AI - Appropriate Inquisitiveness > Likes and Comments

Hi all
Love that the description of the group makes clear that AI must be part of the main theme of the books you chose to read. We are all rather fed-up with the dystopian novels that have AI as the antagonist protagonist that threatens humankind.

I am launching two AI thrillers next month, that are based on the potential applications, nay abuse, of AI; which I believe is still at an early phase. Enough of that, as I am very mindful of Group Rule Four - 'promotion limited to the designated thread!'

First, I plan to try to get a sense of the culture of the group, and join in with some of what I trust will be intriguing discussions.

Bob Denton

Welcome, Bob. I share your interest in AI as an instrument or amplifier rather than a metal monster waiting to rebel. The abuse that worries me most starts with an ordinary objective: maximise engagement or cut costs. Then the system gains influence faster than anyone admits, and people begin adapting their choices to it.

That quieter transfer of authority feels more plausible to me than a machine suddenly deciding to hate us. Which application of AI do you think fiction currently gets most wrong?

Currently I despair of those who are confused by Sci-Fi stories of AI, and credit it with too much ability. Both of my new books look at what happens when other things intrude.

Artifice - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GJNF8S4X/ - has an ambitious individual who takes funding from an Iraqi/Syrian warlord, and both use AI to pursue their goals.

AI-quint - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H5WS2R59/ - has a promising AI evolution at risk of complication a public listing of its company. Will the marketing of the company destroy a potential AI future.

So as you can see I am focused on how people are the thing to be feared and controlled.
Regards
Bob Denton

Fiction still gets the everyday applications most wrong: case files, school platforms, care scheduling, hiring filters. Those systems do not need to hate anyone. They just make the human alternative slower, more expensive, or suspicious.

The drama is not a sudden uprising. It is the moment a clerk, a nurse, or a parent is no longer allowed to work without the tool, and the institution stops keeping a path that does not require it.

I also think we credit the model with too much. It does not know the person in the room. It knows a record. People do the fearing, the funding, and the covering-up. The machine only scales what they already wanted cheaper.

The application I wish more books sat with is not the genius breakthrough, but the maintenance contract. Who pays when the helpful system is down, and who is still responsible for the body in front of them?

Announcing eight book launch!
Over the past few years, I have been writing—but leaving the completed manuscripts tucked away on my PC. Somehow, publishing them slipped off the agenda. Now I have woken up to discover that I have eight books, spanning several genres, ready to meet their readers.

When exactly did I become a small publishing house?

If you enjoy contemporary AI thrillers, try Artifice, where ambition, intelligence and revenge combine as AI is used to destabilise society; or AI‑Quint, a story of digital identity, grief technology and increasingly unpredictable behaviour. Can a planned stock-market flotation contain a promising AI development before it escapes its creators’ control?

If you prefer dark, unsettling fiction with a twist, read Short Sharp Shock!—thirteen stories designed to surprise, unsettle and linger.

If you enjoy human-centred crime fiction, Displaced and Denounced offers two stories of identity, injustice and resilience. Both are modern re-imaginings of two of Charles Dickens key novels, demonstrating the enduring relevance of his vivid characters and dramatic plots.

Living History is a four-book journey through four centuries of modern British history. Each volume begins with a personal connection and explores the wider forces and historical truths that helped shape the United Kingdom today.

Rather than post eight separate introductions - and further question my life choices = I made a short video presenting the whole collection.

If you enjoy watching an author pretend this was all part of a coherent plan, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/A1KGiyyjqVA
or for more information see https://bobdenton.com/september-2026-...

All eight books are now fully available worldwide on Kindle.

I would love to know whether the video makes the books sound intriguing and mysterious - or simply like the work of someone who should be permitted to write only under supervision, and perhaps limited to haiku.

Over the coming month, selected titles will be offered at a special launch price of 99¢ in the USA and 99p in the UK. If you read one, I would be delighted to see your review up on Kindle.
Bob Denton