In the Algorithm We Trust follows a young man raised to worship an all-knowing AI who discovers the terrifying cost of a society engineered for perfection. What was the inspiration for your story, and how did the idea of an artificial intelligence system controlling nearly every aspect of human existence first develop?

The inspiration for the story started after the 2016 election, seeing how much social media helped to spread false stories and narratives. It was this moment that really opened my eyes to the ways we are so easily influenced by the things we see online, and how much power there was in the choices of those who control the social media algorithms made. This got me thinking about what happens when those who own these social medias realize their power and influence, and begin to use it create their own realities.

Unfortunately, this is no longer a figment of my imagination, but very much the reality we live in today.

The idea sat in my head for a few years, and slowly morphed into this singular AI system that controls more than just the information we receive online, into a system that controls quite literally everything. I decided on this approach as a way to really hyperbolize the influence online algorithms have on us–because it is more than just how we think politically. These algorithms, which control what pops up on our feeds, have the power to influence our behaviors, our thoughts, our advocacy, our complicity, and so much more. 

That is what I hope is seen in ‘the Algorithm’ from my book.

How did you approach developing Hugo Rodríguez as a protagonist who has been conditioned from birth to trust the Algorithm without question?

Most protagonists in dystopian novels end up being major players in a rebellion, or at least an attempt of one. I think readers really enjoy this because it allows them to put themselves in the shoes of someone who fights back, who tears the system down. But when we look around, I am not seeing very many heroes. Instead, I am seeing far too many people just going along with it all. Ignoring it, supporting it, whatever.

And so I wanted Hugo to represent those people. To lift a mirror to our reality.

I also wanted to show people that this acceptance of the system is not inevitable. There are moments in all of our lives when we see the darkness of reality and have a choice–do we stand up against it, or let it go. I wanted to give Hugo those moments as well.

I hope this story gets people thinking about how they themselves have been complicit, have been silent, and have accepted the atrocities of our world as just a fact of life.

How have contemporary developments in artificial intelligence, data collection, and algorithm-driven decision-making influenced your thinking about the novel’s themes?

The most concerning development of the last couple of years is the people who have gained control and intensified their control of such technologies. People like Elon Musk and the Ellison family in particular. Another scary reality is our government’s own invested interest in the development of artificial intelligence and data collection.

When data is in the hands of those who care only about power, it becomes one of the most powerful tools of the modern age. This data can be used to manipulate at levels we have never seen before, at levels that are hard to even comprehend. With these same people now buying up not just social media companies, but also traditional media companies, allows them to control the information we receive. And with AI getting stronger, data grows ever more powerful, as data can be used to guide the AI’s manipulation…and if people don’t wake up to the influence these algorithms have on our lives, our decisions, our personalities, our beliefs–everything–the easier it becomes for these people to turn us to puppets.

In simpler words: I have become incredibly pessimistic and terrified of the future…BUT, on the other hand, I do believe that society is waking up, and I am (though lesser so) hopeful that this new gained consciousness can be enough to save us.

What do you hope readers take away from the book’s exploration of the relationship between technological progress, institutional trust, and personal freedom?

I hope this book can help to strengthen the societal awakening, the collective consciousness of the situation we have found ourselves in. How we as a people behave, vote, and rise up in the next couple of years can be the difference between a society saved and a civilization lost.

Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website