Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a 1968 dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick.
Set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, the novel follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with “retiring” escaped androids that are virtually indistinguishable from humans. The novel was the basis for the film Blade Runner.
In a world where most animals are extinct and owning a real animal is a status symbol, Deckard hunts Nexus-6 androids while questioning what truly separates humans from machines.
The novel’s exploration of consciousness and identity has made it a foundational text in discussions of AI ethics and what it means to be human.