Machines Like Me

novel by McEwan

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Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Machines Like Me is a 2019 novel by Ian McEwan. The story is set in an alternate 1980s England where artificial intelligence has advanced significantly. A love triangle develops between a couple, Miranda and Charlie, and a sophisticated male robot named Adam, who is designed to be humanlike. The novel explores themes of consciousness, love, and the ethical implications of creating artificial beings that blur the lines between humans and machines.1

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Ian McEwan
Major novels
In Machines Like Me (2019), a love triangle develops between a couple and a male robot. Inspired by Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the novella The Cockroach (2019) concerns Brexit (the British exit from the European Union).
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In Machines Like Me (2019), a love triangle develops between a couple and a male robot. Inspired by Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the novella The Cockroach (2019) concerns Brexit (the British exit from the European Union).
Read More