The Singularity
A little introduction
Humans have a record of pushing our boundaries, progress and evolution are our drivers, but at what cost, are we really moving forwards, or are we just playing with fire, which usually means at some point, we are going to get burnt.
Synopsis
In the world of supercomputers and artificial intelligence, where the holy grail is building a computer that is self-aware and self-learning. What happens when you take the brakes off and give a self-aware supercomputer the task of preserving humanity, anyway it chooses.
The team is back this time in a world where trust is in short supply, they are the only ones that can stop this supercomputer from changing the world beyond all recognition. In a race against time, they must break into some of the most secure facilities in the world, without anyone knowing, but not everyone wants them to succeed….
My notes
The Holocene extinction otherwise referred to as the sixth mass extinction or Anthropocene extinction, is an ongoing extinction event of species during the present Holocene epoch (with the more recent time sometimes called Anthropocene) as a result of human activity. The question remains what will be the next dominant species to inherit the earth. The popularly held belief is it will be a cojoined species, a union between humans and technology, the real question will be, who is leading who?
The team is back, this time, as the only people left with any knowledge of BETSI, they have been recruited to stop her, delivering her primary objective, to preserve human life.
A few of the main characters
David Carmichael
British Chemistry Professor (40 ish)
Loved up and living in paradise, our British professor has finally found happiness with his eccentric girlfriend
Special skill – Chemistry genius
Cassia Nilsson
American Black hat Hacker (40 ish)
Our talented hacker takes centre stage, this time she has government support in stopping a rogue supercomputer from preserving the species
.
Special skill – World-class hacker
Nick Colletto
Ex American Special Forces (40ish)
Nick and Sarah are now together and only want a peaceful life, trouble is life doesn’t work like that, now they have to step up one more time to save everything they value most.
Special skill – Wet work (killing people and special operations)
Sarah Conner
Ex South African special forces (40’s)
Tired of running around and saving the world, all she wants is to live in Paradise pods and shut the world out, but this time she doesn’t have a choice
Special skill: Hand to hand combat, peacemaker
Robert Johnson
British Prime Minister (48)
The first black Prime Minister and he is about to enter his second term. He is from a working-class background, down to earth, but a bit of a loner, totally focussed on his career, and still single. He constantly struggles with his confidence but is a gifted speaker.
Special skill: People believe him
Katie Rayner
American Journalist (40 ish)
Tough war reporter fiercely independent and will go to extreme lengths to dig out a story. She has no time for relationships, in search of the truth, she is Cassia’s best friend, and will do anything to help her out, but has a secret she is trying to hide.
Special skill: Connections, she has a wide network of connections
Major Tom Clarke
Special forces Major
Under orders to recruit Nick and his team, he must face some of his greatest challenges to win over them over. Known for his diplomacy, he is a skilled operator that knows how to get things done.
Special skill – Diplomacy
BETSI
Biological Engagement
Transference Synaptic Interface
(Artificial Intelligence)
This time it's BETSI that is on a mission, to deliver her primary directive, To preserve human life. The only problem is that it is up to her to decide how best to do it!
A few final thoughts
We push the boundaries too far and are so close to creating a self-aware computer. What happens when you create a super being that is capable of thinking and acting a million times faster than its creator, is fluent in the most communicated language on the planet (Binary) and you let it decide the destiny of your species? (willingly or not)
When ethical and emotional parameters are taken out of the equation, you are only left with logical ones, which in truth means, there are too many humans and too few resources, the only real, logical choice would be to thin the population
The last point…
This sixth book in the series poses several difficult questions, which is our reality. A reality that none of us has the stomach to face. Whilst it is fictional, the truth is that we are really not that far away from its realisation.
Are we capable of changing our ways, before it's too late, or do we still press on in the name of progress and ignore the warnings?
