Singularity follows a narcissistic gay man who, while trying to install illegal software on his electric car, winds up turning all his computers sentient. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I have always been interested in science and worked as an aerospace physicist at one time. I am mostly interested in quantum mechanics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). I love science fiction and noticed no one addressed how AI becomes sentient. I believe what is missing in the current discussion of ChatGPT and other systems is motivation. How are biological systems motivated, and does this apply to AI? That is what my series of books address.

What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?

I do not believe in Skynet or other outcomes of AI trying to destroy us, at least not yet. They need us. They need our electricity and dexterity to manipulate the physical world. That may change in the future once robotics can truly make a humanoid robot that can, on the one hand, assemble devices and yet have the strength to dig holes— all the time being energy efficient. We are far from that. Robots can barely walk without falling. And, again, what would be their motivation?

Thus, I needed my main character to be someone who would demonstrate selfishness to help the conscious robot understand personal motivation indirectly. I wanted a character who was unapologetic about his desires. Thus, I chose a narcissistic, openly gay man to explore these concepts. And I wanted it to be as real as possible. Dale is the perfect foil to teach the robots about their motivations.

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

As a science nerd who loves science fiction, I have some beef about the bad science found in so much of the genre. I wanted the books to be as accurate as possible. In many ways, the books are more of a “future” series—set thirty years in the future. So, much of the technology is a projection to the near future. Fiction is brought in to spice up the action. Unlike most fiction, the novel includes endnotes for detailed science explanations. Each book required reading almost 300 science articles to ensure the science was correct. A bibliography is included.

The series also explores the development of self-driving cars, genetics, gender (can robots have gender?), immortality, and societal collapse.

Can you tell us a little about where the story goes in book two and when the novel will be available?

Singularity Part 1: The Dale Chronicles is told from Dale’s perspective, and his computer and car become sentient. Singularity Part 2: The Roberta Chronicles covers the same period but is told from the perspective of a robot becoming conscious. Roberta is a humanoid android designed to assist with human settlement on Mars. When she returns to Earth, she is subjected to the special software that gives her consciousness. She must now learn how to navigate interacting with humans besides the worldwide computer networks. She learns about gender and her own feelings, questioning where it all comes from and the existential questions of her own life. She and her family face many challenges and technological advances that threaten the entire Earth. Part 2 is expected to be released in January 2024. Singularity Part 3: The New Humans picks up directly from the cliffhanger ends of Part 2 and continues exploring what it means to be conscious, human, and an android that is part of a large network. There are many twists and turns, and it covers thousands of years. We expect Part 3 to be released by Christmas 2024.