Algorithm

As a curated collection of winners and finalists of the Global Chinese Science Fiction Nebula Award, *Algorithm*'s value lies not only in showcasing the creative landscape of contemporary Chinese-language science fiction, but also in its profound exploration, through one fictional story after another, of the potential impact and ethical challenges that technological concepts such as algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence pose to human society. This book is not a technical manual but a union of literary imagination and philosophical speculation. In the editor's view, its core reading value lies in the following: first, in literary terms, it gathers representative works or cutting-edge short stories by well-known authors including Liu Cixin, Hao Jingfang, Chen Qiufan, and Bao Shu, with high-quality texts and diverse narrative techniques; second, in intellectual terms, most of these stories go beyond simple descriptions of technological spectacle and reach deeply into fundamental propositions such as identity, free will, social structure, and the future of civilization—for example, emotions governed by algorithms and the existential crisis brought about by digital immortality; third, in timeliness, at a moment when AI technology is sweeping the globe, many of the forward-looking imaginings in this book, created years ago, are resonating with reality at an astonishing speed, offering valuable material for reflection. Overall, this is a high-quality anthology that satisfies both readers' demand for gripping stories and their need for deep reflection on the issues of our time, demonstrating the distinctive insight of Chinese-language science fiction writers at the intersection of technology and the humanities.