Hello, I'm Mark,
And I Help Enterprises Succeed with AI
A Technologist Who Writes About How Technology Actually Works
With over thirty years at the forefront of emerging technology, Mark R. Hinkle has become a trusted voice bridging technical innovation and business strategy. From the early days of cloud computing through DevOps and open source, he's watched—and shaped—how transformative technologies move from possibility to practice. Now he's turning that experience to the question everyone's asking: How should AI work?
Background
Mark has served in executive roles at Citrix, The Linux Foundation, and multiple startups, leading initiatives that helped define cloud computing, containerization, and enterprise open source adoption. He's trained thousands of professionals—from beginners to C-suite executives—on how to use AI for real-world impact.
He currently serves as:
Founder, All Things AI — A community of 6,000+ practitioners exploring AI applicationsPublisher, TheAIE.net
- A network of AI publications serving over 250,000 subscribersFounder and CEO, Peripety LabsA digital consultancy helping organizations deploy practical AI solutionsAfter years of writing about AI for business audiences—newsletters, guides, conference talks—Mark realized something was missing.
The technical explanations landed. The business cases made sense. But the human stakes of AI governance remained abstract for most readers.
The Human Signal is his attempt to make those stakes tangible.
Why Fiction?
After years of writing about AI for business audiences—newsletters, guides, conference talks—Mark realized something was missing. The technical explanations landed. The business cases made sense. But the human stakes of AI governance remained abstract for most readers.
The Human Signal is his attempt to make those stakes tangible.
Fiction lets you feel what an algorithm does to a driver who hasn't seen her family in days because the system keeps optimizing her routes. It lets you understand what transparency means when your job depends on a decision you can't appeal. I wanted to write a book that teaches AI governance by putting readers inside the experience—not lecturing them about it."
The Pittsburgh Connection
Though Mark is based in North Carolina, he chose Pittsburgh as the setting for The Human Signal because the city embodies the transformation at the novel's heart. From steel mills to tech hubs, Pittsburgh has lived through the kind of industrial change that AI is bringing to every sector.
"Pittsburgh workers know what it means when efficiency metrics determine who gets hurt. They've been on the other end of optimization before. That history gives the novel's themes a weight they wouldn't have in a fictional city or a Silicon Valley setting."
From The Author
"I wrote The Human Signal for everyone who's wondered whether AI is something that happens to us or something we can shape. The technology is complicated, but the question isn't: Who should AI serve, and who gets to decide?
The characters in this novel try to answer that question—imperfectly, under pressure, with real consequences. I hope their story helps readers think about the AI systems in their own lives with a little more clarity and a lot more agency."
Mark R. Hinkle
Connect With Mark
Newsletter: TheAIE.net
Twitter/X: @mrhinkle
LinkedIn: Mark R. Hinkle
Conference: All Things Open AI — Durham, NC
Monthly AI Meetups — Research Triangle Park