To everyone who has followed The Frightened Face of Nature over the years…

Many of you first came across my writing through Maxwell Knight, natural history, and our changing relationship with the natural world. John and Margaret Cooper were both so kind to involve me in their Maxwell Knight story, and we three continue to collaborate, as good friends do.

Looking back, though, I realise I’ve been exploring one main question all along.

What happens to living systems when efficiency replaces relationship?

In nature, we’ve seen what can happen when speed, convenience and productivity begin to outweigh attention, patience and care.

More recently, I’ve found myself asking a similar question much closer to home.

What happens when our children begin turning to artificial intelligence for answers?

Not because AI is inherently bad. Quite the opposite. I believe technology matters, and science matters.

But relationships matter most. Especially when it comes to our children.

After months of getting to grips with how our children (and we) are turning AI daily, I can share with readers a journey that takes children from curiosity to considering chat bots ‘friends’.

Curiosity often begins with homework. Homework leads to questions. Questions lead to AI. Over time, question by question, many children will begin building a relationship with a machine that is always available, always responsive and increasingly persuasive.

My concern isn’t simply what AI knows. It’s what trusting that voice may mean for childhood, families and the relationships that shape us.

That question became a book.

What If the Next Voice They Trust Isn’t Yours? is now available in paperback, with the Kindle edition following later this month.

There’s more about the book on my new website and plenty of free information if you’d like to know more about the project:

If you’ve enjoyed my writing over the years, I hope you’ll enjoy this too. Although the subject has changed, I think the underlying theme has remained remarkably similar.

Thank you, as always, for reading the FFON.

Best wishes

Simon