Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview A J Pagan IV, whose novel Brian, Created Intelligence is an entrant for this year's SPSFC.
What first gave you the idea to write about the creation
of a living brain in a jar?
I was graduating from a Master’s degree in organic
chemistry and was searching for positions in 3D organ printing. My brain got to
me, what if?
How did you set about imagining or researching the
science behind the process?
I did so much research - I only wish I saved and cited my
sources to prove the authenticity of the science I describe (which also
obviously delves into the fictitious). This novel took me 6 years to produce,
and I was researching heavily most of the time. As a scientist, I have easy
(free) access to scientific journals, the rest is easy.
Do you believe the potential exists to create a human/AI
interface in the future?
Of course there is potential, there is potential for most
things in the future. Do I think this is a good idea? No. Why? Read and find
out!
What are the intentions of the company at the heart of
the experiment, Dipol Inc?
Dipol has ‘good’ intentions, to help save hundreds,
thousands, by experimenting on one lone bodiless brain. But is that worth the
cost?
What are your thoughts about the recent emergence of AI
and its impact on writers and other creatives, not to mention the work of many
professionals?
What has emerged in the world is not real Artificial
Intelligence, it is rather more of a joke. We merely have machine learning
algorithms, hyper cut and paste solutions from the internet. The term “AI” is
used by the media and corporations to jump on the hype and jackpot foolish
people into a misnomer that is more a blender of stolen works. My thoughts are
simple: the people who use these things are lazy, are not thinking for
themselves (obviously), and have no remorse for those who they are hurting. I
have also heard some authors justify the use of ‘AI’ book covers, which is just
as egregious. Is that not a human’s job? Their argument, ‘it’s not my work, so
it doesn’t matter’. How very thoughtful of you. Professional and amateur
artists will always be creative, this ‘AI’ trend only proves it, having to rely
on stolen work from real humans.
Why is understanding and confronting the ethics of such a
project important to you?
To me, that’s what science fiction should be, at its
heart. What if the future was like this..? And then we explore. I can
honestly see this happening, and it horrifies me. I wanted to share the story
of the possible future which I want to stop before we get too far.
How does Brian, the brain created by scientists, see
himself? Is he conscious or aware?
That is a question best answered by reading the book!
What about Brian’s creators, genetic engineer Dr. Ellie
Parsons and neuroscientist Tom Marshall? What motivates them?
They are motivated by honest intentions, if not greed as
well. The first one to harness biology to such an extent as to create the human
brain from scratch! A Nobel Prize if I have heard of one.
Who is concerned about the possibility of Brian having a
soul - or not?
Again, best left by reading the book, I am not one for
spoilers. But there is one character who does not back down about Brian’s
humanity.
Who is Jonathan Volt and why does he want to commandeer
the experiment - and Brian himself?
Johnathan Volt is an agent of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency. Heard of it? DARPA, it’s real, google them, they’re
scary.
Why are do you want to explore issues in relation to
science and the military/industrial complex?
I think exploring science and the military are extremely
important. Fritz Haber is the ideal example - a scientist that revolutionized
modern agriculture by converting nitrogen into ammonia. And then WWI came and
he developed some of the most horrific chemical warfare agents known to humanity.
To be clear, science can help heal or destroy the planet. And there is no
agency as definitively against peace than a military.
To what extent are you returning to themes raised by Mary
Shelley in her novel Frankenstein (Or the Modern Prometheus) to give it
its full title?
Well, funny thing about that, I had not read Frankenstein
until about two years ago, and my book was essentially awaiting publication.
But similar themes are creation and the horror of creating, and the remorse of
doing such.
How much can you tell us about your forthcoming novel Exoputians,
and what other books do you have planned?
From Brian, I took a few steps forward and about one
hundred steps to the right. Exoputians is an extremely raw and unapologetic
look at America if we continue down the route of Nationalism and Fascism.
Imagine an America where White Supremacy ran so rampant a dictator was born,
America split, a Civil War was waged, and climate change was destroying the
land that wasn’t bombed. Yes, so hard to imagine… This novel may be my most
complex in term of characters, and political. We follow the Exoputians, a new
species of human, genetically altered in order to liaison with an unknown
universal power. They crash land in the Republic of Texas, and learn the hard
way what Earth, and humans are like. Publishing early 2024.
Another book publishing in (late) 2024 is DreamState. Harry Walters
agrees to have a brain implant so he can work more efficiently than ever, as
well as cruise the internet and chat with people in his own head. Sound great?
Find out the consequences next year!
On your website, you mention the challenge of writing
short fiction. Why did you want to talk about that?
I’m just not a short story guy. I have written 6 novels
now, most in various drafted states, but I do have three short stories. I find
it impossible to put the detail I want in my stories into such a small space. I
am in an anthology coming out very soon however, with the most ridiculous short
story I could ever come up with (my third, and a riff on Schrödinger’s cat-in-a-box thought experiment). Check out The
Cosmic Comedy Collection and my short And the Cat’s Dead, Right?!
Brian, Created Intelligence is an entry to this year’s SPSFC. What can you tell us
about the experience and what prompted you to enter?
Well, it’s been pretty great so far. I have met some
wonderful authors and we have collaborated on advertising in the Jan-Feb issue
of Asimov’s magazine! I am very excited about the opportunity and to have met
so many authors driven like myself. I wanted to enter the year before! But my
book was not published at that point, so I had to wait. Authors have to have
this fickle feeling of knowing they are good, but also being humble. This
contest is a good intermediary. If you win, you really know you are.
Amazon
About A J Pagan IV:
AJ is a novelist maintaining (mostly) science fiction story lines based upon the brain-the final frontier of biology, and of our existence. The brain is the only entity which has named itself and is the most miraculous and confoundingly beautiful machine to have ever come to fruition. Currently, AJ has a handful of works awaiting publication, whether through the publishing houses or self-publishing, only time shall tell. With an amazing wife and weiner dog, AJ works in southern California in pharmaceuticals, cooking, writing, and traveling as much as possible.
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