British writer Brian Aldiss is probably best known as the creative mind behind Artificial Intelligence: AI. The film is loosely based on his 1969 short story, "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," about an android boy who longs to be loved by his flesh-and-blood mother. The Aldiss work is a great deal more straightforward than the drawn-out endeavor originally helmed by Stanley Kubrick and eventually directed by Steven Spielberg. But both works succeed in painting a vivid picture of a future where humanity has overpopulated itself to such an extreme degree that maintaining a normal lifestyle is near impossible. Aldiss — who's published more than 80 books and won all manner of literary awards — discusses AI (which he called "crap" in a recent UK Times interview), his creative processes and his experiences during USF's fourth annual Science Fiction Symposium. He's joined by a panel of scholars who are well-versed in his work and offer three distinct viewpoints: UT English professor Richard Mathews, author of Aldiss Unbound: The Science Fiction of Brian W. Aldiss; USF chemistry professor and hard science-fiction enthusiast Brian Space; and science-fiction writers/scholars John Clute and Harry Harrison. Tues., March 18, 7-9 p.m., Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) Auditorium, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, free, 813-974-3657.
