Local Mystery Writer Explores AI Perils

Linda Lovely, the local author of eleven mysteries and thrillers, explores the potential perils of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in her new novel, A KILLER APP. The mystery features an AI-savvy villain, the Chameleon. By hacking, scouring social media for would-be pawns, and creating deepfakes, the Chameleon can ruin reputations, rip off unsuspecting heirs, and even orchestrate murders without leaving the house.
A KILLER APP is the third book in Lovely’s HOA (Homeowner Association) Mystery series set in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder gives the new mystery a thumbs-up review: “Lovely delivers solid plotting and vivid characters, but a memorable villain with an ingenious and all-too-plausible criminal technique are what sets A KILLER APP apart.”
What prompted Lovely to create this villain?
“In 2021, I watched an AI demo showing how easy it was to create a deepfake video of President Obama,” Lovely says. “Had I not known the result was fake, I’d have sworn it was real. The voice, the mannerisms were spot on. No tells.
“That started me thinking—what if an AI expert used those skills to settle personal scores?” she adds. “In A KILLER APP, my heroine Kylee Kane, a retired Coast Guard investigator, consults with an HOA Management firm that has a dozen clients. So, my imagination immediately zeroed in on ways AI could figure in neighborhood feuds, and I dived into research mode.”
Lovely’s AI research hasn’t ended as she continues to read about new developments. While the author believes AI can offer major benefits in fields ranging from health care to the environment, she’s concerned about how it may transform industries, including publishing.
Lovely notes the Authors Guild has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the many authors who recently discovered their books have been used to train AI. Lovely is one of those authors.
“These copyrighted books were used without permission or compensation,” she explains. “As a result, some authors have already seen AI-created books written in their style and offered online. One worry is that cheap AI-generated books will flood the market and crowd out human creators. Another is that AI rip-offs may turn off disappointed readers. Narrators, translators, book cover artists and editors face similar AI challenges.”
While A KILLER APP doesn’t explore these publishing concerns, it does give readers a glimpse of how bad actors might use AI to harm and scam. The novel is published by Level Best Books and is available in paperback, ebook and audio formats.