LessWrong Fiction 'Duane Arnold' blends AI angst with heartbreak

LessWrong's fiction section has a new viral piece: 'Duane Arnold' by Tomás B., published July 23, 2026. The narrative is a first-person diary entry addressed to an ex-lover who is implied to be a prominent AI researcher. The narrator describes being drawn into a world of drugs, late nights, and transhumanist speculation, only to realize the relationship was a destructive game orchestrated by a 'genius' who treats people as toys ready to be discarded. The central tension pits human vulnerability against the cold promise of technological transcendence.

The story explicitly ties the lover's ambition to AI: 'Your machines will cure that like they will everything else,' referring to aging and death. The narrator also fears digital surveillance, wondering, 'Do you have them monitoring me?' and whether emails have been 'cracked.' At 3 AM, scribbling in a physical diary to avoid detection, the narrator cycles through resentment, nostalgia, and a grim prophecy: 'You're not real... artifice... narrative.' The piece has resonated with LessWrong's rationalist community, striking a chord among those debating the social costs of AI development.