A Simple Recipe

Mar 14

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Dr. Paula Hidalgo-Sanchis Author Interview

Teaching Machines how To Cry follows a woman with a bionic leg and a mysterious connection to a prototype AI unit, who returns to her childhood hometown and is reconnected with the AI, discovering secrets about her life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I have worked in the field of AI for the last eight years. I was responsible for managing the development, testing, and deployment of AI prototypes to advance the work of the United Nations and its partners to tackle issues such as poverty, climate change, and conflict around the world.

Every day I advocated for the ethical design and use of AI technology whether I was in the office or on the world stage.

A few months back, my son Alan asked me (as he does every other night) “Mommy, tell me a story.” As I told him the story of a child pirate who navigated the Caribbean Sea, something clicked inside me – why not share my thoughts and beliefs about AI and ethics by telling a story about it? The day after, I woke up before my alarm clock, and I wrote the first paragraphs of Teaching Machines How to Cry.

What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?

Before I wrote my debut novel, Teaching Machines how to Cry, I authored many book chapters, blogs, and reports about the innovative and responsible ways to use AI technologies for sustainable development, humanitarian action, and peace.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

My debut novel, Teaching Machines how To Cry, is made out of a few ingredients and it follows a simple recipe. The ingredients are: nine ounces of AI and ethics, nine ounces of raw emotions, nine ounces of machine learning and a pinch of Porto city. I mixed all the ingredients, then I wrapped the mixture in a veil of spirituality and added a generous sprinkle of humor.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I am now working on translating my first novel into Spanish.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website

In her late twenties, Alba moves back to her hometown, Porto, for a dream job. She is drawn towards an area of the city near a famous lighthouse, though she isn’t sure why. Even though she has had some health difficulties, including surgery to replace her leg with a bionic limb in childhood, her life is good: she has a circle of friends and a close family.

But she feels empty. Something is missing and despite all she tries she can’t figure out what it is. The last time she remembers feeling fulfilled was as a child when her family hosted M, an AI-prototype, who became her companion. At the time she unexpectedly lost M her hollow feelings grew. She longs to find something she lost in her life and believes that M can help.

Briefly, a love affair with a fellow scientist fills her emotionally, but when tragedy strikes, she realises that she needs M more than ever. When M mysteriously returns to her, she discovers that everything she believed about her life has been wrong, and there is only one course of action to bring her back to wholeness. But she doesn’t know if it is too late.

Posted on March 14, 2024, in Interviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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