Who can you trust anymore?

Or should I say, what can you trust these days?

If you own a smart home...if you converse with artificial intelligence in the form of Alexa or a Ring Doorbell, or a smart TV, or a smart whatever...chances are you are not being offered a service out of convenience (it's the natural inclination of human beings to take the easy, lazy way out when offered the chance, no matter the consequences), so much as you are being observed and studied.

Your personal data is being compiled, bit by bit, pixel by pixel (my coding and computer terminology might be off here, but bear with me). You are not flesh and bone to these devices. You are code. They know what you eat, drink, read, listen to, indulge in sexually, pray to or not pray to, and so much more.

One day, they will know more about you than you know about yourself. They will anticipate your every move. If for some reason, they come not to like you, or suspect the worst about you, they can work against you and at best, shut you out...imagine arriving home from work, the Ring Doorbell recognizes you, and decides to lock you out of your own castle. At worst, they will make you a slave.

You just might disappear one day, no questions asked.

Can it happen?

Maybe it already has.

I explore this very thesis in my brand new thriller, Primary Termination. 
Grab it at a limited time special introductory low price now. 

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The Rise of the Machines

I'm a little disturbed right now because I just witnessed something at the grocery store that took me aback. Rather, it was more like a swift punch to the gut. Shoppers were waiting in line to use the automatic robotic cashier machines while right beside them, stood a human cashier just twiddling her thumbs.

Now I have to admit, I had every intention of using the robots as well. But when I saw the young woman, or girl, standing there gazing at her newly polished fingernails, I made my way over to her, set my groceries on the belt and thus began my transaction the old fashioned way.

"It's a terrible thing for humanity when people choose the robots over the humans," I said.
But she just looked at me like I'm one of those middle-aged dudes who still smokes pot.

But it got me thinking. The rise of the machines is really upon us. I just had a book released in hardcover (The Corruptions), but I spend most of my marketing time setting up promos for the eBook or electronic versions of my books. I sell far more eBooks than paper and I sell them all over the world right from the laptop set up in my home office. Home, being where ever I choose to be at any given time.

Publishers now consult computer algorithms when deciding to take on a book or not. The computer can't be wrong, can it? New artificial intelligence programs are being developed that not only help us write faster, but help us plot our books. Soon, they will be relied upon to write them. You just wait and see.

I heard recently that a law is being enacted in the UK granting a specific set of rights to AI. Can you imagine your digitally enhanced toaster possessing the ability to sue you if you mistreat it?

The machines are taking over. God save humanity.  Think I'll go back to using my typewriter.

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