Review of “The Next Logical Step” (1962)
Ben Bova (writer).
Read in 2021.
Pentagon wargamers pull in a CIA analyst to try out a new simulator with a fancy reverse-encephalogram interface.
Published just seven months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, this short story comes to the conclusion that war can be averted by leaking the plans for the fully functional hypertech simulator to the USSR so they can be similarly eager for peace. The setup is pulpy but the idea is a fun twist on the Cold War’s AI optimism.