What happens when the system decides you’re no longer needed? Beth Walters is used to midnight calls as the engineer keeping Gerbach’s failing logistics systems alive. When a catastrophic outage hits, Beth is pulled into a fight that goes far beyond broken code. Christine Hegarty is an ambitious American executive with a mandate to cut costs and force through a sweeping AI overhaul, no matter the human cost. As pressure builds, Beth is forced to choose between loyalty and survival. Set in the decaying port town of Sandport, Human Software is a gripping, character-driven technothriller about the people behind the systems—and what happens when those systems turn on them. “A proper page turner, part thriller, part whodunnit and a fine dystopian parable” - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech Consultant & Journalist “Absolutely gripping! A must-read” - LOVDEEP PANNU, CTO SOFTWARE RUNS OUR WORLD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO RULE OUR LIVES. "Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked." - RUSSELL McLEAN, Emmy & BAFTA Award-Winning Producer "Freaked me out more than any Stephen King novel." - JEREMY MARKEY, LinkedIn & Rands Slack Book Reviewer "A proper page-turner - part thriller, part whodunnit, part dystopian parable." - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech Consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce "Richard Bown's Human Software is a sharp, compelling novel about what happens when human values collide with profit-driven corporate change fuelled by AI. It is a glimpse into the everyday struggles and realities of people trying to survive and stay human inside large tech organizations that prioritize ruthless profit maximization over their employees. David versus Goliath in the age of AI. A real page-turner." - SUSANNE KEISER, Tech Consultant "A proper page turner that is part thriller, part whodunit and a fine dystopian parable. Slightly reminiscent of Robert Harris' "The Fear Factor," Richard Bown's "Human Software" makes some serious points about generative AI, globalisation and dehumanisation at work whilst also being something you could happily read on a beach. Along the way there are some excellent observations of growing up and family life, and enjoyable flashes of familiarity. As well as savouring the book, I suspect many readers will wince with recognition. It could scarcely be more of the moment, taking aim at a deeply corrupted system and successfully mining the deep unease many of us feel about where AI might lead us." - CHARLES HUMBLE. Tech Consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce "Absolutely gripping! In one way or another I can identify with all of the characters in the story. There are valuable lessons here about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts as well as the paths we all choose every day in shaping our own environment and our industry. Creating siloed organisations on the belief that they will result in greater efficiency is self-defeating just as no person is an island. Human Software is a must-read for managers, leaders and developers and helps to remind us that we're just humans making tools. How we want to do that and how we want to treat each other while we do it is our own choice.", LOVDEEP PANNU - CTO at Epicenter Richard W. Bown is a three-decade survivor of the software industry, witnessing the boom and bust of telecoms, the dot-com bubble, Y2K, the iPhone revolution, Internet of Things, Big Data and now, of course, the AI hype. He spent the first professional decade career being a hot-shot corporate coder across a variety of industries while also leading a popular Open Source music software project. Since then he's worked a variety of roles leading product engineering teams while raising a family. He's also worked as a technology journalist for Linux and music tech magazines.A lifelong computer nerd, Richard grew up in South-East Kent (UK) during the miners' strikes of the 80s. He witnessed his town and his family struggle when local employers failed or withdrew. After studying engineering at university he went on to have a successful international career as a software developer and IT consultant. A writer, podcaster and occasional international speaker, Human Software is his first novel. Richard lives just outside Amsterdam, NL with his wife and children.