Dr. Louis Rosenburg holds a Ph.D. from Stanford and he has worked as a tenured professor at California State University, so he is not the man he appears to be in the first section of Arrival Mind. He opens with a series of short texts – one or two sentences – printed amongst ingenious artwork by Anastasis Khmelevska. I found myself nodding in agreement – there is no harm in watching television or accepting help. Vote for change! Buy this! Are we being “managed”? No – we can “simply pull the plug”. Can we? “He is Arrival Mind and now our world is all but his.” The final quarter of Arrival Mind by Louis Rosenberg lays out in very adult language the pit into which we are jumping. Fiction or fictionalized truth?

I was intrigued from the start of Arrival Mind by Louis Rosenberg. “A picture book for adults” appears to be a contradiction – it proved to be anything but. Dr. Rosenberg knows exactly how to manipulate readers’ minds to accept his argument long before they reach a powerful warning akin to that George Orwell put forward in his novel 1984, which humanity ignored. “He came not from a world unknown, no ship from distant stars.” Who is “he” if not an alien? “He” is our own creation – not mine personally, I use a laptop and demand help if it goes wrong. From the minds of software genii. Cleverly illustrated by Anastasis Khmelevska, each point where we use computer technology to control activity is made... or does technology control us?

Arrival Mind by Louis B. Rosenberg is a timely look at the possible outcomes of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as laboratories around the world compete to create the first truly independent mind. The term AI is used in common parlance these days to describe sophisticated computer programs or algorithms but true AI does not currently exist, though experts expect an independent intelligence to be created within the next twenty years. The problem, as Mr. Rosenberg eloquently points out in the narrative poem that forms the major part of this book, is that we have no way of knowing how this artificially created intelligence will behave. Illustrated by the talented artist Anastasia Khmelevska, the poem describes how such an intelligence, with access to the internet and our 5G connected world, would know everything about us. Its hyper-intelligence would encourage us to hand over the management of utilities and systems, eventually enslaving us to what we can only hope is a benevolent entity. But how can we accurately predict the outcome? One can say that we can always pull the plug but when all our services are controlled by AI what would be the outcome? Would our infrastructure survive? Arrival Mind also includes a final section where some of the issues covered and a broad overview of current and anticipated research are discussed and many of the points raised are fleshed out.

I have been interested in the concept of Artificial Intelligence for some time, having spent a good deal of time trying to imagine how a mind created in a laboratory would think and feel. How would it see? We assume that cameras would provide it with images but how would those images be interpreted? We know that most image processing, color, depth, and texture, happens in our brains; would the AI see the same way? How would it feel? Would it, like a new-born chick, identify the technicians who created it as its parents? Looking out at us, a soft, sparsely-furred ape, covered in microscopic bugs and attacked on all sides by bacteria, viruses, and even gravity, could it feel any empathy? As Louis Rosenberg quite rightly points out, it is not possible to program humanity into a truly independent AI. Its consciousness is something that will emerge independently, otherwise, it would simply be just another computer program. He likens the arrival of AI to the arrival of an alien from space - an apt simile, for how could we possibly predict or foresee the results of our interactions with either? Arrival Mind is an intelligent and pertinent look at a subject which for some time we seem to have taken for granted. Adding Ms. Khmelevska’s beautiful but disturbing illustrations makes it a great book to read and to own and perhaps be a little troubled by.

In the 1980s, when my father started his own computer business, he was a bit of an anomaly in an era when most people still didn’t trust computers. When his customers reluctantly came to realize that computers added a much-needed respite for an overabundance of human employees, his business prospered. He always believed there had to be a better way. However, when in the late 1990s everyone had a personal computer, he was shocked at how difficult it was to connect as his systems only required an ‘on/off’ mechanism, while the new computers required lengthy login procedures. However, he continued to marvel at the progressing technological age. But the idea of computer technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking over the world never crossed his mind. Technology was supposed to benefit mankind, not annihilate it. So, this new AI world is infiltrating everything we do, think, and feel in such a way that perhaps our own sense of purpose is dwindling. Scary thought – one that writers have been warning us about for some time. But do we listen? Or are we too wrapped up in the wonders of what technology can do for us that we miss the inherent dangers of its growing power?

Louis Rosenberg’s adult picture book story, Arrival Mind, addresses these very serious concerns. A futurist and an AI researcher, the author brings to his rhyming verse warning a dire prediction, one of an alien force from within that will annihilate us all by the end of the century, if not before. With interesting graphic drawings, the plot leads the reader through the development and benefits of technology until the truth is revealed about how dangerous this technology really is. At the end of the rhyming graphic book, Louis Rosenberg discusses the big concerns we all should be wary of with regard to advanced technology and AIs. Arrival Mind is a dire warning we should heed. Be careful what you wish for.

Are you fascinated by or fearful of aliens? Where do you think aliens come from? Thanks to movies and popular culture, aliens are often envisioned as invaders from faraway worlds beyond Earth. In his brilliantly illustrated book, Arrival Mind, Louis Rosenberg prods our minds to think of our current lives. The way machines have penetrated every part of our lives. Created with good intentions of providing convenience and the betterment of society, will machines continue to be the same? How dependent have we grown on these machines? Written in free-flowing poetic prose, Arrival Mind gives us a jolt out of our comfort zones. Are we more intelligent than the machines we have created, or are they? It is certainly heavy food for thought. Pick this book for a fascinating read.

It is no mystery that machines have integrated into every aspect of our lives. From morning to night, we use machines for almost all our everyday activities. Louis Rosenberg has found a beautiful medium of expression in Arrival Mind to question the depth of this integration. The book is written in a poetic prose format, accompanied by outstanding illustrations by Anastasia Khmelevska. Even though short, the book packs a heavy punch in its message. I loved the way it is written, the main story followed by informative facts and impactful illustrations. Louis Rosenberg’s deep concern about the impending reality of artificial intelligence is evident in his writing. It certainly shook me out of my slumber and made me think. I highly recommend reading this book for the sake of introspection.

For decades or possibly longer, humankind has been anticipating an invasion from another galaxy. But what if a more sinister threat is looming closer to home? The probability of this frightening event is chillingly portrayed in the mind-boggling science-fiction graphic novel, Arrival Mind by Louis Rosenberg. While everyone is looking to the skies in search of a possible extraterrestrial threat, something far more menacing has already begun infiltrating society. Surreptitiously interfacing with humanity's most basic and essential necessities and including the most intimate and private compulsions, it insinuates itself into the lives of its unwary victims. Beguiling the populace with ease, comfort, and beneficial amenities, this invader subtly gains access to and penetrates every aspect of each person's existence. Complacent with their lifestyles, the citizens of earth are unaware of the adversary's intrusion into their lives and blithely embrace their new master. Humanity is on the verge of enslavement by a callous and inhuman interloper, but few are wise to the danger. How can something gain such a powerful hold over the world without anyone noticing? Can it be stopped, or is it already too late to bring a halt to the incursion?

Arrival Mind by Louis Rosenberg draws a vivid portrayal of the consequences of humanity's unchecked interactions with our electronics and AI. The rhythmic flow of the story and the illustrator's unique interpretations are both inspiring and delightfully entertaining. I found the notes at the end of the graphic novel to be equally a warning and an empowering message, and I came away from the book feeling well-informed and more confident about how I interact with AI. I appreciated how Dr. Rosenberg uses his vast experience and knowledge in holding over 300 patents for technologies spanning Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality to back his beautifully illustrated story. Along with an outstanding amount of patents, Dr. Rosenberg is credited with developing the first functional Augmented Reality system in the early 1990s and now enjoys working with a distinctive AI company. I recommend this book to those that both fear and embrace Artificial Intelligence, as it has a message for everyone within its colorful pages.