In his new book, “Quinto’s Challenge,” debut sci-fi author Peter McChesney looks at a world where artificial general intelligence has has remade the world into something complete new.
The book opens with the US President challenging scientists to develop new technology to make resurrection possible. Soon after, a quantum physicist makes the discovery that changes everything—unlocking the power not just to restore life, but to reshape the world. But in the wrong hands, that power could become a superweapon of surveillance and control, changing the world as we know it forever.
In this Five by Five, Peter’s talks about his time in the tech world and its influence on his writing, his take on AI, and resolving the ethical dilemmas of evolving technology.
Tell me about your time in the tech world and the perspective it gave you on artificial intelligence.
I’ve been tech-curious since childhood in Australia, drawn to new gadgets and emerging technologies. That curiosity shaped my career, which spanned roles in cybersecurity, HR tech and autonomous driving.
In the HR space, I helped companies adopt AI-powered hiring tools that supported, rather than replaced, human decisions. Later, I led an organization working on AI-based autonomous driving, helping those systems better interpret the world.
These experiences gave me a front-row seat to AI’s power and limitations. I saw how effective it can be when curated by humans, but also how easily it can be over-trusted or misused.
That perspective shaped “Quinto’s Challenge,” which imagines a future where artificial general intelligence (AGI) has made much of the workforce obsolete, sparking backlash, and where even AGI has been surpassed by “Manufactured Sentience”: androids that think, feel, and act.
What do you see as the ethical dilemmas and how can we resolve these?
Several ethical dilemmas have emerged from the AI revolution. One is the use of personal data and copyrighted material to train AI without consent, something I believe should only happen with explicit permission. Another is the rise of deceptive generative content. In “Quinto’s Challenge,” AI-generated media is regulated, but public trust remains shaken.
The book also explores the societal cost of overreliance on AI, especially how it can diminish creativity, purpose, and genuine growth.
Finally, large language models reflect the biases of those who train them. These tools don’tthink, but rather generate outputs from human-fed data. The more society relies on them, the more power is concentrated in the hands of their creators.
While there are no simple answers, I believe ethical training, smart regulation, and stronger media literacy will all be part of the solution.
What led you to writing a book on the topic and did it further your knowledge?
While AI features prominently in “Quinto’s Challenge,” the story was sparked by something else: the question of whether science could one day achieve the religious promise of resurrection. That intersection of faith and science became the heart of the novel, framed as a presidential moonshot to conquer death itself.
I wanted to explore not just how resurrection might work, but what it would mean for society, politics, and identity. Could it inspire a kind of secular belief in an afterlife?
AI helped me imagine how such a future might unfold, from fully automated construction to universal basic income and sentient androids. While the book is character-driven, it’s also grounded in plausible worldbuilding.
Writing it expanded my understanding of AI’s potential and limits, as well as the ethical and psychological questions we’ll face as the lines between humanity and technology continue to blur.
Tell me about the real life science behind your book.
“Quinto’s Challenge” draws on three major scientific threads. First is quantum mechanics, specifically the principle that information in the universe is never truly lost. The novel explores that principle, specifically by how the memories and personalities of every person who ever lived may still be encoded in spacetime, and how such data might one day be retrieved.
Second is advanced genetics. Today we have the basics of cloning. In the novel, cloning is used to remake the bodies of the deceased once their full genome is obtained.
The third thread is AI. AGI helps reconstruct data from spacetime, but even that falls short. Enter Manufactured Sentience: conscious androids capable of furthering the work (although a neurodivergent physicist ultimately provides the missing breakthrough.).
Other extrapolations include SecondSight, a mixed-reality lens that replaces all smart devices and serves as a platform for both exposition and plot.
Do you see this book as any sort of cautionary tale when it comes to cutting-edge tech?
Absolutely. Technology is power, and power is neutral. How we use it determines whether it uplifts or endangers humanity.
In “Quinto’s Challenge,” the scientific discovery that makes resurrection possible is awe-inspiring. But like the Manhattan Project, it carries dangerous alternate uses, so potent that no government could resist.
That captures the book’s cautionary thread. Whether it’s nuclear energy, political power, or cutting-edge tech, each demands strong ethical safeguards and public accountability.
Quinto’s Challenge asks not only can we do something, but should we? It doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does offer hope: that even in a world reshaped by staggering technological forces, human unity, brilliance, and belief can still work wonders, even the resurrection of the dead.
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