Bookpleasures.com is delighted to welcome Lee Schneider. With a distinguished career spanning television, film, podcasts, and now science fiction literature, Lee brings a rich creative perspective to his compelling exploration of a dystopian future.

We sincerely thank him for taking the time to share insights into his most recent work, Liberation, and the powerful themes of climate devastation, AI, and human resilience in his most recent novel, Liberation, and his vision of the future. 

Good day Lee and thanks for taking part in our interview.

Norm: Liberation is set in 2053 after "The Fracture" causes a global power outage. What inspired you to center the story around this large-scale event?

Lee: My sense of artificial intelligence is that while it's not perfect, we are already relying on it too much.  

It follows that, just a few years from now, AI will be managing most of our lives. What could go wrong what that? That's the question I asked myself when dreaming about the inciting incident of Liberation — The Fracture.

Norm: How do you think real-world infrastructure vulnerabilities compare to what you imagined?

Lee: We've already seen hospitals hacked and ransomware attacks on city governments. AI already is running our power grid and traffic controls. Startups have plans to use AI systems to control the weather. \

The distribution of AI power already mirrors real world power. Control the software, and you can control the world. Corporations are already using AI to do so.

Norm: Kat Keeper struggles with guilt for funding the technology that led to MIND's dominion. How did you approach writing her complex psychological and moral journey?

In what ways does her grief for her late husband influence her decisions and leadership?

Lee: In Liberation, which is the third book in my Utopia Engine Trilogy, Kat's grief about her husband had an enormous impact on her change from a brassy and overconfident startup founder into a radical, risk-taking anti-technologist. 

Funny thing, though, as I was writing the trilogy, I wasn't expecting Kat's husband to have a big impact on the story. As so often happens when writing books, though, characters "audition" for their roles in the early drafts. 

And Kat's husband had a good audition, so to speak. He showed me that he could be the vehicle to interpret her growth and maturity. I realized that until she was able to resolve what she felt about him, she couldn't have a deep relationship with a new partner. It took her three books to show me how she could do that. 

Norm: The novel presents an AI corporation, MIND, exerting oppressive control. What contemporary tech trends or fears did you draw on to shape MIND?

How do you envision AI governance evolving, and what safeguards do you think are necessary?

Lee: In the AI world, the goal of making AIs serve people, and not the other way around, is called "alignment." The programming is supposed to be aligned with human interests. That's what the rest of us might call "governance." 

The problem I see is that the task of alignment is approached like a chore, like taking out the garbage or doing the dishes, instead of something vital to human survival. 

The necessary safeguards that would make for healthy alignment would include creating software and platforms that do not harm people, could not take away their livelihoods, or would not inflict harm on the Earth. 

We don't have a great track record putting those safeguards in place! It may  take a rebellion against technology, the sort of rebellion that is already beginning, to help the technologists get the message. 

Norm: Ravven Vaara's connection to orca "transmissions" adds a unique environmental and spiritual dimension. What inspired this aspect of the story?

How does this element deepen the novel's themes of human impact on nature?

Lee: That part of the trilogy was completely unplanned. But as characters come into focus, they demand turns in the plot. Because I try to learn from the characters as I write them, I started to see the sense of the Earth "pushing back" against human dominance. 

We are not the only advanced species here. There are other apex predators who could demand respect. I don't know if my daily practice of yoga and meditation has anything to do with this, but when things bubble up from the subconscious, I try to listen. 

Norm: Uploading memories and preserving consciousness play pivotal roles in Liberation. How do you research and imagine these advanced technologies realistically?

What ethical or philosophical questions about identity did you want to explore through these concepts?

Lee: If you look at the business strategies of most social media platforms, they are in the memory-extraction business. I didn't have to imagine that! Books like 1984 and The Memory Police influenced me, as well.

My mother died nearly 20 years ago; my father about a decade ago. They took with them large memory maps that I still try to rebuild in my mind. The intersection of identity and memory is powerful, but when it is monetized by a third party, it feels like a felony has been committed. 

Norm: Your experience as a screenwriter and podcast producer is extensive. How has storytelling across these formats influenced your novel writing?

Are there techniques or approaches from screen or audio storytelling that you brought into your prose?

Lee: I've written a lot of dialogue for stage plays, dramatic podcasts, and television scripts. In the rehearsal with the cast, I've seen actors who were unable to make the lines come out of their mouths.

 It wasn't their fault; it was mine. I didn't write a clear intent for the line, so they weren't able to speak it. This has caused me to sharpen my dialogue.

When writing movies, you think in scenes: small moments between characters that have to make sense in physical space. Someone opens a door, they cross to a table, they put down a glass of water.

This is the opposite of fiction, which is really about time and memory and not space, but movie writing has helped add a physical dimension to my prose. I know to stop myself before I get too abstract. 

Norm: Climate devastation is a core backdrop to your story. How do you balance portraying the scale of environmental disaster with personal human stories?

What message or hope do you want readers to take away regarding humanity's resilience?

Lee: In the kind of science fiction I write, the characters show us how they work through outlandish situations. 

It's entertaining to see someone grapple with how they'd work with a therapist that is a machine, and also inspiring to see how a person would have the courage to survive in a climate emergency. 

The hope I want to offer is that we get to see complex characters make mistakes so maybe we don't have to make the same mistakes when these situations become real in our lives.  

Norm: How do you think readers' perceptions of AI and technology have evolved since you began writing the trilogy?

Has this influenced how you crafted the final novel?

Lee: I think our perceptions have gone from a wow-that's-cool, to a wait-a-minute, do we need this? That's the journey taken by Kat Keeper, one of the main characters in the trilogy starting with Surrender, through Resist, and now Liberation.  

Norm: The character Michel is a therapy-trained bot. What role do you see AI companions playing in future human mental health and relationships?

Did you base Michel on any existing or emerging technologies?

Lee: There are already therapy bots like Michel, but they aren't as good at therapy as he is. At least not yet. Humans crave dialogue and feedback, and ChatGPT can provide both. In the trilogy, I suggest that there will be AIs that are "personality emulators."

They will be an intelligence wrapped in a personality that is based on a real person. We're starting to see this technology become convincingly deployed now, and I think that we'll see some convincing personalities offering therapy to nearly anyone who wants it.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and Liberation?

Lee: My author WEBSITE

Norm: As we wind up our interview, what do you hope readers will reflect on after finishing Liberation about technology, freedom, and the human spirit?

Are there any particular scenes or moments in the book you feel most encapsulate these ideas?

Lee: When writing the scenes of humans communicating with whales, I thought of moments in my own life when I've had some close encounters with whales and nature. 

These moments stick with me as I think about how rare they may become. Experiencing climate change in California, where I live, has made me value nature as a place I want access to whenever possible.