As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves, so does our fear of it. Will it become smarter than us? It makes us face our limits, as does the ultimate fear: death. Westporter E. J. Simon blows past both in his new book, Death Logs In. The main character, Michael Nicholas, goes from a high-powered, in-control job at a Fortune 500, to going on the run from thugs. He finds help from the most unlikely person, Alex, his dead brother reincarnated through AI.
“When I started writing about the virtual Alex, I assumed that the AI technology needed to create him was far off in the future. I now realize it’s already here,” notes Simon. “We all think about living forever, and I assumed it would happen through medicine—all the time it was on my laptop.” To add to the tension, Alex was a Queens underworld boss dealing in illegal gambling, a role by-the-book Michael steps into. The brothers adopt each other's opposing traits to help each other.
Simon pulls from his own world for the book. He was CEO of GMAC Global Relocation Services and head of Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate companies in New York. Also, he was raised in Queens and resides in Westport—two locations that serve as backdrops to the issues of privacy in the digital age, relationships, and our safe bubble. “Westport was a picturesque Connecticut town with one of those charming Main Streets filled with little shops and trendy restaurants,” notes Simon, who adds crime to it.