Artificial Hearts: Exploring Connection and Alienation in Helen Phillips' Hum

Helen Phillips' novel Hum explores technology, societal pressures, and human connection through protagonist May, who is struggling balancing motherhood, marriage, and a sense of personal identity in a hyper connected world.

Central to the narrative are "hums," human-like artificial companions that supposedly offer the comfort of companionship but do so in an unsettling manner that makes the reader, and May herself, question the truthfulness of interactions. What to trust is questioned from small things like whether a message from May's husband is really from him or just AI autofill, the endless (but humorously so) offers for the hand cream for aging hands to purchase from direct personal advertising, or even the "conversations" with hums during a crisis. What is real, and what is the cost?

Technology in Hum profoundly impacts personal identity, where characters have to confront and adapt to devices and procedures altering their fundamental sense of self. The story begins when May alters her facial appearance for money they desperately need, which makes her less easy to track in the world, but leaves her family feeling skeptical of her realness. The "bunnies," futuristic childcare devices, were deeply disturbing as the children's dependence on them and how that affects the family dynamics mirrors my own worries about digital parenting and where it goes from here. The Wooms that enclose people to their own personal disassociation pocket encourage comfort but not connection, and the fact that May sneaks into her husbands Woom to feel a connection to him is sad but understandable. Are individual profiles on Netflix precursors to this?

My favorite part of the novel is contrast between technology and the need to be part of the natural world, through the vacation to the Botanical Garden. The refuge May seeks for herself and for her family felt so close to home and also highlighted the disconnect in the outside world in a simple but clear way. It was also so impactful to see that this expensive luxury for a return to something that we can still access now should be a wake up call.

Finally, I really liked how the compact story explored deeply the intricate balance required between parenting, partnership, and personal survival amidst environmental and societal stressors. It made me question what portrait AI would create of me from my digital footprint, and that is something we all should perhaps think about a little more.

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Next Meeting is : May 14th, 7:00-8:30pm