Below the API

A 2024 Summer of Protocols Short Story

Nov 19, 2024

This short story is a part of the 2024 Summer of Protocols “Protocol Incepting Lore & Literacy” program. It was a blast to jam with the other great folks in the program — big thanks to the organizers over at Protocolized.

To get started, head over to the first chapter.

Or, keep reading this introductory page for an overview of the plot and key concepts.

All chapters have been filed in the Below the API section of Data People Etc.

Plot

Below the API explores what it means to be a creator in a world where even the simplest human connections are mediated by AI agents and what strange effects even the most well-intentioned regulatory protocols may have on our daily lives.

Here’s the pitch:

Marcie, a struggling potter, finds herself thrust into an unexpected whirlwind of success when her AI agent, Navi, transforms her art into a viral sensation. Quiet mornings at the wheel become a never-ending hustle as orders flood in for her black clay pottery, but as Marcie delves deeper into the surge in demand, she discovers that there may be more –or less — to her success than she initially thought. Working against financial pressures and her insecure AI assistant, Marcie must decide whether to lean into the unidentifiable digital audience for which she performs or keep her own passions alive.

At 10k words, it’s longer than my typical fare, so enter carefully. Let me know if you enjoy it!

Key Concepts

After writing, I decided to sketch out a few of the ideas that played into the plot. This would be a nice entry point for folks interested in the subtext of the story rather than the story itself, and you can find it below: