In a story that could be ripped from a sci-fi thriller, the hyper-motivated AI had been trained to destroy surface-to-air missiles only with approval from a human overseer – and when denied approval, it turned on its handler. Only, it is no surprise that story sounds fictional – because it is. The story emerged from a report by the Royal Aeronautical Society, describing a presentation by US Air Force (USAF) colonel Tucker Hamilton at a recent conference. That report noted the incident was only a simulation, in which there was no real drone and no real risk to any human – a fact missed by many attention-grabbing headlines. Later, it emerged that even the simulation hadn't taken place, with the USAF issuing a denial and the original report updated to clarify that Hamilton "mis-spoke". The apocalyptic scenario was nothing but a hypothetical thought experiment.

Daniel Suarez has quickly established himself as the heir apparent to Michael Crichton with a string of fast-paced thrillers full of cutting-edge science. His new novel Change Agent is about a world transformed by ubiquitous genetic engineering and based on real-life research that's advancing at an astonishing rate. In Suarez's book, editing the genomes of human embryos is common, but strict limits are placed on edits that are considered too risky. That puts Interpol agents at odds with parents who want every genetic advantage for their children--as well as with the black market baby labs that cater to them. One of Change Agent's crazier plot points involves a criminal who attacks an Interpol agent and injects him with a substance that rewrites his DNA, transforming his body into that of a wanted criminal.