When you combine AI, virtual reality, and surveillance capabilities with social media and an enthusiasm for reality TV, the only beneficiary will be capitalism. Individuals? They’ll become screen addicts, predatory viewers, or unwilling performers, in a world where person and persona merge.
Alison Anderson’s translation from the French is smooth and lucid, making Kids Run the Show a quick read. The virtues of the propulsive narrative of the “police procedural” that occupies four-fifths of the book, and the semi-satirical close, which introduces a doctor who specializes in pathologies related to social media, AI, and virtual reality, a Freudian who lives in a world of facial recognition, secret recordings, and a voice assistant he calls Jacques Lacan, instead of Siri.
In the end, the story is suspenseful, a plotty page-turner with multiple twists and chapters that frequently end on cliffhangers. As such, the novel resembles (ironically) a binge-worthy TV series, offering the same perverse pleasures as a late night spent scrolling on YouTube.
Read the full review on Frenchly.