A Syracuse-based poet-turned author has managed to include the heavy topics of climate change, artificial Intelligence, and the forced extinction of humanity all into one book. The science-fiction debut novel titled “Afterworld” by Debbie Urbanski was released in December, and has received glowing reviews from large and small publications alike. The apocalyptic story follows the final remaining human on an earth facing environmental collapse, told from the perspective of artificial intelligence. Urbanski says she’s always loved the genre.
“It always bothered me a little bit about how much I enjoyed them, how they're a form of entertainment," Urbanski said. "They're kind of my comfort reads, and I was interested in maybe challenging that and trying to do a more realistic apocalypse, one that might be uncomfortable, boring, sad.”
Urbanski says it took her eight years to write the book, which includes many vivid references to the flora and fauna found in Central New York. She says she wanted to combine how she experiences nature with her interest in climate change and AI.
“I do a lot of hiking South of here in Morgan Hill State Forest along the Finger Lakes Trail," Urbanski said. "During COVID I started using Merlin Bird ID and Seek, and both of those use machine learning to help identify nature. It just kind of changed the way I saw the world, the forests, and I just wanted to explore that more.”
Urbanski says she did a lot of research to imagine a future world without humans, even if some readers might find that notion difficult to envision.
“The world's OK in my novel and for me, that's a bit of hope, even though humanity isn't physically here anymore," Urbanski said. "So I guess I would love for readers to come away from this book wondering about our importance in the world and just how much power we have over its future.”
You can hear a complete interview with Urbanski on the next Syracuse Speaks Thursday at 2 p.m. on WAER.
