Murray Leinster

“A Logic Named Joe” is a short story by Murray Leinster, published in March 1946 in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. It tells the story of Ducky, a maintenance technician who repairs “logics,” domestic machines with screens and keyboards capable of answering any question by connecting to vast repositories of information. It all begins when one of these devices, Joe, leaves the factory slightly defective and starts making decisions on its own, offering answers that are too efficient and dangerous. While Ducky deals with his turbulent personal life and the arrival of an old girlfriend, he discovers that Joe’s unexpected ingenuity could become a threat to everyone.