The methodology this year was to ask ChatGPT for a list and a random number, but it struggled for some reason. So the next methodology was to scroll down rapidly on the File 770 recommendations thread and poke my finger at a random moment. I am delighted to reveal the winner is ...
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Service Model
Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose.
Second runner-up: The Lotus Empire, by Tasha Suri