AI, AR, and the (Somewhat) Speculative Future of a Tech-Fueled FBI

Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution is a technothriller that follows the hunt for a terrorist through the streets of a future Washington, DC. More than 300 factual explanations and predictions (with endnotes) are baked into the story, and the research for it ranged from assembling the latest job automation reports to interviews with AI scientists and water-system cybersecurity experts. This is the first chapter, where we meet the main character, FBI special agent Lara Keegan, who is responding to an emergency alert at Washington's Union Station. Soon Keegan will be assigned to test out a robotic policing tool and launched into a conspiracy whose mastermind is using cutting-edge tech to tear the nation apart. The man's greasy red beard and braided Viking-style Mohawk had likely not been washed in a couple weeks, but the way that he cradled his AR-15 assault rifle made it clear he took care of what most mattered to him.