Depending on who you listen to, artificial intelligence is either going to transform our world for the better, or doom us to a dystopian future where robots are in charge. Young people, who have grown up with computers, the internet, and social media, now are diving headfirst into AI, using these programs to write papers, solve problems, and even form relationships with AI bots who appear alarmingly like real people. But what was once said in the late 1950s, by George Fuechsel, an IBM programmer, remains true. Feed “garbage” into a program, and “garbage” is what will come out. When does the outcome become dangerous?
Bestselling writer, Michael Connelly, who has tackled technological issues in his other mysteries, now takes on AI. In The Proving Ground, Mickey Haller, “The Lincoln Lawyer,” has switched sides. No longer battling for defendants, he’s filing lawsuits for plaintiffs. But his fighting spirit, and the team that surrounds him – Lorna, his second ex-wife and business manager, and his investigator, Cisco, now married to Lorna – remains the same.
As with most of Haller’s cases, this one is another David versus Goliath face-off, capturing the attention of the media and many adversaries who hope he will fail. Cognizant of leaks that could damage the case, Mickey and his associates now work in a warehouse outfitted with a copper mesh cage that prevents electronic eavesdropping.
The case, Randolph v. Tidalwaiv involves the death of a teenage girl who was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend. The youth, Aaron Colton, had forged a relationship with an AI chatbot named Wren, who encouraged him to “get rid of” his girlfriend and then take his own life. Police got to Aaron before he could use the gun on himself, but Rebecca was pronounced dead at the scene. Haller is out to prove Tidalwaiv’s program that created Wren was promoted to the plus-13 age group, placing vulnerable young people at risk.
Tidalwaiv’s billionaire owner, Victor Wendt, hoping for a buyout offer from one of the M’s – Meta, Microsoft, or Musk – wants to settle and has made generous offers to Haller’s client. But Brenda Randolph, Rebecca’s mother, doesn’t care about the money. She wants an apology from the company and changes made to ensure that, going forward, children are protected from programs that produced bots like Wren. With both sides in a standoff, Haller moves forward lining up his witnesses.
Jack McEvoy, another one of Connelly’s creations, is an investigative reporter who was last seen in Fair Warning, tracking down a serial killer using DNA to find victims. While Cisco is a terrific investigator, Haller knows he needs someone like McEvoy to dig deep into the AI world. McEvoy is brought on board with the understanding that he will contribute research and, as a fly on the wall, be allowed to write a book about the trial.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Ruhlin is tough but fair and Haller is not disappointed she’s assigned the case. But right off the bat, the defense team, twin brothers Marcus and Mitchell Mason, demonstrate that they will stop at nothing to thwart Haller’s strategy. Haller’s first witness, Rikki Patel, a Tidalwaiv programmer, is found dead, ruled a suicide by the police. McEvoy proves his worth by coming up with an even better substitute, Naomi Kitchens, who worked as a ethicist at Tidalwaiv, but left after Project Claire launched Wren. She’s now a professor at Stanford, but reluctant to testify because she’s been threatened. It will take everything Haller and his team can do to convince her they can keep her safe.
Meanwhile, Haller’s first ex-wife, Maggie McPherson, now the district attorney for L.A. County, loses her home in Altadena during the fires. She comes to live with Mickey until she can make a plan moving forward and, for a time, they seem to recapture some of what made them a loving couple. But with both under pressure at their jobs, and with Mickey taking on a case that could create problems for Maggie, the relationship is in jeopardy.
Once again, Connelly creates a mystery that is – I know it’s trite, but so true – ripped from the headlines. What’s frightening about the case Haller handles is that the risks presented by AI are already here and we have no idea what tragedies may happen in the future because this technology is not being regulated. It will truly be up to parents, grandparents, teachers, and others to protect young people and ourselves from this AI storm. Are we up for the challenge?
The Proving Ground
Michael Connelly
Top photo: Bigstock
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