Microsoft lets writers create science fiction based on research

Microsoft asked a number of science fiction writers to create stories inspired by various studies the IT company is doing. The result is a free downloadable book of short science fiction stories.

The writers’ stories in the anthology entitled ‘Future visions: original science fiction stories inspired by Microsoft’ are inspired by the work the Redmond-based company does in its various research centers. For example, there are stories that deal with various artificial intelligence techniques such as the direct translation of spoken text.

Microsoft’s idea was to give different authors access to its facilities a glimpse into a world that many people still think is science fiction. With this knowledge and the opportunity to speak with the researchers, the authors were able to gain the necessary inspiration. The book features nine stories by eleven different authors: Seanan McGuire, Greg Bear, Elizabeth Bear, Nancy Kress, Jack McDevitt, Robert J. Sawyer, David Brin, Ann Leckie, and a comic strip story by Blue Delliquanti and Michele Rosenthal with drawings by Joey Camacho.

In the foreword to the book, Harry Shum, head of Microsoft’s Technology and Research division, asks, “Is science fiction influencing science or is science influencing science fiction?” In it, of course, he cites the influence of TV series such as Star Trek. With the stories that are about both fact and fantasy, Microsoft wants to deliver a standalone bundle.

The Future Visions bundle is available for download for Kobo, Kindle, and iBooks. There is no standalone download.