Second Variety

“Second Variety” 
From: Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick 
Philip K. Dick; introduction by Jonathan Lethem 
New York: Pantheon Books, 2002 
Central Library 
Vanderbilt University Libraries 

“Second Variety” is a post-apocalyptic short story about self-replicating machines that become self-governing and exceed their programmed limits. The story is one of the earliest examples of AI-enhanced “killer bots” that create their own humanlike models capable of infiltrating both sides in the war. It is a cautionary tale about autonomous drones, AI warfare, and unchecked machine evolution.