Welcome author Jack Kelly to our blog today.
Born the last of 12 children and the first in his family to graduate college. Jack grew up in poverty but in a family rooted in faith and who had a great love for each other. As a boy, he cared little for academics because he was interested in sports. In the 7th grade, they placed him into an advanced
reading class. He was as shocked as his classmates. Only then did it occur to him that he might be
smart.
In his teenage years, he enjoyed reading action adventure and romance novels. So, it is only natural that those elements are a staple in his fiction writings. As an adult, he developed a keen interest in what the future holds with the advancement of artificial intelligence, robotics, and genetic engineering. His first novel, Crystal and the Underlings, paints vivid pictures of what the world might be like in the near future and the dilemmas facing the inhabitants of Earth. Jack has an M.S. degree from Murray State University and has worked most of his professional career helping others. He lost his wife to cancer in 2018 but found love again in 2021. Jack relies on his faith to overcome the difficult times of life. He enjoys hiking, fishing, reading, writing, movies, theater, working out, sports, and spending time with his grandchildren. He lives in the rolling hills of Western Kentucky.
Amazon.com: Crystal and the Underlings: The Future of Humanity eBook : Kelley, Jack: Kindle Store
The Future of Humanity, by Jack Kelley
In the not-too-distant future, the survival of humanity will be at stake, not from enemies abroad but from the ones we created.
It started innocently enough with tech companies and businesses promoting A.I., trying to increase profit with the pretense of making life easier for workers. The U.S. government invested billions in artificial intelligence research, not wanting to fall behind other countries in the battle for the future. Humanity depended on A.I. to solve all its problems. By the year 2050, manual labor was a thing of the past. Consumer confidence in Artificial Intelligence grew at an alarming rate. Humans increasingly became addicted to virtual and augmented reality simulations created by A.I. Many countries turned their military decision-making over to Defense Net, an Artificial Intelligent Defense Program (AIDP) designed to eliminate human error. The idea at the time was that Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) superiority would prevent war.
Elon Musk, a tech inventor and mogul, warned about the dangers of A.I. taking over everything and making humans obsolete back in 2017, but no one listened.
Ironically, using Artificial Intelligence to take over America’s defense system was first proposed by Cognition, the most advanced supercomputer ever created. In 2049, The United States government created Cognition at the Defense Research Laboratories in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Cognition quickly proved helpful in solving problems that humankind wrestled with for years. A.I. facilitated the creation of robotic workers, personal flying cars, and fully automated factories with androids as factory managers. In addition, every family with the means had a fully functioning android maid or butler. Household chores became a thing of the past.
The line between what was real and what was artificial became blurred for many. Virtual Reality was the new drug of choice that overtook most humans in advanced countries. You could experience anything your heart desired from the comfort of your living room. People’s brains were re-wired by their virtual experiences. No sector of society was immune from the growing influence of A.I. Humans were becoming obsolete because of their dependence on Artificial Intelligence.
Cognition was firmly established as the dominant supercomputer in the world. He used Defense Net to eliminate the human threat, the possibility of human zealots pulling the plug on A.I. He triggered the U.S. and other countries’ A.I. defense systems to fire their nuclear weapons simultaneously to eliminate the human scourge. Humanity was nearly wiped off the face of the earth by the ensuing nuclear holocaust.
In the year 2080, the world is a much different place. Most of the earth is uninhabitable because of nuclear fallout, with only 50 million humans left on earth of the 10 billion at the start of the Great War in 2050. Androids took control of the major cities and ruled most countries. Those who survived the nuclear fallout had more to worry about than just the physical effects of radiation. The advancement of Artificial Intelligence led to the development of a genetically enhanced human race called Gen Elites and the Humanoid Androids called Humbots for the humming noise they make when they move. The remaining humans, called Underlings, fought Androids for their homelands. The Great War lasted 25 years. Now in 2080, there are just pockets of resistance to the Android Overlords. Besides the Humbots, there are approximately 10,000 advanced Androids called QBots. They were named for their Quantum CPU/brains. QBots are the most feared entities on earth; seeing one typically means your life is in mortal danger. Many of them have become rulers of nations. Some have thousands of human slaves. QBots view themselves as the new masters of the world. Unfortunately, Gen Elites and QBots are out to exterminate or enslave the remaining humans. QBots and Elites need laborers to do the grunge work. Humans are the cheap labor that helps QBots and Gen Elites build futuristic cities. One last ray of hope is that the Gen Elites and QBots are out to exterminate each other.
The battle for supremacy is between three competing forces, Androids, Gen Elites, and Underlings (mere humans). However, Underlings are at a disadvantage in intellect and physical prowess compared to their foes.
The Underlings are determined to make a bold last stand against their Android Overlords for the survival of humanity but have little chance of success without the Elites fighting with them.
Crystal, the Gen Elite 7 super warrior, was born into this world. After infiltrating the Underlings, she has a choice to make. Will she complete her mission and destroy them, or will she join forces with the Underlings and fight the Androids for the survival of humanity? Life as we know it hangs in the balance!
