Burn In

摘要

Peter Singer and August Gole, authors of 2015's hit novel Ghost Fleet, are back with a new technothriller set in the near future which explores the impact of autonomy and artificial intelligence if current trends continue unabated and, in so doing, raise interesting questions about the society we are building. Openly billed as a think tank report told in the form of a story, the heavily footnoted book makes it easy for the reader to further explore the technologies presented. The story follows former Marine and current FBI agent Laura Keegan, who, fresh off the heels of preventing a major terrorist bombing at Union Station, is given a special assignment by the FBI's Deputy Director: train and evaluate an advanced robot, the Tactical Autonomous Mobility System-TAMS-for service with the FBI. Though resistant to the assignment, Keegan sets off with her new partner in tow. Readers familiar with current sci-fi depictions of robots having personalities may be in for a shock, as TAMS is portrayed as more robotic than human (think T-800, not Bender or Data).1 They quickly find themselves in the middle of a national crisis, as the United States is beset by a series of disasters resulting from seemingly innocent technological malfunctions.