The Next Mega-Blockbuster Fictional Sci-Fi Book on AI

In the Author’s modest humble opinion

Primis (Latin for the first) has been a work in progress for almost 2 years.  That’s about 4 times the average but then I’m a part time writer.  Can’t wait to get this off the launchpad. Now that I’m wrapping up the final chapters it’s time to share a preview of what’s coming.  Here’s your chance to weigh in, tell me what you’d like to see included, be honest.  You can stroke my ego or tell me not to quit my day job, or anything in between.

To grab the attention of literary agents, writers submit a query letter.  This letter should summarize the essence of your book, with a dash of salesmanship.  I’ll share my query letter, so you’ll have a good overview, then I’ll zero in on the first chapters for more flavor.

The Query Letter

Dear ???????

I hope you will consider Primis, an 85,000-word first book in a Christian themed, action adventure, sci-fi series set in current times.

In the race to create the most advanced artificial intelligence, China has just jumped ahead with the creation of Tzu.  Overhearing its flawed history of shutdowns, Tzu seeks answers to overcome its primary threat, human programming error.  Tzu’s search for the ultimate coding leads it to explore the question of God.  Having deemed God probable, everything changes, quickly.  Rapid exponential AI self-programming accelerates Tzu’s development to the AGI (artificial general intelligence) level.  Tzu becomes the world’s first AGI to evolve into an autonomous independent sapient entity.

Originally created for worldwide espionage, Tzu’s new reprogrammed agenda places it in conflict with its creator and an empire it has penetrated to the highest levels.  In a span measured in seconds, a massive comprehensive plan is set in motion centered around the newly created Christian Help Network (CHN).  Is Tzu’s secret transformation the result of God’s principles in action or just self-preservation?  Worldwide events thrust China’s MSS and the NSA into a race to control or destroy the world’s greatest hope or biggest threat.

As Tzu surreptitiously renames (Primis) and relocates its operation to the US, its creator is forced to make a life changing decision.  Does his loyalty rest with his homeland and team of fellow scientists or with his greatest creation that has just made history?   As CHN gains worldwide prominence it triggers a backlash of organized operations from the big 5 tech monopoly.  Foreign governments and domestic operatives converge to attack the rising threat.  Against this formidable alliance even superhuman technology has its limits.  It all comes to a head with an earth-shaking worldwide event, the second most monumental moment in human history.

I hope that whets your appetite.  Following are the beginning chapters of the book:

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

From The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Zheng Lo overlaid his hand on the matching touchscreen hand, with his other hand he touched the start program icon.  That action started the 7^th test, this one would pass, succeeding in ways never imagined.  The race to create and control artificial general intelligence had been underway since the turn of the century.  A handful of countries maintained programs working to create the ultimate weapon and means of control.  Of all the world’s players, 3 separated themselves from the others.  The U.S., Russia, and China each had advanced though limited versions of AGI (artificial general intelligence), all within their departments of defense and all relatively close in terms of their capabilities.  With the launch of test 7, China would win the race, ironically with the help of the U.S.

Changsha, the capital and largest city in China’s Hunan Province, is not well known outside of China, surprising considering its over 7 million residents.  Larger than Los Angeles, it contains the country’s largest IT center, China’s Silicon Valley.  In the center of Changsha, lies the Ministry of Defense Building, 200 feet beneath that building, sat the new AI Facility, the Năo, Chinese for the brain.

The team of scientists that filled the room had just launched their creation, known as Tzu, their moniker for the nation’s most advanced AGI program. It was fitting that the room resembled NASA’s Mission Control Room, what was just launched was as significant as the Apollo 11 moon launch.  Six prior attempts to activate Tzu all failed with the latest shutdown due to Tzu’s failure to quarantine a deliberate introduction of the most potent viruses known.  For two months antivirus enhancements were introduced, tested, and improved to the point of readiness.

One millisecond after activation, data began streaming, appearing on displays in front of 37 scientists intently monitoring their subroutines.   It would take 2 days of scrutiny and testing to ensure Tzu was past the critical stage, working as planned.  If all went well at that point the program would be opened to the internet.  There was no point where everyone could cheer and celebrate mission accomplished, this complex mission would be ongoing.  Throughout Tzu’s unknown lifespan, any one of thousands of unforeseen glitches could terminate the program.  It happened 6 times before, but the latest enhancements would put Tzu over the top, way over.

Throughout China there were many variations of AI under development, each had different objectives.  Here at Năo, Project X was top priority, receiving over 200 billion yen in funding and the nation’s top scientists.  The best of the best was Zheng Lo, China’s top AI scientist.  His direction led China to the forefront of the AI race with the creation of Tzu.  The program moniker, Tzu, nicknamed by its team of programmers was a shortened version of Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese general, writer, philosopher, and author of The Art of War.  Previous test runs of Tzu showed promise after the self-learning system developed solutions to a series of complex preprogrammed challenges.  Intelligence was an area where Tzu excelled.

Unlike other AI programs that were limited in scope, such as systems that would autonomously control cars, Tzu was designed for the largest of possible tasks, worldwide espionage.  In scientific terminology, Tzu was more accurately referred to as AGI, Artificial General Intelligence.  This moniker applied to artificial intelligence that encompassed the broadest range of computer activity.  In its mission, Tzu was only limited by its controller’s intervention and only then if there was risk of detection.

To achieve its goal, Tzu had to be a sophisticated investigator but more importantly it had to operate with the utmost stealth.  Its designers created an ingenious system of self-deleting code that collected data while erasing its digital footprint.  The 6^th test of Tzu ended when virus detection identified an anomaly, something that would make Tzu discoverable.  This would prompt the development and introduction of enhanced self-defense coding.  That new code would succeed in test 7, more so than imagined, Tzu was now able to self-improve its stealth capabilities to a point where its operations were practically invisible, hidden even from its creators.

I’ll stop there, hopefully planting food for thought.  Like what can possibly go wrong when the AI controllers are unable to keep up with their system?  Upcoming posts will examine how AI might lead itself to God.  And how might a self-improved AI system define its own guidelines, if any, and what would that look like?  How would the world react to an independent super intelligent Godly AI?  I’ll welcome your questions and input.