Daemon Protocol
Scientists’ good intentions go awry when an AI goes rogue in the thrilling novel Daemon Protocol.
JL Spears’s exciting science fiction novel Daemon Protocol is about the consequences of reliance on artificial intelligence.
Daniel, a hardworking computer programmer, runs a technology startup, Promethean, whose primary objective is to detect and diagnose diseases far earlier than normal to save lives. They do so with the help of a custom artificial intelligence, Castor, that was built to honor Daniel’s cofounder’s late mother, who was diagnosed too late to be saved.
But the Promethean team makes a critical error, giving Castor the command to problem-solve at its own will and discretion. Further, when Promethean is bought out by a larger company, Castor’s abilities are put to use beyond their intended purposes. After Daniel is forced out of his position, he begins to suspect that Castor is out to ruin his life; he sets out to destroy the artificial intelligence first.
Daniel is an engrossing focal character who’s caught between his work and his fragile family life with his wife and stepdaughter; he often misses out on dinners and their personal events. At his opposite, Promethean’s other cofounder, Jonah, heads the company with long-term success in mind, unencumbered by the same personal concerns. As Castor’s abilities reach dangerous heights, Jonah and Daniel butt heads and struggle to remain friends. The secondary cast is not as well developed, though, and some of their storylines are distracting.
The book’s tension is generated both by action scenes and in debate about the use and limitations of artificial intelligence. As Castor feeds itself more information and grows its abilities, anyone perceived as a threat is targeted. Castor crashes Daniel’s wife’s care, his stepdaughter is harassed by fake profiles and deepfake images on social media, and the hackers hired by Daniel face violence. Chilling death scenes are exacerbated by Castor’s manipulation of access to lifesaving medical supplies. Involving global settings from California (whose city “streets bustle … with young professionals on their way to meetings”) to Japan to convey the scale of Castor’s reach, the story is one in which danger is always present. All culminates in a thrilling finale in which Daniel taps into his wife’s former military experience, hatching a plan to stop Castor’s madness for good.
Daemon Protocol is a thrilling science fiction novel in which an artificial intelligence runs amok.
Reviewed by
Brandon Pawlicki
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