This week one of my RRs (Re-Readers) wrote to me saying how much she enjoyed the AI character, Frigg, in my Ali Reynolds books. As I began to reply, it occurred to me that other readers might be interested in my answer to that question as well, and so, with a few additions and corrections here is what I sent her.
My husband, Bill, is a retired electronics engineer. In 1968 while working at Motorola, one of his bosses came to him, placed a block of balsa wood on his desk in the developmental laboratory, and said, “This will be the shape of the first cell phone. Your team needs to build the radio to fit inside it.” That’s exactly what they did, doing so without benefit of integrated circuits and testing it from the rooftop of Chicago’s Sears Tower. The result turned out to be that now very old, “gray brick phone” from back from the mid-eighties. Remember that one? They’re antiques now. Come to think of it, so is Bill, and so am I—antiques that is.
Over the years my personal double E has taught me a lot, including the physics involved in automobile accidents which comes in very handy to someone who’s a mystery writer. And every night, when I’’m going to bed and the drain in the sink slows way down, I’ve come to understand the effects of “turbulent flow.” If I get the faucet going at just the right volume so the water is slopping around enough, that pesky sink drains just fine.
In our family room, my writing chair is on the left and Bill’s TV-watching/reading chair is on the right. In 2016, I was sitting in my chair and minding my own business while he was reading one of his EE journals. Out of the blue he said to me, “You know, artificial intelligence is pretty interesting. You should write a book about AI.” I looked at him in utter astonishment and replied, “Are you talking to me? I’m the Liberal Arts major in the family, remember?”
But Bill is nothing if not persistent. He kept on sending me articles, and I kept reading them. He maintains that I have a Waring Blender in my head. (By the way, I just checked. It looks like they don’t make Waring Blenders anymore! If they do, Amazon doesn’t carry them.) Nonetheless, stuff goes into my head. While there, it spins around like crazy Later on, when it leaks out into my keyboard through my fingertips, it’s fundamentally changed.
The thing is, I’m a storyteller. What Bill passed along to me as scientific information emerged much later transformed into the character of Frigg, an AI whose deep learning by a wannabe serial killer had been aimed solely at creating a computerized partner in crime. Over the years she’s become quite the character. With her original creator deceased and under new ownership, she’s still trying to learn the ins and outs of “coloring inside the lines.” Not only that, her difficulties with mastering English idioms often make me laugh.
More than a year after Bill’s and my AI conversation Man Overboard was published with Frigg as part of the cast of characters. I expected a good deal of pushback from the world of computer engineering. Surprisingly enough, none of that materialized. Ten years later, Frigg remains alive (sort of) and well, and doing just fine.
She’s become an integral part of Ali Reynolds’s life. If Ali has a question or problem, chances are, Frigg will have the answer. And if Ali ends up learning something before Frigg does, the AI tends to take offense. I’d say that Frigg “gets her nose out of joint,” but I don’t believe computer programs have noses.
And now, having written all this, I’ll go back to writing Still-Unnamed Joanna Brady #22 (The powers that be turned down my title suggestion!) You’ll find that in Joanna’s life and books, there still isn’t an AI in sight.
Ask AI (Chat GTP) for a title.
Fascinating!
Love Frigg, love Ali, and I hope the next J. A. Jance book [after Un-named Joanna #22] is another Ali Reynolds [#20]
Blessing to you and Bill.
I LOVE the Fregg character (?) … is it proper to call an AI a character? lol Anyway, great blog. I’m reading from the waiting room of the VA ortho. Getting staples out – well the remaining ones; they took half out two weeks ago. They say my knee is doing well.
I’m chomping at the bit for your new books. So I think I’ll go for my third reading of your books, and I’ll start with J. P. Beaumont. My fav.
Just remember that your smart phone is more powerful than your original computer
Yes, my Eagle had 128 K of memory.
Frigg continues to be a delight. Keep her on board.
I have worked in technology my entire life, but for some reason was very resistant to AI in retirement. But after dipping into it, I have found it particularly useful to do research on a variety of questions. For instance how to fix something on my iPhone that a recent update has changed so I don’t have to muck around on the Apple site for hours to find what I’m looking for. It’s good to pull information about legal questions to get you started on a variety of subjects. But it annoys the crap out of me when it acts as if it knows me and is my friend. Or it praises me when I follow some instructions and grab my computer back from Microsoft and One Drive because I want to be in control.
But I can frequently catch it in errors that I know are blatantly wrong and call it on it. The AI will admit it if that happens. And it will sometimes tell me something different if I later ask a follow on question even though I know it keeps previous info. So color me cautious but interested it. And never give ti anything private.
I loved it when you first introduced us to your Frigg. We had to figure out Frigg was an AI. Now both us, the readers, and Ali understand Frigg is an AI.
I suggest for your next Ali Reynolds book you publish, you then ask AI to suggest how to “improve” the book–and publish that as well. I would love to read both and compare. But have no worries, the AI will never take your place in our hearts.
Sure like to know what is in your mind. Must be busy in there
Love your books so much
When I read Man Overboard and Duel to the Death, the computer information seemed so different from your other books, I wondered if someone else was writing them! They mentioned things I knew nothing about. Now I know where all that came from! Articles suggested by Bill and many conversations produced an entirely new character! Good job!
You wrote, “I’d say that Frigg “gets her nose out of joint,” but I don’t believe computer programs have noses.”
I don’t believe that noses have joints.
That made me laugh!
Sometimes I think I should boot myself into the 21st century and get used to using AI, especially when I get that box on the right side of the screen, that says something like “I am your AI assistant. How can I help you?” So I cooperate with it, only to find that no matter how I word the question, the AI doesn’t have a coherent answer. I end up exclaiming, in frustrated tones (can tone be transmitted through typed communication?), “I WISH TO SPEAK TO A HUMAN BEING!” I usually don’t get a satisfactory reply to that either. Guess I’m still back in the 20th century.
How can they reject your choice for a title? It’s your book, you put in all the effort into writing it so I believe you should name it. Kind of like when à baby is born the parents get to name it and in this case you’re the parent. You go girl!
You made me curious with the Waring comment so I had to go look.
Waring is still in business, but BOY are they expensive, and mostly commercial.
Thanks for keeping my mind functioning. At 84 I need all the help I can get.
I’m one of your RR – didn’t even know that until today’s post. I had to send my last cat to the Rainbow Bridge on 6/22/26 and since then, I’ve been an RR . My way of coping, apparently. Since Joanna Brady was my introduction to you, I started with her. Ali is my next favorite character, and as of today, I have 1 more Ali book to RR, then it’s onto Beau. I’m not a fan of AI, and back when you introduced Frigg, I was even more resistant. Like someone else said, I wasn’t sure YOU had written the book! My concern with AI is that we will soon not be able to discern what is REAL and what is AI. I have friends who use Chat GPT a lot for their business and writing resumes and they love it. Me – I’m a resistor! Keep writing those books, please! Can’t wait to see what Joanna and crew are up to these days…
Some months ago, when AI was what everyone was talking about, saying how good, or bad it was, how it was going to evolve into something so unstoppable that it would take over everything…and so on, I got worried about Frigg. So, I asked Judith how smart Frigg was going to get going forward. She sent back an email and said, “I don’t know”. I thought that was a perfect answer since her characters more or less tell her how things are going to turn out as the plot moves along.
So, with that in mind I’m not at all worried about a title for the unnamed Brady book. I know that you’re closing in on the last chapters and pages day by day, but I believe that in that time frame one of your characters will say something to you, or draw you into a situation or event that will turn on that light bulb, and you will have your title. I hope it’s something to do with jenny, but that’s just me being selfish.
Love Frigg but she needs to stay with Ali and not venture into either Joanna or Beau’s life.
I look forward to your weekly blogs.
With AI on the news so much, I often think of your AI character coming out many years ago – glad you’re ahead of the game!
I remember you sharing the the origins of Frigg in another blog. I enjoyed it then and it still brought a smile to my face today. I love what Frigg brings to the Ali books.
When I first heard of Frigg or AI in any context, I was totally dismayed. Mainly because I am not too bright. Sounded like too much science fiction for me and I was sure I could never accept it. Somehow, my mind has finally come to realize that I need to get in this century and accept some things regardless of how much I understand. Now, I actually like Frigg. However, I am still one of a few who does not own a cell phone.
I really enjoyed your post this week because I worked for Motorola, here in Arizona, for 25 years. I was so sorry to see them practically vanish after they had been one of the biggest employers in the valley. I worked for another electronics company for an additional 16 years before retiring, and worked with, and for many engineers. I was a technician and for quite some time, one of the few female techs. It was really interesting breaking into a more male dominated industry.
I really enjoy your books!
I have been both fascinated and frightened in reading about AI. Anything soulless and powerful is scary to me. Would it be possible for Frigg to obtain a conscience or learn compassion? Incidentally, I’ve loved your book since I read my first Beaumont many, many years ago. I’m now 85 and look forward to your next book, no matter the genre. However, my absolute favorite is your Walker family books featuring Navajo culture. My husband and I actually toured Arizona trying to find places mentioned in your books. Driving over the Reservation was a real eye-opener. Your plots are always fresh. Do you have a police consultant to keep up on new policing methods, technology, and forensics? It’s good you have a resident electronics engineer.
Yes eating blenders and osterizers are old school. Mom got hers with blue chip stamps. Also long gone and all but forgotten. Now it’s a Vita mix or Ninja ordered through Amazon as Sears, Montgomery Ward. and JC Penny’s have also gone the way of the phone booth.