# 'The Delivery' is a horror novella about a family's mysterious AI assistant

An episode of [NPR's Book of the Day](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1587369865), 22 Jul 2026, 8:28.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510364/npr.simplecastaudio.com/c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a/episodes/34c691ed-6e15-4aab-a964-23a26d4b3998/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a&awEpisodeId=34c691ed-6e15-4aab-a964-23a26d4b3998&feed=tZrJMl4P&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5902793&p=510364&d=508&size=8128932

After a couple suffers a tragedy, they receive a mysterious and exclusive offer for a humanoid AI companion that knows everything about them. At first, Mr. Man is a godsend for their home, but then it begins to anticipate the family’s every need, even their unspoken desires. In today’s episode, author Gregg Hurwitz joins Weekend Edition’s Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation about his horror novella The Delivery. The author also shares his views on how to keep AI in check. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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