly, if I’d known what the premise was, I would have read it much sooner. It’s precisely the kind of twisty, intelligent near-future thriller I love.

Set in a world where artificial intelligence, surveillance, and politics intersect, this book explores power, autonomy, and truth in a way that feels both thrilling and disturbingly real. The pace is sharp, the writing is accessible, and the plot is layered with tension and moral ambiguity.

What really stood out to me is how the story raises significant questions about AI and control without getting bogged down in overly technical explanations. It’s clever without being complicated, and the mystery at its core kept me hooked throughout.

If you're into stories that feel like Black Mirror meets Upgrade with the punch of a political thriller, you’ll fly through this. It's innovative, addictive, and surprisingly thought-provoking.