The Mountain in the Sea

Abstract

The Mountain in the Sea takes place in the Con Dao Archipelago in Vietnam, and it follows several characters, including marine biologist Ha Nguyen, who joins a company called DIANIMA to study a newly-found species of intelligent octopus in the region. DIANIMA is an international corporation that designs artificial intelligences and has often been criticized for their recklessness in developing AI regardless of consequences for humanity. As a researcher into the possibility of intelligent life in marine life, Nguyen finds that the species of octopus has developed its own language. Research on this form of life may uncover a breakthrough in extrahuman intelligence which can shed light on the limitations of human life itself. The novel also follows Rustem, a hacker secretly employed by DIANIMA and an expert on the inner workings of AI. Rustem lives in fear of his employers due to the ever-present surveillance that populates the world, making him afraid that he will be killed for divulging information about his job. Eiko is a slave on a ship run by an AI who is in complete control of the vessel and can catch conversations and any kind of information that might be relevant, particularly information that will be useful for marketing profit. All these plots converge on the study of the octopi and all the interests that arise from the results of the research into this form of life. Ultimately, The Mountain in the Sea explores the relationship between technology and biology and how it reflects on the progress of humanity.