"Dominant Life Form" chronicles a secret project whose mission's success or failure will determine the future of earth's native intelligences. Set inside the only chance earth will have to create true intelligent reproducing robots, AI creation proceeds from individual battles of the team with self to increasingly complex layers of what it means to be conscious. Even their human creators do not know if they will coexist with the beings they are designing, or will find themselves in second place behind a new dominant life form.