How Can I Help You Today?

by

Julia L. Rule

Terrifyingly realistic!

How Can I Help You Today? by Julia L. Rule is compelling for its clever plot and for how it rises from something terrifyingly plausible. The story revolves around a high school, its students, teachers, staff, and parents who have all begun using a ChatGPT-like AI program called Pulse on their phones and the resulting fallout from the program’s advice, manipulation, and the connections formed through its indiscriminate use. 

Holy moly! The author gives us a master class in psychological manipulation and the tightening of a noose as disparate storylines converge. I am in awe of how clever this entire story is. The plot revolves around MULTIPLE points of view that the author deftly juggles, often relying on context clues to tell which character is speaking. Speakers are often not explicitly identified as we read over their shoulders, so to speak, as they update the Pulse app AI on what’s happening in their lives. (All in the name of training the AI to perform more efficiently and accurately, and all in preparation for asking for more advice.) The AI’s responses are politely specific and presumably draw on the stories in the user’s input, but the crossover between lives tells another tale. 

I recommend HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY? to readers of psychological thrillers, especially those who enjoy young adult characters and situations. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.