MARC STIEGLER

According to the bio on Fantastic Fiction: "Marc Stiegler is a science fiction author and software developer. He co-authored Valentina: Soul in Sapphire with Joseph H. Delany. This is the one of the earliest examples of sentient computer software in fiction -- as opposed to mainframe AI's such as HAL and Colossus. He also wrote the short story, "The Gentle Seduction" based on Vinge's ideas about a technological "singularity," the exponential growth of future technology --- that will drastically affect the nature and experience of being a human being."