Killswitch centers around a former engineer tasked with deciding the fate of the artificial superintelligence that has transformed civilization. What draws you to the speculative science fiction genre?

I find the best science fiction is the kind we can all relate to. And if you look at the genre, it’s been more predictive of the future than anything else, which is part of why I can’t help but imagine a future similar to what the book explores. Having worked directly in the industry, I’ve seen where technology has fallen short, as well as the advancements in AI that have wowed so many. That future feels close. Best case, this journey helps people understand that we’re living in a pinnacle moment in time, one where we have a closing window of influence over the powerful tools being built.

How did you approach writing an artificial intelligence that is vastly more intelligent than the human characters—and potentially the reader?

That was the hardest part. The ASI had to be a character in its own right—flawed and unique in personality—yet vastly more evolved than a human. All at once. Without giving too much away, I approached that by showing a bit of my hand early in the prologue and then circling back around with the twists that take place at the end of the book. This makes Pantheon the most interesting character: you see what it is at face value, but you can only truly appreciate it after you’ve seen the entire picture. This gives you more to appreciate on a second reading.

Were there real-world developments in artificial intelligence that influenced your vision of Pantheon?

Mostly the race for AGI that we currently live in. You already see large tech companies putting everything into making the one thing that rules us all. Having worked in the industry, I know firsthand that this means trade-offs. Imagine the best interaction you’ve ever had with a chatbot AI today. Now imagine that same interaction on its worst day. Once we achieve sophisticated AGI, the technology will be so general-purpose, so useful, that it will bleed into every aspect of our lives. The natural next step: a superintelligence.

If you were given Damien’s choice in the real world, would you destroy Pantheon or keep it alive?

Ah, that’s the big question. And it’s one I struggled with the entire time I wrote the book. I have a love/hate relationship with AI today. Like Damien, I can’t help but see its potential and appreciate its purpose to help us where we fall short. And like Damien, I fear that it will optimize its solutions so far that it negates the very things that make life worth living. If I were Damien, living in Damien’s world, I’d want to use the killswitch to end it all, but I don’t think I could bear the blood on my hands (I don’t even kill spiders in my house). But I don’t think I could spare it either and just go on living as a shell. I suppose my answer is: read the book and find out for yourself. 🙂

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