Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)
Summary
Starfish (Peter Watts, 1999) is a science fiction exploration of autonomous AI-like systems (smart gels) and human–machine ecosystems deep beneath the ocean. Through a multi-part narrative, it examines governance, surveillance, addiction to risk, and the ethics of deploying self-modifying technologies in high-stakes environments, culminating in questions about agency and what it means to be human when machines become integral to survival.