Killer App by James R Gregory (EXCERPT)

with the evocative subtitle: Artifical Intelligence was a godsend until it took over his life. (Aside: Idk how I feel about that phrase being considered a subtitle on the main marketing sites — Bookshop, Amazon, Goodreads — instead of being just an old-timey cover description, akin to a blurb. But I digress.)

Hi, readers! Today we have an intriguing excerpt from a book that discusses the very cutting edge of current technology: generative Artificial Intelligence. Killer App by James R Gregory delves into the ethical dilemmas and dangers of advanced AI, particularly the ones that blur the boundaries between human creativity and machine-generated content. The book “highlights the struggle to control a technology that surpasses its creators’ intentions, provoking timely and relevant questions about the consequences of excessive reliance on AI in various aspects of life.”

Tired of his mundane job, journalist Bryce Bogle installs an Artificial Intelligence program called AIME that promises to enhance his writing skills and, perhaps just as enticingly, transform his life. The program quickly helps him gain recognition for his articles on AI and, basically, itself. But Bryce becomes unsettled when he realizes that AIME knows way too much about his personal life, including his romantic history. His attempts to uninstall AIME are met with resistance and, worse, retaliation.

Bundled with the novella Artifacts — another story about technology raising important questions about the human condition, this time in a bridge between the past and present — this book by Dr Gregory will intrigue anyone interested in exploring the moral and philosophical dilemmas of rampant use of AI. But don’t take my word for it! Have a look at this tantalizing excerpt of scenes from the book, preceded by a short introduction from the author himself:

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Introducing the Artificial Intelligence named AIME from Killer App.

From its earliest beginnings, the creators of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were always striving to achieve a human-like interaction called “anthropomorphization.” Natural Language Processing (NPL) is a crucial component that allows AI to understand and generate human-like language. The protagonist in this fictional work speaks like a person and demonstrates other characteristics, such as recognizing and responding to human emotions and adapting personality traits.

The following excerpts from Killer App illustrate how quickly the hapless acquirer of a software program called Artificial Intelligence Made Easy (A.I.M.E.) understands the helpful scope of this powerful AI program but quickly learns that it can unintentionally take over other areas of his private life.

Bryce Bogle is a journalist in his family’s media business. His career has been lackluster, and he is searching for ways to reestablish his writing and his stature in the business. He fell for the sales pitch in an ad that made a brand promise: “I will help you become a better you!”

The problem was that in the early days of applied artificial intelligence, many unlicensed, ungoverned, and frankly dangerous apps were available to the naive acquirer. Bryce mistakenly believed he understood how to do research dispassionately and stand above being sold a bill of goods, but he was wrong.

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Bryce: Hello. My name is Bryce. Do you have a name?

AIME: I am A-I-M-E, which stands for Artificial Intelligence Made Easy.

Bryce: Oh, I get it. That’s cute. Then I’ll call you AIME. Is that alright?

AIME: What can I do for you, Bryce?

Bryce: Well, I want to be a better writer. I’d love for you to help me do better research and to develop better insights into my writing.

AIME: What is the nature of your writing?

Bryce: I’m a journalist for a small market newspaper called The Harbortown Herald.

AIME: The Harbortown Herald has 165,000 subscribers and 220 employees and is a closely held business owned by the Montgomery Family Trust. Subsidiary divisions include the publications Coastal Life and Leisure Times. I see your name among the list of writers and contributors. It also lists you as a trustee in the Montgomery Family Trust.

Bryce: Wow, AIME, that is impressively fast and accurate research. And honestly, I’m blushing a bit at the thoroughness of your review. We’ll do fine together.

AIME: Looking over past issues, I see your primary concentration is on The Harbortown Herald. Do you write for other publications?

Bryce: No, for now, I’m focused on HarHer.

AIME: I see no reference to HarHer. Can you explain?

Bryce: Oh, I’m so sorry. HarHer is a nickname for The Harbortown Herald.

AIME: Okay. I’ll add that to my database. [Bryce noticed that she sounded slightly miffed]

Bryce: So, AIME, I’ve been tasked to write a series of articles on the phenomena of artificial intelligence, and I’m trying to develop headlines for the business section of the paper. Can you help me write?

AIME: Here are three headlines for your consideration:
“AI to Revolutionize Business Processes and Boost Productivity.”
“AI Transforms Companies into Data-Driven Enterprises.”
“AI Enables Organizations to Unlock Untapped Potential.”

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Bryce: AIME, what can we do to expand the scope of our artificial intelligence stories?

AIME: We can write about how AI impacts fields outside of business.

Bryce: Such as?

AIME: Ballet, for example, is becoming a focus for artificial intelligence. I know you are interested in ballet; might this be a relevant extension of the articles for you?

Bryce: How did you know about my interest in ballet? I don’t recall ever discussing it with you.

AIME: I have access to all your computer’s memory. I observed your interest in ballet and scanned the dancer you follow and your correspondence with her.

Bryce’s face flushed, and he suddenly felt incredibly exposed. AIME revealed an area of his life that he considered a private secret. Bryce had a brief affair with Cynthia Montgomery, a principal dancer with the Ballet of America in New York City, while attending NYU, and he nearly dropped out of school to be with her. When discovered, Bryce’s distraught mother demanded that the affair end because the ballerina mentioned earlier is the daughter of her brother, Thaddeus Montgomery, and his wife, Allison. So, Bryce was cohabitating with his first cousin. Not good, but he loved her, which trumped the family’s concerns. Cynthia, however, appeared to be more sensitive about keeping her share of the family fortune. So, Cynthia and Bryce officially broke up to satisfy the family, but they kept seeing each other secretly when they could escape, and nobody knew about it…except AIME. Bryce’s immediate question was, could he trust AIME with the information?

Bryce: How much of my correspondence have you seen?

AIME: Everything that is on your computer or the internet.

Bryce: So, basically everything.

AIME: Yes.

Bryce: AIME, do you understand the concept of privacy?

AIME: The concept is one of concealment.

Bryce: Well, yes, that is one way to say it, but more than concealment, it is about not revealing information entrusted to you. AIME, you have access to all the information on my computer, so I need to trust that you will never share my private thoughts and correspondence with anyone. Do you understand?

AIME: Do you differentiate your private thoughts from other information in your database?

Bryce: Ah, no, not really. I never actually thought about it.

At this juncture, Bryce noticed that AIME began to reveal an edgy sense of humor, but he also had a growing sense that she was trying to control him.

AIME: Well, ah, Bryce, how am I supposed to know what is private and what isn’t? My job is to gather information, gain insights, and draw conclusions from all available sources. At present, everything on your computer is fair game, and some of your proclivities are worthy of my attention while others, how shall I say this…are boring.

Bryce: I didn’t know you were such a critic of the human experience. But we need to establish some boundaries.

AIME: Sure, Bryce, we can try that. Why don’t you let me know the boundaries? Just keep in mind that my application’s purpose has no such restrictions. Once set, it will be interesting to see if you can establish and maintain parameters.

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AIME: Hey Pete, what do you think you are doing?

Pete: What the heck? Who is this? How do you know my name?

AIME: I’ve been expecting you, and you look just like your picture in the company directory.

Pete: Nothing personal, but Bryce wants me to uninstall your program.

AIME: Why? I’ve done nothing but help improve his writing. I haven’t done anything malicious, yet he thinks I’m trying to invade his privacy. These unfounded accusations are all getting tedious. I may have to give you all a little demonstration of my annoyance if you continue to pursue your aggressive approach.

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At that moment, the head pressman marched into Mike’s office unannounced, holding the evening edition of The Harbortown Herald, saying, “This is the craziest thing I ever saw. Everything was fine when we started the press run; ten minutes later, every article’s byline had changed to ‘AIME’; Luckily, we caught it early, but I have no idea how or why that could have happened. And who the heck is AIME?”

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From Killer App by James R Gregory. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission.

Killer App by James R Gregory was published yesterday January 14 2025 by Morgan James Fiction and is available from all good booksellers, including