Joanne Cohen is the author of “Deepfakes.” Photo courtesy of Cohen.
Lennox — Stockbridge author Joanne Cohen will read from her new book, Deepfakes, this Saturday at The Bookstore in Lenox. The novel, published by She Writes Press, a hybrid publisher exclusively for women writers, deals with ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), among other things.
Cohen, who turned to writing after a long career in sales and marketing, says he knew no more about AI than a newspaper reader. Although AI technology didn't yet exist when she worked selling giant computers at Hewlett-Packard, she has long been interested in the subject. “I was just shocked that it was a part of our lives.” She says even smart, educated people don't think they need to worry about AI. I'm surprised. “Someone bluntly said to me, 'I really don't understand,' so I don't pay any attention,” she said. .
Meanwhile, Cohen is particularly concerned about the potentially “very serious consequences” of the use of AI in this election year. “Before, deepfake attempts were kind of crude and easy to spot, especially if you knew what to look for, but the advances have been frightening.” Everyone already has one. In addition to siled news sources where opinions can be verified, these artificially altered images and words exacerbate the phenomenon that reality doesn't matter and “perception is everything.” “Thinking is hard work,” Cohen added.
Sylvie, the 34-year-old protagonist of “Deepfake,” works for an AI company, “and they're not doing anything wrong,” Cohen said. “When he introduces AI on the factory floor, the distribution process of goods takes place more efficiently.” Therefore, Sylvie says he is familiar with all the beneficial applications of AI. But when Sylvie's new love interest “challenges her actions” and gets caught in the middle of shady dealings at the company, her people-pleaser Sylvie is forced to have doubts. . her job description.
When Cohen started writing novels a few years ago, he couldn't find anything about AI outside of nonfiction or detective fiction. “You know, robots and terminators and stuff like that. I thought that was really weird. It turns out there are other novels that incorporate AI, but we should consider that.”
When Cohen writes, he is interested in addressing moral or philosophical questions, and fiction serves as a compelling medium for doing so. “At this advanced age, I still don't know the answers to the questions I asked in college,” Cohen says. And she argues for a different position. ” And perhaps her readers will too. “People think about things in fiction,” Cohen says. She “gets through to them on an emotional level.” When you put people in a situation, they become “caught up in what happens.”
But Cohen doesn't see deepfakes as just a way to explore AI issues. “From a marketing standpoint, that's what everyone is focused on.” But the heart of the action-packed corporate thriller, with a subplot filled with family drama, lies in the character of Sylvie.
Someone Cohen worked with once told her: “You'll never be successful in business because you're too nice.” Although she learned to be tougher, she never forgot the realization that “you'll never be successful in business if you're too nice.” Young women are raised differently, but when I was a kid, women were expected to smile more.
Kirkus Reviews wrote of “Deepfake” that “readers will easily empathize with and root for a woman who breaks out of the good girl mold and finds a new, true purpose.” We also explore the effects of sexual assault.
This novel is Cohen's second work. Her first film, Land of Last Chances (2019), also explores some important but little-known issues: late pregnancy and Alzheimer's disease, which Cohen's own family battled. It was also mentioned that it has a “huge influence''. Percentage of people in their 80s in the population. Similarly, Cohen explains her own thoughts about her AI: “I was struck by how little most people know about Alzheimer's disease and how few are convinced that it won't happen to them or their loved ones.”
Cohen's reading at The Bookstore and Get Lit Wine Bar is May 4 from 4 p.m.
