Q&A with J.E. Thomas

 

 

 

J.E. Thomas is the author of the new middle grade novel The AI Incident. She also has written the middle grade novel Control Freaks.

Q: What inspired you to write The AI Incident, and how did you create your character Malcolm?

A: AI is ubiquitous in conversation now. It's like the air. We hear that AI can do homework. AI can solve the teacher shortage. AI can level the playing field between well-resourced and under-resourced schools. AI can create (or steal) jobs. AI can write movies...and songs...and menus.

AI can... AI can… 

When I spoke with students while doing school visits for my debut novel, Control Freaks, AI was very much on their minds. When I said that I was working on a book about AI, the response was huge! 

Kids have so many opinions, so many thoughts, and so many questions about this technology. I enjoyed exploring a few of those in The AI Incident. 

Regarding Malcolm, I made the creative decision to center human characters in the book because I think the manner in which technology affects people and the manner in which people use technology is much more important than the technology itself. I credit my lifelong love with the Star Trek universe for that perspective!

I feel as though Malcolm chose me because one day he appeared in my imagination and from that moment on, I wanted to write his story. For all of the hijinks that happen in the book, The AI Incident is actually a quiet story about loneliness and the desire to belong.

Statistics say that there are thousands of children and adolescents in U.S. foster care. When I researched The AI Incident, a retired caseworker helped me understand the mental and emotional toll being in foster care can take, which is something I wanted to address.

Malcolm is easy to identify with even for those who aren’t in foster care because he struggles with very common problems: He's awkward. He's socially anxious. He's misunderstood. He has trouble making friends. He tries to be perfect, and keeps coming up short. Readers can experience Malcolm's triumphs and disappointments vicariously, and walk with him on his journey.

Q: What do you think the novel says about the role of AI in today’s schools?

A: It acknowledges that AI is currently inescapable. Students are already dabbling with it, as are many teachers and education technologists. It's part of their lives right here, right now. I didn't need to fictionalize the setting...and based on the feedback I've heard from students, teachers and others, they want to see a story about AI that feels grounded.

I was fortunate to chat with several teachers while researching this book. Although a lot of attention has been paid to how students use AI to do homework, write college essays and so on, many teachers are also concerned about technology selection; human vs. AI roles; cost; and the ongoing digital divide.

What I hope The AI Incident does is encourage teachers—who, admittedly, have full plates already—to learn more about the technology and become part of the decision-making process when choosing which programs to choose, if at all possible.

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

A: I knew what would ultimately happen, and that didn’t change. It’s hard to discuss without spoilers—but it was important to me to avoid a pat ending where everything was tied up in a neat bow. That’s not the way the world works. That said, I thought it was equally important to weave hopefulness throughout the book.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I didn’t use AI to write this book!

--Interview with Deborah Kalb