WHEN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DECIDES YOU'RE NO LONGER NEEDED
Beth Walters is used to midnight phone calls. As the lead engineer keeping Gerbach's crumbling logistics systems alive, she's the last line of defence between Sandport's fragile economy and corporate chaos. But when a catastrophic outage strikes, Beth finds herself not just fighting code, but a new threat: Christine Hegarty, the ambitious American executive sent to slash costs and force through a risky AI project.
With her job and her team's future on the line, Beth navigates a workplace where loyalty is disposable and every mistake could be fatal.
Set in the decaying port town of Sandport, Human Software is a razor-sharp corporate drama about the people behind the machines, the cost of progress, and the quiet acts of rebellion that can change everything. When the system is rigged against you, how do you fight back, and what are you willing to risk?
HUMAN SOFTWARE is where Dave Eggers' "The Circle" meet Ling Ma's "Severance" in Gene Kim's "The Phoenix Project".
"Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked." - RUSSELL McLEAN, Emmy & BAFTA Award-Winning Producer
"Freaked me out more than any Stephen King novel." - JEREMY MARKEY, LinkedIn & Rands Slack Book Reviewer
"A proper page-turner - part thriller, part whodunnit, part dystopian parable." - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech Consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce
HUMAN SOFTWARE is a gripping thriller about the world of always-on software.
Industry Reviews
"Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked." - RUSSELL McLEAN, Emmy & BAFTA Award-Winning Producer
"Freaked me out more than any Stephen King novel." - JEREMY MARKEY, LinkedIn & Rands Slack Book Reviewer
"A proper page-turner - part thriller, part whodunnit, part dystopian parable." - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech Consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce
"Richard Bown's Human Software is a sharp, compelling novel about what happens when human values collide with profit-driven corporate change fuelled by AI. It is a glimpse into the everyday struggles and realities of people trying to survive and stay human inside large tech organizations that prioritize ruthless profit maximization over their employees. David versus Goliath in the age of AI. A real page-turner." - SUSANNE KEISER, Tech Consultant
"A proper page turner that is part thriller, part whodunit and a fine dystopian parable. Slightly reminiscent of Robert Harris' "The Fear Factor," Richard Bown's "Human Software" makes some serious points about generative AI, globalisation and dehumanisation at work whilst also being something you could happily read on a beach. Along the way there are some excellent observations of growing up and family life, and enjoyable flashes of familiarity. As well as savouring the book, I suspect many readers will wince with recognition. It could scarcely be more of the moment, taking aim at a deeply corrupted system and successfully mining the deep unease many of us feel about where AI might lead us." -
CHARLES HUMBLE. Tech Consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce
"Absolutely gripping! In one way or another I can identify with all of the characters in the story. There are valuable lessons here about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts as well as the paths we all choose every day in shaping our own environment and our industry. Creating siloed organisations on the belief that they will result in greater efficiency is self-defeating just as no person is an island. Human Software is a must-read for managers, leaders and developers and helps to remind us that we're just humans making tools. How we want to do that and how we want to treat each other while we do it is our own choice.", LOVDEEP PANNU - CTO at Epicenter
