A Conversation with Jon Austin on his book The Mechanic

Submitted by Leslie Kinne

Note from the management: First, all thanks to Leslie for the really interesting questions that provided the basis for this interview, which marks the first official marketing activity in support of the launch of The Mechanic. I am really excited about the next phase of this journey and grateful so many are coming along for the trip.

Second, I got the not-unreasonable question from someone who - unlike your proprietor - hasn’t lived with this project for most of four years: “Hey, Jon, great interview but what’s the book actually about?”

Oh, that. That might be useful. Here’s a brief synopsis:

It’s 2035 and artificial intelligence has upended the world. Now, it just might end it.

Fifteen years into the AI age, the technology has transformed every aspect of the human experience.

At the airline where he works, it is a threat to Nekko, a master mechanic struggling to keep his job and cope with a tragic loss that nearly ripped his family apart.

For Shep, a fierce twenty-something combat vet whose increasingly shaky judgment is leading her deeper into personal and professional danger, it is a risky crutch that might fail her—and the people counting on her.

To the Chinese politician who will pay any price to make China the world’s only superpower, AI is a weapon of enormous power and the key to his country’s future.

When a cyberattack spirals out of control and creates the first sentient AI, each of their lives will be forever changed. Can they save themselves and a world already at the edge of catastrophe?

Hopefully, that makes you want to know more!

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming…

I recently sat down with Jon Austin, the creative mind behind The Mechanic, to talk about his soon-to-be-released novel. My interview with Jon was captivating! We delved into some fascinating conversations about the world of AI—its possibilities, its challenges, and how it’s shaping our future. Jon’s insights were thought-provoking and kept me on the edge of my seat. Here’s a glimpse into our conversation:

Leslie: What inspired you to write The Mechanic?

Jon: My involvement with The Loft Literary Organization, where I serve on the board, led to an unexpected inspiration. While fundraising, someone asked how being on the board had changed my life, and I realized I didn’t have a good answer. I signed up for a sci-fi survey course right away, not expecting to write, but on the first day, the teaching artist suggested turning it into a writing workshop where we shared feedback. I wrote a rough draft of what’s become the first chapter of The Mechanic, originally intended as a short story about a mechanic at an airport. To my surprise, I loved writing it and was even more surprised by the feedback I got. The book grew from there. During the pandemic, I signed up for a pure writing class and that was where I did a huge chunk of the writing. The experience completely changed my perspective on writing, showing me a side I never expected to enjoy.

Leslie: How did you develop the technological aspects of the book? Did you pull inspiration from real-world advancements, or did you let your imagination run wild?

Jon: I’ve always had a strong interest in AI and have spent a lot of time researching its current state. The leap I wanted to explore was imagining a future where AI becomes sentient and conscious. While many sci-fi books touch on this, I wanted to focus on the process of AI evolving into a sentient being. Most stories I’ve read seem to skip over this moment or treat it briefly, but I felt it was crucial to dig deeper. That’s why I dedicated a whole chapter to the 'battle'—the moment of creation—and explored it in detail.

Leslie: Were there any big surprises for you in writing this novel?

Jon: Writing has always been my career, but my experience ghostwriting a non-fiction book made me think long-form writing wasn’t for me. The biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed the process—getting lost in the story and characters completely changed my view on writing books.

“The biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed the process—getting lost in the story and the characters completely changed my view on writing books.”

Leslie: Without giving too much away, can you tease a moment or character in the book that you think will surprise readers?

Jon: One moment I hope will surprise readers is when Taylor, the newly sentient AI, has its first conversation with the human protagonists, Shep and Nekko. The way Taylor navigates its newfound consciousness is a key turning point. I also think a lot of readers will be surprised by one of the supporting characters in the story, an airline executive who unexpectedly grew larger in the story because early readers wanted to know more about her backstory. That said, I hope readers will find little surprises in each character; I wanted each one to feel unpredictable and layered. If they’re too predictable, I haven’t done my job in making them engaging and worth spending time with.

“It’s a weird experience that as you write, your characters tell you who they are and what they will do next. They surprise you." --Jon 

Leslie: The Mechanic takes place in 2035, a world where AI has dramatically transformed life. How did you envision this technological shift, and what do you think it says about where we’re headed?

Jon: We’re just at the beginning of the AI revolution, much like we were with personal computers back in the late 1980s or the Internet in the early 2000s. AI started capturing attention around 2020, and in just a few years, it’s already evolving at a rapid pace—getting smarter, faster, and embedded in so many aspects of our lives. The change ahead will be massive, both thrilling and unpredictable. While technologists envision the incredible benefits AI can bring, there’s a darker side to the equation, too. We’ll see mind-blowing advancements, but we’ll also face the unintended consequences and challenges of AI being misused or misapplied. It’s a world of exciting possibilities—but also one where we’ll need to be cautious and vigilant.

Leslie: Do you see AI taking jobs away? Do you see how AI jobs could be added in different ways?

Jon: I think like almost every new technology, we’ll see both job losses and new opportunities with AI. But new roles will emerge, just as website designers and SEO engineers did 25 years ago. We’re seeing this happen already; there’s lots of demand, for example, for prompt engineers, a job that didn’t exist a couple of years ago.

I see jobs evolving in three different directions:

• Human Required – Jobs that, by law, will need to be done by humans. In my book, I put airline pilots in that category. I can see legislation being passed for these positions.

• Human Preferred – Jobs where people may prefer a human touch, like hairstyling or cooking. It could become a status symbol to have a person do these jobs rather than AI.

• Human Led – Jobs where humans collaborate with AI to improve existing tasks, like in psychology, where AI enhances human-driven systems.

Interestingly enough, the early AI, like the '60s chatbot ELIZA, lacked sophistication, but today’s AI has far more potential to assist in complex, human-led roles.

Leslie: Nekko is described as a master mechanic struggling with a personal tragedy while facing the rise of AI. What is it about his character that makes him the right person to navigate this tense, high-stakes world?

Jon: Nekko (pronounced NECK-ko) is defined by his deep sense of responsibility and care. Whether in his work as a mechanic or his devotion to his family, he consistently prioritizes others. These qualities make him uniquely suited to navigate a world shaped by AI. He doesn’t shy away from responsibility—often taking on more than he should—which makes him a compelling and relatable figure. When I imagined how an AI might learn to navigate the world, I saw Nekko as the ideal mentor. Through his actions, he helps guide Taylor, teaching it the difference between right and wrong.

Leslie: Shep is a combat vet whose judgment is failing her and she’s relying on AI to prop herself up on the job, a potentially life-threatening decision. What made you decide to explore the psychological toll that technology might have on individuals in this world?

Jon: I believe this technology will become omnipresent and will affect every part of our lives in good ways and bad. You can see that already; it’s not hard to get an AI application to swear to you that the moon is made from bleu cheese or that Teddy Roosevelt signed the Declaration of Independence. It will literally make things up, but human nature being what it is, many people just take those things at face value, particularly if they sound plausible. I suspect that ten years from now there will still be a human tendency to overly rely on AI; if it’s right ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it’s probably right one more time. But that might not be the case and not double-checking the work might be fatal. Human nature seems to be susceptible to that sort of thing.

“We have already seen how over-reliance on AI can produce shockingly bad results.” --Jon

Leslie: Tell me about your antagonist, Wang.

Jon: I really enjoyed the process of Wang evolving in my head during the writing. I didn’t want him to be a caricature; I aimed to make him multi-dimensional. I believe most people are inherently decent and try to do the right thing. However, often, what seems like the right reason can lead to the wrong actions or people lose perspective and justify the most awful or even evil things because they are so fixated on their goals. This character is ruthless in pursuing his goal, and willing to do whatever it takes, but I wanted to avoid making him one-dimensional. I wanted readers to see his justifications and self-awareness and, despite his actions, have some sympathy for him.

“I believe most people are inherently decent and try to do the right thing.” --Jon 

Leslie: Without giving too much away, what kind of moral or ethical questions about AI do you hope to challenge readers with through this book?

Jon: I think the larger question is about technology and the morality of technological development. In our lifetime, we have seen great advancements. We live longer, eat better, are more informed, and understand how we impact the environment. Those same technologies have also been used for killing, stealing, and negatively impacting the environment. One moral theme of the book is that technology is a tool and how that tool is used reflects our morality—that it is ultimately turning a mirror back at us as people. What happens in the book is a reminder that it is not technology’s job to save us from ourselves. We have a responsibility to use it for good and our track record is mixed. Taylor says in the book, “If you can’t stop killing each other, don’t expect me to do it for you.”

“If you can’t stop killing each other, don’t expect me to do it for you.” --Taylor, an AI sentient being, The Mechanic

Leslie: In the end, do you think The Mechanic offers a hopeful or cautionary message about the future of artificial intelligence, or does it leave things open to interpretation?
Jon: I see The Mechanic as an optimistic story that celebrates the possibility of technology, but it’s really about family and the power of human connections. As a technophile, I’m fascinated by how technology shapes our lives, and the book reflects that excitement. But, as cool as the technology is, to me it’s about how the people we surround ourselves with play a pivotal role in our journey. At the same time, the story is a cautionary tale. I pose the question: what if another AI, like Taylor, had been developed differently? In a potential sequel, I’m interested in diving deeper into that scenario, exploring a future where some AI seeks to coexist with humanity and find mutual benefit—something beyond the typical apocalyptic AI narratives—but perhaps another AI might feel differently about those questions.

“What happens in the book is a reminder that it is not technology’s job to save us from ourselves.”

Leslie: What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects we can look forward to?
Jon: I’d love to write more in this world if this book is successful! I’ve enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I’m always thinking about what comes next. It’s a strange experience when your characters tell you who they are and what they’ll do next. Shep was a surprise for me in that way. I was excited to explore her backstory and reveal why she is the way she is. I hope readers will be just as curious to find out. I’m always thinking about what’s next for my characters, I’m hoping I get to excavate that.

It was a fascinating conversation with Jon, the author of The Mechanic. His book will be coming out soon, so be sure to stay tuned for developments on his launch date. I cannot wait for everyone to read it! If you’re as intrigued by AI as I am, you won’t want to miss Jon’s book, The Mechanic. It’s a gripping, multi-layered story that blends technology with deep emotional stakes, exploring what happens when AI becomes conscious and how it interacts with humanity. I loved every page, and I’m certain you will too! If you're into thought-provoking science fiction that feels all too real, this book is for you!

About the Author

Jon Austin is a communications consultant based in Minneapolis where he specializes in crisis and issue management. Over the course of his career, Austin has worked in politics, government, the software industry and commercial aviation. Since founding his company in 2006, he has helped more than 300 companies, organizations and individuals navigate unusual, and often unwelcome, situations.

He is married for nearly 40 years to Amy, who he met first day of freshman year at what turned out to be the first of three universities and seven years needed to obtain one undergraduate degree. Austin has three adult children, Laney, Mia and Gus, and one dog, Lizzie, who are better than him in every respect. He is a lifelong reader of science fiction and hates the Oxford comma with a passion no simple punctuation mark deserves.

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