"Dr Curtis Runstedler has published a new book chapter for the edited anthology Dis/Trusting the Digital World in Imaginative Literature with Edinburgh University Press (edited by Adam Kelly and Katerina Pavlidi, May 2026). Runstedler's chapter investigates the role of AI compliance in literary narratives, citing Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun as a starting point to explore the role of trust in human-AI interactions. Focusing upon the Klara the "Artificial Friend's" first-person narration, Runstedler argues that the novel interrogates the subservience and compliance of robots. He further recognises how extreme robot compliance can reinforce broader patterns of anthropocentrism and emphasises the importance of storytelling and narratives for discussing AI issues. Runstedler presented an earlier version of this paper at the conference "Trusting and Distrusting the Digital World in Imaginative Literature" at UCD Dublin in 2023, which led to the current publication."
