{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6087d3aca4a81031ba098a59/6a47b7f48890f0eef31540e8?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Robert Peston on The Kill Switch, AI, Democracy & the Biscuit He Discovered Too Late","description":"<p>Philippa sits down with <strong>Robert Peston</strong> — ITV political editor, bestselling author, and reluctant biscuit convert — to talk about <em>The Kill Switch</em>, the third and final book in his Gil Peck thriller trilogy, and why he felt compelled to put artificial intelligence and the fragility of democracy at its heart.</p><p><strong>🎙️ Robert Peston on The Kill Switch</strong></p><p>When the prime minister dies in mysterious circumstances, journalist Gil Peck finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that may or may not involve artificial intelligence. In a world of misinformation, fractured democracy, and technology that is rewriting the rules of everything, who — or what — is really pulling the strings?</p><p>Robert and Philippa discuss:</p><ul><li>Why AI had to be at the heart of this book — and why he believes we are living through the most dangerous moment for democracy since the 1930s</li><li>The acknowledgment that stopped Philippa in her tracks: \"Don't take democracy for granted. Our way of life is more at risk than at any time since the 1930s. This is the fight of our lives.\"</li><li>How the trilogy was always planned as three eras: New Labour 1997, the financial crisis of 2007-08, and the AI revolution now</li><li>Why writing fiction is joyful and writing nonfiction feels like work — and why he may never go back</li><li>How COVID gave him the time and space to finally finish a novel he'd been putting off for decades</li><li>The nightmare writing scenario: not a place but a moment — Trump inaugurations, government collapses, and the relentless news cycle taking over every inch of available brain space</li><li>His dream writing location: a central Lisbon Airbnb over Christmas and New Year — sunny, beautiful food, friendly strangers, and a scene in the novel as a thank-you to the city</li><li>Why he doesn't have a current auto-buy author but is devoted to Dorothy L. Sayers, John Buchan, and Isaac Bashevis Singer</li><li>The endless agony of book titles — including the battle to keep WTF on the cover of a Waterstones-stocked book</li><li>What he hopes readers feel at the end: hope, and curiosity about what comes next</li><li>What he's reading: <em>London Falling</em> by Patrick Radden Keefe and Mariana Mazzucato's <em>The Common Good Economy</em></li></ul><p><strong>Biscuit answer:</strong> A chocolate man first and foremost — his go-to is the Choco Leibniz. Introduced mid-conversation to the M&amp;S chocolate-drenched custard cream, which he had already discovered and confirms is \"totally addictive.\" Castle Chocolates in Carlisle and their chocolate-covered lemon sponge are now firmly on his radar for the next book.</p><p>💬 <strong>Get in touch</strong></p><p>Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | <a href=\"mailto:quickbookreviews@outlook.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">quickbookreviews@outlook.com</a></p><p><em>Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.</em></p>","author_name":"Philippa Hall"}