The Machines in Your Pocket, Book 1 of a new series of short, plain-language guides, shows readers and their families one simple habit that can stop an AI voice scam cold.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, August 14, 2026 — Licensed psychologist and author Dr. Patricia A. Farrell announced today the release of her new book, The Machines in Your Pocket: The Real Dangers in Everyday Life and How to Spot Them. The book goes on sale August 14 in EPUB format on Amazon and Google Play.
The Machines in Your Pocket is Book 1 of the Our Future Series, a new collection of short reads built for busy people who want clear answers, not a lecture. Every book in the series is short on purpose. Each one is meant to be read in one sitting and shared with the people readers care about most, including parents, grandparents, kids, and coworkers.
The first book takes on one of the fastest-growing dangers in everyday life: artificial intelligence, or AI, that can now copy a person's voice using just a few seconds of audio. That audio can come from something as ordinary as a video posted online. The result is a phone call that sounds exactly like a grandchild, a spouse, or a close friend, asking for money in a moment of panic. It is not real, but it is convincing enough to fool people who love that person.
"You don't need to become a technical expert to protect yourself," Dr. Farrell said. "You just need to know what these tools can already do, who is being targeted, and what one simple habit looks like in response. That is the whole book."
In plain, everyday language, The Machines in Your Pocket walks readers through six places AI already shows up in daily life:
? your phone
? your money
? your job application
? your devices
? your family
? the people you love, who may be more exposed than you are
Each short chapter names the real risk in plain terms and ends with something the reader can do about it right away. The book's central piece of advice is simple: agree on a family safe word before an emergency call ever comes in. No safe word, no money, no exceptions, even if the caller sounds scared or says not to tell anyone.
The book also covers how automated computer programs can quietly affect loan approvals, job applications, and insurance decisions, and what a reader can do to push back and ask questions when a decision does not seem fair. And it suggests a few steps to take in terms of loading one or two programs onto your computer or phone.
A Short Read with a Big Job to Do
Dr. Farrell built the Our Future Series for readers who want protection, not homework. The Machines in Your Pocket is written to be finished in one sitting and passed along to a parent, a grandparent, a teenager, or a coworker who needs the same five-minute conversation. Future books in the series will take on other everyday changes readers are facing, each one written the same way: short, clear, and ready-to-use right away.
Protect Your Family Today
Readers do not have to wait to take action. The Machines in Your Pocket is available now for pre-order and goes live August 14 on Amazon and Google Play in EPUB format. Readers who want to protect the people they love are encouraged to get their copy on release day, read it in one sitting, and share the family safe word habit at the next family dinner, before it is needed.
Amazon author page: https://tinyurl.com/yc3vAJn
Draft2Digital author page: https://books2read.com/drpatriciafarrell
About Dr. Patricia A. Farrell
Dr. Patricia A. Farrell is a licensed psychologist and the author of dozens of self-help and nonfiction books. She has appeared as an expert guest on national television programs including Today, The View, AC360, Court TV, and MSNBC, and served as a former WebMD psychologist expert and consultant. She has more than four decades of experience in mental health, has taught at the college, graduate, and postgraduate levels, and writes for Medium.com and her Patreon page, Dr. Farrell Unplugged. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in American Women.