Scott Bollens '79, Ph.D.

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Scott Bollens '79, Ph.D., has authored "ReForm: Combating the Algorithmic Mutation," recently published by Atmosphere Press. A dystopian near-future novel, it addresses a topic very much in the news these days: the development of AI and its possible impacts on the way we live. Bollens made the unusual transition from UC Irvine social science professor-academic to cyber-punk novelist.

From the publisher's overview:

All appears hopeful after the mysterious cessation of the authoritarian interconnect supercomputer in 2051. Genocidal warfare (the “Turmoil”), a period inspired by algorithmic stimulation of human grievance via chip implants, has mercifully ended. A majority of citizens have undergone re-education to lessen their destructive computer addictions. And when interconnect re-emerges in 2058, it has mutated and inserts in citizens not violent impulses but a seemingly benign program of ReForm.

Reedsy Discovery says the book is "A must-read for those interested in the consequences of AI and the implications for human individuality. Bollens uses expert storytelling methods to heighten the sense of urgency through his characters and world-building. Bollens’ writing style is a break from the mold."

Bollens majored in psychology as an undergrad and earned his doctorate in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1987. He is professor of urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine, where he holds the Warmington Chair in Peace and International Cooperation.