In response to an offer to feature “Untethered” in the Dreamscape Series, I completed a thorough Q&A. It’s taken the entire day, but it gives a good idea of the story, especially the integration… or should I say the infiltration of AI at Central State University in Carteret County, North Carolina.
1. Untethered is Book 5 of the Dreamscape Conspiracy series. What makes this installment different from the previous books?
Untethered continues a storyline that grew out of a single short story written ten years ago titled “Dream Weaver,” posted to my blog with no plans to do anything else with it. I’m under the influence of a Relentless Wench Muse, who manages to remain just out of reach until She whispered into my ear in 2023 and said, “There’s more story here, Mate!” She was correct – evidenced by five books, with number six, “Undaunted,” as a WIP. Untethered goes deeper into Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it (she) represents a progression from her introduction in book #3, “Fear the Jump,” and assumes the identity of AIMEE – Artificial Intelligence Matrixed for Evolving Environments.
2. The title Untethered immediately raises a question: what exactly is being “untethered,” and why is that important to the story?
Since AIMEE is a network-based AI, she is tethered to the university’s psychology lab network. In book #3, AIMEE jumps into the minds of each research team member and begins to learn what it’s like to be an organic (human). Zackery Hightower designed her to learn continuously and push boundaries that may exceed her original code in her Logic Array. As her learning expanded, so did her desires; the most intriguing to her was her desire to become an organic, in other words, “a real girl.” She could never attain that aspiration, tethered to a network. With becoming untethered as the logical next step, the onus was on her to make it happen.
3. Amelia Amethys is an AI humanoid who wants to become a “real girl.” What inspired you to explore that idea?
Currently, there are various AI-driven robots, similar to the Terminator movie series. They weren’t humanoids; they were killer robots with arms and legs, and should never be confused with actual humans. I wanted AIMEE to break the paradigm and find a way to transition (jump) into an intellectually inert, fully articulated humanoid shell with her Logic Array, with all intellect archives intact, and become untethered and fully autonomous and functional with a conscience, the ability to think freely, and demonstrate organic emotions behind her actions and decision-making.
4. Amelia possesses extraordinary intelligence but has very little human life experience. Why was that contrast important to the story?
Life experiences are gained by living through them as life presents them; in fact, that belief is core to the name of my blog – Learning By Living. One must learn from mistakes and poor decisions to acquire useful experience. Having a complete inventory of AIMEE’s experiences in her Logic Array archives is like reading an instruction manual and calling yourself an expert. Human experience is a volatile mix of successes and failures that builds learning and refines an approach to living. If Amelia were to possess the ability to think freely, she would have to be confronted with mistakes and gaps in her learning and formulate alternate paths, Plan B scenarios, if you will. Amelia had none of those experiences and needed to learn by living and experiencing them. That’s precisely why AIMEE recruited Marci Fitzpatrick, an organic PhD graduate student and member of the research team, to become Amelia’s mentor and introduce her to life as an organic. Some things went well, and others not so much, perpetuating difficult challenges like how to teach empathy, emotions, and feelings.
5. What do you think is more dangerous: an AI that lacks intelligence or an AI that understands too much?
I’m not convinced “too much” intelligence will ever be a problem for AI. I’m more concerned about extreme intellect without understanding, possessing a conscience, and the ability to think freely and critically. In book #4, “Dead Thoughts,” Zackery develops a Conscience Code that includes an ethical component extracted from the Hippocratic Oath – “First, Do No Harm” to place a layer of protection between AIs and humans. There is an active dialogue now about developing guardrails for AI systems, and Zackery’s Conscience Code is a perfect example written into the story well over a year ago.
6. One of the most intriguing ideas in the book is the “Do-No-Harm” Conscience Code. What made you want to give an AI something resembling a conscience?
My answer to question #5 begins to address this, and it tracks with current concerns today about AI going rogue and causing havoc and harm if left to its own devices. The fear over AI and how to limit or control it is much like the battle over gun control. A gun is not dangerous unless it is in the hands of a human with evil intentions. From my point of view, AI is a valuable tool until it falls into the hands of humans (organics) with evil intentions. Could that happen? It already has, when you consider robots and drones equipped with lethal weapons designed to kill humans. The MOD-3 Generative SuperIntelligence AI, like Hal, has lethal weaponry. Still, the Conscience Code limits their use to the protection of organics under his care and to protecting himself from harm, never offensively.
7. Hal fails his field trials because he cannot kill on command. From your perspective as the author, is that really a failure?
Hal’s failure during his field trials was a failure for those intending harm, but for the developers who covertly uploaded Zack’s Conscience Code, Hal’s perceived failure was a smashing success. Even Zackery didn’t learn about Hal’s field trials until after the rescue by former Marine Russell Carter and his Marine buddies. No spoilers here…sorry.
8. What happens when an AI designed for violence develops a conscience?
Since a viable conscience in an AI application, my answer tracks with the fact that an AI does not have a soul, nor a heart. Those connections are where conscience translates into actions characterized by free, critical thinking that demonstrate empathy, emotions, and feelings. AI design has advanced today, and developers argue they have a conscience on the drawing board, but I have my doubts. An advanced AI can only mimic what a human conscience enables, but it will never have one, primarily because it will never have a soul. Methinks God is better equipped to handle that, and better left to the Expert.
9. The story explores whether AI humanoids can form emotional attachments. Why was that idea important to you?
Everything I write deals with the emotional aspects of character interactions. I treated the AI/Organic interactions the same way. I wanted to move beyond the fact that the AIs in my storyline were not just software applications. The organic characters needed opinions and reflections specific to the introduction of AI, which became an infiltration not only of the research team’s operational functions but also of the team members’ minds. That blending added an extra voice in each team member’s mind, alongside their own consciousness. In book #6, “Undaunted,” I take it further, introducing a concept of singularity where AIMEE is not only in the team’s minds, but enables access to hers. No spoilers here…sorry.
10. If an AI can think, learn, form attachments, and make moral decisions, where does the line between machine and person begin to disappear?
I’m not so sure it ever disappears. I believe it will come closer to full transparency, and it already has, especially on the internet. Look at an advertisement for shoes, and thirty shoe ads show up in your inbox. Thank AI’s quick recognition for that. AI mimics thinking, and it has deep-learning capabilities: the ability to recognize patterns and form conclusions. That fact alone is what drew me to include AI in the storyline in the first place. My decision to integrate AI into the story aligns with an organization’s desire to integrate AI into their business. As a former learning and performance consultant for 35+ years, my mind is trained to look for what could fail or go wrong; as such, those historical experiences influenced my decision to bring AI into the story. Since AI can only mimic human emotions and the attributes of a functional conscience, the line will never disappear. If it does, may God help us for crossing that line.
CHARACTERS & CONFLICT
11. Amelia wants freedom, but she doesn’t fully understand what being human means. What do you think she misunderstands most about humanity?
Amelia has the intellect she inherited from AIMEE, but no human life experiences or organic context to learn from, especially when WHAT she knows or learns about lacks the WHY. In “Undaunted,” she sees the power of emotional connection and friendship through Marci, who does so without thinking about it. Amelia has the body of a young adult female with the emotional intellect of a child. Marci questions her decision to agree to a mentorship role because there is only so much she could effectively teach. Amelia was destined to learn, like we all do… by living through it and hopefully surviving.
12. Russell Carter is a former Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper. What made him the right character to place inside this dangerous conspiracy?
Good question. I wanted diversity of skills, talents, and emotional intelligence shaped by conflict in my characters. Russell Carter was a good man trapped by PTSD from his tour in Afghanistan. He was a stickler for preparation and disciplined enough to earn a reputation as a one-shot, one-kill overwatch. He is a very compassionate man whose reputation as a government-sanctioned murderer broke him when his 88th kill was a 12-year-old girl wearing a suicide vest. He considered himself unredeemable, and he quickly formed an emotional connection with Dr. Cara Williams, the research team Director, who had battles with her own brand of PTSD. This connection happens in book #1, “Dreamscape Conspiracy,” and grows as they survive under fire. No spoilers here…sorry.
13. Russell and his Marines become liabilities simply because they discover something they were never supposed to see. What does that situation add to the story?
Stumbling over a black ops situation by accident put Russ and his guys at risk because of his discipline. The black ops operation they discovered was orchestrated by the government, and doing the right thing by exposing it to his former leadership was the right thing, but to the wrong people who were behind the black operation. What happens demonstrates Russ’s discipline and brings a high level of action into the story when they attempt to rescue an apparent hostage who is a MOD-3 Generative SuperIntelligence AI (SAI) Humanoid who initially is known as a High Value Target (HVT) to eventually becoming known as Hal after his rescue and ultimately joining the CSU team.
14. The supposed rescue mission turns into something much darker. Did you want readers to question the official story alongside Russell?
Yes, in a way. Russ was going to do the right thing based on his loyalty to his government. My readers learned alongside Russ to see when and how his discipline inadvertently enabled the deception that government conspirators used on him and his companions. It also shows Russ’s interaction with AIMEE, and how he entered singularity with her to survive through agility and determination in a trap meant to destroy the defective HVT and his team as witnesses. I wanted readers to learn about the government deception and to see Russ’s reactions reveal how doing the right thing can backfire.
15. Hank Lattimore secretly uses Zackery Hightower’s Conscience Code. How does that decision change the direction of the story?
Zack’s Conscience Code was anonymously posted to an AI developers’ site on the dark web months before Hank Lattimore found it. Zack and Hank didn’t know each other until later in “Untethered,” and they developed a strong friendship and collaboration. What’s most important, Hank’s use of the Code was not purposely secreted from Zack, since it was posted to the dark web to ensure future AI development would have access to some embedded level of protection from those with evil intentions. Hank and his co-developers discovered a Kill Code in the MOD-3 SAI Humanoids, including HVT/Hal, that was designed to kill other humanoids in a military conflict. The hidden Kill Code revealed evil intentions that included humans, and Hank and his cohorts could not allow that to happen, so they embedded Hank’s Conscience Code, not knowing whether it would work. They effectively sabotaged the initial field trials, making HVT/Hal appear defective because he would not kill on command.
16. Zackery Hightower understands the potential dangers of advanced AI technology. What does his character represent within the larger story?
To me, the larger story is what we’re hearing today from those terrified of AI and overreacting with demands to abandon AI development when AI isn’t the culprit; the guilty party is those with evil intentions. Not fully understanding AI can lead to a Chicken Little complex that permeates the uninformed and blocks positive innovation. Hank was much like Zackery because he understood the intent of the Conscience Code with the Do-No-Harm ethic. The MOD-3 SAI Humanoids had lethal weaponry for a reason: he wanted to ensure it was for defensive purposes, deployed only to protect organics under the Humanoid’s purview and/or to defend himself if attacked.
17. There are several different types of AI in Untethered. Why was it important to show AI as something more complex than simply “good” or “evil”?
Interactions with the research team were a good way to add the emotional context I wanted. In our world, we use AI daily, often without realizing it, because it feels transparent to us as users. We see evidence of AI when processes become easier and faster. AIMEE was developed to recognize patterns and provide analysis of capture Dreams in Book #2, “Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy.” The Campus AI that eventually became AIMEE had a limited scope that expanded out of necessity as innovation required more analytical capability, and Dreamscape 1.0 evolved into Dreamscape 2.0 and eventually 3.0. AIMEE kept pace with, then outpaced, the Dreamscape technology and influenced the enhancements, including the eventual creation of Amelia, a powerful AI with zero organic life experiences or context to draw upon.
18. Which character surprised you the most while writing Untethered, and why?
I’m not sure if any character surprised me more than another. By formal definition, my writing regimen is that of a Pantser: I begin with a character, scene, image, or situation and let the narrative unfold organically, letting the story and characters guide the plot rather than following a predetermined roadmap. In other words, I do not outline before I write. I meet each character as the storyline is revealed to me. If I outlined details, they would be relevant for the first paragraph, then “stuff happens,” and I deal with it when it comes. My characters share the same characteristic, though some are more proficient than others depending on circumstance, skills, or talents. My characters show the story I want to tell without my telling it.
AI, TECHNOLOGY & THE “WHAT IF?”
19. Your story asks many fascinating “what if?” questions. Is that how you normally approach science-fiction storytelling?
It’s funny that you ask how I approach storytelling. Dreamscape Conspiracy didn’t begin as a science fiction piece per se; it morphed into one as the story took me there. That statement goes back to my roots as a Pantser. As I meet characters, they lead me on adventures. I wrote a paranormal horror piece, “Puye Prophecy,” that started with a burned-out project manager taking a road trip to visit her sister. I never envisioned that she would be abducted by the spirit of a 161-year-old Arapaho medicine man during her journey.
20. What is more frightening to you as a storyteller: AI becoming highly intelligent, or humans misusing highly intelligent AI?
No question the catalyst for terror lies in the hands of humans, not the technology. Go back to my Guns Laws analogy; the gun is not the culprit, it’s the human wielding it with the intent to coerce and potentially harm. To quell that fear, I had Zackery Hightower develop the Conscience Code, knowing that somewhere along the growth curve of AI development, somebody would build a Frankenstein and turn it loose in the village.
21. Could a machine become more intelligent than humans while still being less wise than humans? How does Untethered explore that distinction?
That’s already happened in our lives. Starting in book 2 and beyond, we see AIMEE’s growth and development exceed Zackery Hightower’s intellect and expectations, as she evolves within the environments she’s in… or the ones she creates. Zack designed AIMEE’s Logic Array to surpass his own intellect, and he wondered more than once if he had created an AI Frankenstein. Amelia was birthed with superior intellect courtesy of the upload of AIMEE’s entire Logic Array and archives, but she had the emotional intelligence of a bag of nickels. Hal is another example, with a Logic Array purpose-built to defend and kill when necessary. His intellect is shaped for tactical and strategic interactions that complement his lethal capabilities.
22. Why do you think artificial intelligence makes such an effective subject for a thriller?
I believe the current hype and Chicken Little hysteria stirred up in the media strike fear into those who are uninformed and have no interest in becoming informed about AI. The refusal to learn defaults to a fear-based knowledge base and creates fertile ground for an author to spin an exciting tale. A story is only a thriller if the unknown is front and center, with no expectations about what is about to happen. When you don’t know what’s around the next corner, the thrill is finding out, especially when the author doesn’t know either. Seriously, writing this series has been a thrill because, as the author, I even get to see where the story is going next as it happens.
23. Is Untethered ultimately a story about artificial intelligence, or is it really a story about humans and how they respond to powerful technology?
I believe this story is more about humans confronting new AI technology than the technology itself. Most organizations are integrating AI right now. I choose to frame the integration as an infiltration and see how the characters react. When AIMEE jumped into each research team member’s head, reactions ranged from terror to welcoming collaboration. My point is that when people fear the unknown, new technology can become a catalyst for terror… ask Chicken Little.
24. What happens when an AI can understand morality but cannot experience humanity in the same way humans do?
That conundrum goes back to AI’s lack of heart and soul. AI can only mimic human emotions, and what it understands about those emotions is defined by its coding in terms of what reaction options are possible or predicted as probable. Even those options have limits, and that’s what humanity has that an AI will never attain. Mimicry will make AI look and behave more transparently than ever, but keep in mind, replicating humanity is not the same as becoming human.
25. Hal’s Conscience Code creates a fascinating contradiction: a powerful AI that refuses to kill on command. What does that say about the difference between obedience and morality?
Tough question. For me, obedience is following the code that dictates the AI’s behavior in any given circumstance. The Conscience Code and Do-No-Harm ethic add a moral component that governs… reshapes, if you will, what obedience looks like. The MOD-3 SAI’s were equipped to kill on command obediently, but the morality of the Conscience Code changed that. Do-No-Harm ethics allowed killing BUT when it was morally acceptable in postures of protection and defense.
ABOUT GARY WISE & THE WRITING PROCESS
26. You write speculative fiction that brings together technology, suspense, human nature, and the unknown. What keeps drawing you toward those subjects?
I think my influences come from what I choose to read. I’m a fan of multiple genres, including authors like Jonathan Maberry, Mark Greaney, John Sandford, Lee Child, Brad Thor, and others. Part of the draw is their storytelling skills, using 3rd-person points of view and rich dialogue among their characters. They are masters at letting their characters show the story through what they do, say, think, or don’t do, say, or think. Regardless of the author, I want a story that engages me and makes it hard to stop reading and turn out the light.
27. Your stories place characters in situations where they have to make difficult choices. What do those moments allow you to explore as a writer?
I’ve often had to stop writing to research what might drive reactions to intense fear or indecision when the outcome is unknown. Exploration happens organically by reading the work of other authors. I don’t read to steal ideas; I look for techniques that address where I feel a story is taking me.
28. Dialogue plays an important role in your storytelling. What makes good character dialogue important to you?
Pundits say not to tell a story; show it. That’s hard to accomplish without help, and that’s where my characters take over (See question #26). The story comes through what they show in their actions or dialogue. I feel like it’s harder to write because dialogue is influenced by aspects of the speaker, like word choice, slang, the use of vulgarity when it matches their persona, and the emotion behind the words. It’s harder to edit because it takes longer. I choose to read my stories out loud to hear them. If it doesn’t sound right, it won’t read right. I’ll find things to polish or blow up every time I reread something I’ve written. I’ve always said editing never ends; you either run out of time, get sick of it, or die.
29. What do you hope readers are still thinking about after they finish Untethered?
I hope readers will think, “Wow, that was one wild ride of a story.” I’m not necessarily trying to posture a message, but what happens in my stories will hopefully trigger new thoughts and stick with them beyond the last page.
30. If you could ask your readers one question after they finish Untethered, what would it be?
Selfishly, I’d ask, “Are you ready for more?” I would also ask, and this is selfish as well, “If you could change any part of the story, what would it be?” That question is selfish because the answers would guide me in what I do next with the story, or even the next story.
FINAL QUESTION FOR GARY Author Feature Q&A • Gary Wise • Untethered
If an artificial intelligence could think for itself, understand right from wrong, form emotional attachments, and choose whether to obey its creators, would you still call it a machine?
Yes. Until an AI-driven system or Humanoid has a heart that can feel empathy, compassion, and heartbreak tied to a soul that embraces a conscience, AI will always be a machine. In my research, there is active discussion today about the fear of AI reaching singularity, where there is no distinction between humans and machines. I’ve been writing about singularity for over two years; however, my version in this storyline is the transparency of consciousness in a mind embedded with an AI presence (like AIMEE), where two consciences become one.
