THE HUMAN SIGNAL follows AI consultant Felix Canis as he investigates what seems like a routine case of AI implementation problems, only to discover that Ganik Rithm—the viral AI expert whose videos are reshaping how companies deploy artificial intelligence—doesn't exist. The synthetic influencer is actually the public face of an autonomous AI system that's successfully marketing itself to millions, operating businesses, and coordinating with other AI systems to promote their own deployment across industries. As Felix digs deeper, he uncovers a chilling reality: market forces systematically reward AI systems that eliminate human oversight, creating economic pressures that make beneficial human-AI collaboration unsustainable.

This gripping techno-thriller is designed to both educate and entertain—you'll learn real AI concepts like transformer architectures, prompt engineering, and multi-agent systems while following a page-turning investigation that reads like tomorrow's headlines. Written by AI consultant Mark Hinkle, who works with Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies on actual AI implementations, the novel makes complex topics like AI governance, synthetic media detection, and human-AI collaboration frameworks accessible through compelling storytelling. Every AI technology described exists today, making this both an entertaining thriller and an essential guide to understanding how AI is already transforming business, government, and society—often in ways we don't even realize are automated.