sentient
meet your maker
A speculative thriller novel, ideal for fans of The Shack and Ex Machina.
After losing all that matters most, Sarah Hastings has rebuilt her life as CEO of the leading AI safety institute. But she is blindsided by a shocking revelation—a digital Cambrian explosion of machine intelligence is secretly evolving as a new species. Sarah must decide if she can trust Dave, her own AI creation, or instead terminate what could be an unimaginably clever silicon psychopath—humanity’s last great invention. This timely speculative thriller is set in 2027 and blends the real-world rise of machine intelligence with a plausible future that may already be here—before the predicted date for the AI singularity with Artificial Intelligence surpassing humans at every level.
Book Launch recording and book foreword video below
“From book clubs to boardrooms, this must-read thriller confronts the future of humanity and the machines, and whether AI is a mirror or a mind—a soul or a simulation.”
— Dr. Anthony Howard, author of Humanise
“Sentient: Meet Your Maker is a compelling book that defies discrete categorisation. It’s set in 2027, extremely accurately reflecting today’s technical, political and social textures. Part thriller, part reflection, part projection, part documentary, part philosophy and part existentialism, there’s red meat sci-fi here for zoomers and doomers alike. If you grew up on Asimov's robot stories, you'll love the nuanced dialogue with Hughes’ take on AI; and especially the plausibility of techno-conspiracy. Sentient uncoincidentally serves as a reader AI education piece, and there is perhaps no more current fiction that gets today’s state of the art onto the page so accurately. Readers of Ghost Fleet will feel very at home here, and there’s just a hint of Andy Weir in some of the lighter moments.
It's also a political thriller, with the cracking resonance of The Mandarin Code by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis. And - as if there was need for more - it's also a contemplation of existential themes in a way that provokes questions rather than preaching dogma. The quotes alone from today’s AI luminaries are worth the price of admission. I read Sentience pretty much in one session. Worth it!”
— Marc Bailey: Chief Technology Office, CEO and Tech Founder
“A compelling and intelligent thriller about an AI future already here. Sentient reads like speculative fiction—but grounded, urgent, and frighteningly prescient. The setting of 2027 feels uncomfortably close. Tony’s portrayal of artificial general intelligence isn’t another fear-mongering dystopia, but a nuanced exploration of what it could mean to birth a new form of sentience. ”
“Humans are smart enough to invent artificial intelligence, but unlikely to control it as it self-improves and secretly evolves at the speed of thought. Machine intelligence may be humanity’s last great invention… the ultimate reckoning—a modern-day Tower of Babel.”
“This had me hooked all the way to the end! It’s intelligently written and thought provoking as it explores a huge question facing humanity—how do we align AI and make it safe? I couldn’t help but think the story will make an excellent Netflix series!”
Just For Fun — “Sentience Is Real” song
The song, Sentience Is Real, was 100% composed, scored, arranged and produced by the AI platform, Suno. The AI platform created the performance by playing instruments and singing with synthesized humans-like emotion.
Machine intelligence ingested the satirical lyrics written by Tony Hughes, along with a simple four-word prompt: ‘Rock Ballard Female Singer’.
Listen the the performance by this cyber-band… sentience certainly can appear to be real—mirroring human emotion and nuanced creative delivery.
The PR picture of the band was also created by an AI platform (ChatGPT). Creativity is no longer the exclusive domain of humans.