It's Good For You

In January 2015 the worlds leading artificial intelligence (AI) experts came together in Puerto Rico. During the conference a survey was conducted where delegates were asked to estimate the year in which Strong AGI (the point at which artificial general intelligence through self-learning algorithms outstrips human intelligence) is reached. It averaged at 2047. This is the year in which Its Good for You is set.Life is dominated and controlled by compulsory genome mapping. Everyone is genome chipped at birth and receives a probability score (PQ) which denotes their likelihood to lead healthy lives and produce healthy offspring. The PQ is owned and run by insurance companies who administer the countrys healthcare and security services and use the PQ to set insurance premiums. The PQ algorithm also helps match couples establishing their level of risk to society and alerting the authorities to breaches of behaviour accidents and unhealthy practices. In 2047 AI already underpins many aspects of society and as a result almost nine in ten people are unemployed and survive on Universal Income while the small number still working are the privileged elite. Ellen one of the Insights Analysts in Strasbourg Insurance is the only working member in her family and helps to fund her sisters antidepressants and mothers addiction to virtual reality games. Shes a romantic and hopes to meet Mr Right through the G-Match dating service she works on.Dr Stanislav Janekowski Stan the architect of the PQ Algorithm is prepared to do anything to remain at the top. But he has his weaknesses and many enemies and the Gimme Hacking Co-operative lead by Nick Artremis and John Vaunt each with personal grudges against Stan work to take him and his edifice down. Their plans seem to work but Stan has been developing Strong AI at the forefront of the race to be first and already his software is taking control.