Stefano Gualeni's 'What We Owe the Dead' Explores AI, Heritage, and Moral Debt

Stefano Gualeni, an Italian philosopher, professor, and game designer, has published a dystopian detective novel titled 'What We Owe the Dead' (2025) through Set Margins Press. The book is set in a future world where humanity survives in megatowers after global warming, sustained by alien technology discovered beneath Antarctic glaciers. The narrative follows Security Captain Elevii A. Tarkaa, who investigates a misdemeanour with the aid of Special Unit Bakola, a droid containing the consciousness of a deceased officer. Central to the plot is a fictional game called Duplicate Conduit, which was not designed by humans but found among alien artefacts. Gualeni uses the novel to explore philosophical questions about artificial intelligence, cultural heritage, and our obligations to the dead. The story is presented as a recorded dialogue and includes illustrations that add narrative layers. Gualeni aims to 'put some flesh on philosophical abstractions,' prompting readers to consider how AI changes our interaction with archives and the past. The book also reflects on contemporary AI debates, referencing tech moguls like Sam Altman and companies such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta, and draws parallels to Cixin Liu's 'The Three-Body Problem' and Frank Herbert's 'Dune'. A notable subplot involves climate migrants from Southeast Asia who built the megatowers and, according to myth, turned into swallows, highlighting themes of dispossession and debt.