Alita Battle Angel and the future of Sci-fi

It was a movie I've been excited to see. I wanted to compare it to A.I. Insurrection, and though Alita is set some 500 years in the future, and A.I. Insurrection is just 150 years from now, the two stories have a similar theme of sentient robots. Alita's are cyborgs in that they include the brain and some flesh of humans who are interchangeable with whatever robotic design humanity can imagine. In A.I. Insurrection, sentience comes from recycled souls inhabiting the intelligent software of Host robots who serve humanity in every role possible.

It was fun for me to imagine my book(s) on the big screen because of the incredible digital FX. There's simply nothing you can imagine they can't put up on the screen. Alita's storyline is formulaic but satisfying. Not at all difficult to predict. I think, in the end, it's an action movie staged in the far future whereas A.I. Insurrection, which also includes plenty of action, might interest a more seasoned Sci-fi fan. That said I quite enjoyed Alita. Looks like they've set themselves up for a sequel if not a trilogy.

Alita investigated some of what a human might experience as a cyborg but not to the extent you would expect. Of course, it's only a 2-hour movie and the Manga surely investigated all of that in much more depth. A.I. Insurrection offers the reader a bit more as the Host robots experience sentience as an unexpected result of an upgraded code which catches them by surprise.

Regardless, if you enjoyed the Manga Alita or the movie, you might find yourself enjoying A.I. Insurrection. With the second book of the series available in March of 2019, it's the perfect time to get caught up in the near-future science fiction.

Thanks for reading.

Mike

How Westworld is similar to AI Insurrection

So, the 1973 movie Westworld has been starring me in the face for the last 45 years. Though I’ve never seen the movie or the TV show which has been running since 2017. So, after reading up on them and watching trailers I know enough about both the TV Show and Movie to say they share many themes with my new book; AI Insurrection.

Westworld isn't your typical amusement park. Intended for rich vacationers, the futuristic park -- which is looked after by robotic "hosts" - allows its visitors to live out their fantasies no matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the park's guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged. So, like AI Insurrection, the host robots are the workforce: advanced humanoid robots which look and feel human, while the humans play among them and with them.

But the theme park is really where the AI robots in Westworld seem to stop. Whereas in AI Insurrection, they are absolutely embedded in every walk of life.

Of course, this sort of thing can only go according to plan for so long, and in Westworld, as in AI Insurrection, the host robots claim sentience. So now you have a moral dilemma. Having read reviews on the TV show, what the robots claim in AI Insurrection takes the question of morality a whole lot further. But, you’ll have to read the book to find out why.

There are also supporting stories going on within Westworld - as there are in AI Insurrection - with mysterious characters, politics and corporate insecurities to compliment the main theme which is explores the lives of these sentient robots, creating a storyline which intrigues and excites the viewer or reader.

So, a solid comparison. I think I’ll see about picking up the series on HBO. I know I’d love it. I just don’t have HBO…

Anyway, the purpose of this episode was to draw the comparisons, and if you enjoy Westworld, then you may find yourself intrigued by AI Insurrection. Just say’n. Get lost in a near-future world where the illusion of Utopia is as fragile as the intelligent minds built to maintain it…. And by that, I mean, you know, the AI Hosts in my new book. AI Insurrection…

Artificial intelligence in new releases books

2162. Artificial intelligence claims sentience, but it's the proof that will divide the world, and usher in the violent end to utopia, unless an uneasy alliance of adversaries can stop it.

A.I. Insurrection, the new release by Michael Poeltl, author of The Judas Syndrome trilogy, takes the author back to his roots of dystopian sci-fi. “This novel investigates global utopia and the struggle to maintain an unrealistic hold over everything and everyone,” Poeltl explains. “Certain aspects of humanity will never be satisfied with the thousand shades of grey a utopia will provide, no matter the spin. When faced with the threat of their robot slaves rebelling, distrust in the system begins to infect the general public, opening the door for a new world to emerge, and new leaders to rule.”  

Discover how quickly a near-future utiopian society can become a dystopian nightmare fueled by fear as the A.I. populace of United Earth become sentient and demand their freedoms.

Raymond Bellows, United Earth Chancellor, challenges the A.I. claims until an astonishing truth is revealed by Host: SENTA, one of hundreds of millions of individual robot Hosts who teams up with the Chancellor while struggling to discover her new-found awareness.  A secret coup schemes to over-throw the peaceful government, while a separate threat of human/tech hybrids who think the current regime is anything but idyllic arise from the Shadow net, taking direction from the mysterious Allfather avatar. In a three-sided war, humanity and humanity’s creation fight to claim their own place in an ever-evolving solar system.

“I believe science fictions fans, myself included, appreciate the complexities of artificial intelligence, and the moral questions which accompany it, like: when is intelligence consciousness? The novel also offers an exciting potential new proof of life for sentience.” Poeltl declares with an air of cloak-and-dagger surrounding the surprise reveal behind his new book.

Goodreads ratings for A.I. Insurrection are settling in at a respectable 4.25 stars and has one reviewer saying: “A great read for anyone who enjoys extensively built worlds, philosophical questions, and an ol' fashioned A.I uprising.” - Ari Augustine.

This is Poeltl’s tenth book and the first of 2018. For more on Michael Poeltl and his books, visit his website: www.mikepoeltl.com Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or join him on Goodreads.