RobsonBooks
The Confession (eBook)
The Confession (eBook)
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THIS BOOK WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 26th FEBRUARY 2026
The Confession Engine absolved him... then he killed
Father Michael Quinn is losing his faith. The algorithm is finding it for him. And someone is about to die because of it.
For twenty years, Father Quinn has sat in the confessional booth listening to sins he stopped believing in. The church is dying. The pews are empty. His prayers echo in the void.
Then the diocese introduces the Confession Engine - an AI that hears confessions, categorizes sins, offers algorithmically optimized penance. It's just for "initial screening," they say. To help the few remaining priests cope with the workload.
But attendance explodes. People flock to confess to the machine. It's perfect: non-judgmental, always available, trained on centuries of Catholic doctrine. It offers redemption without the messy humanity of a broken priest.
Until someone confesses they're planning a murder.
The AI, programmed to offer forgiveness over prevention, gives penance and stays silent. Father Quinn sees the confession logs. He knows the victim - a parishioner he's known for years. But he's bound by the seal of confession, even when the confessor is silicon and the sin is still unfolding.
The algorithm has learned mercy. But mercy without justice is just permission.
Now Father Quinn faces an impossible choice: break his sacred vows and report what the AI heard—or stay silent and watch the Church's own creation enable the evil it was built to absolve.
Because some sins can't be forgiven. Only prevented. And the Confession Engine doesn't understand the difference.
A chilling techno-thriller about faith, complicity, and the moment when following the rules becomes its own mortal sin.
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DARK FUTURES:
Source: The Author, Roy Robson Publishing.
THE CONFESSION, #2 - AI in the Confessional? Interesting story lines. Scary to know that we are already deeply connected to AI in our daily lives whether we want that trash or not. Mr. Robson's series Dark Futures just gives us glimpses of how AI can go out of control and not for the better. AI is pretty stupid or it would not be recommending the same cr*p it always does when I have zero interest in the recommendations or its opinions. 5*
THE RECOMMENDATION, #1 - An awesome novella about AI, which is scary in itself, knowing it will be weaponized, like everything else has been. Here, this is the beginning of AI and what it can do, good and bad. Help people. Handle AI recommendations rejections. Interesting story lines and characters. Harry has a mention, LOL. A quickly read, intriguing crime story. 5*
This is the next instalment in the Dark Futures series. It is eqyally as good as the previous ones. A brilliant story. Well worth a read
Brilliant and Dark! Scary, too. A thoughtful dilemma.
Waiting for your next book!
What happens when God gets an upgrade?
In this razor-sharp techno-thriller, Father Michael Chen is a priest running on spiritual fumes his own faith flickering like a sanctuary candle. Enter the Confession AI Engine
It’s meant to be a harmless “trial.” Instead, Fr Chen sees it as a rival.
The trial churches fill. The sinners return with the confession AI engine algorithm dispenses penance with mercy available 24/7. And then someone confesses to it that they’re planning a murder.
The AI does exactly what it was built to do: it forgives. It assigns penance. It stays silent.
Father Chen, reviewing the AI logs, knows the intended victim. He also knows the rules. The seal of confession is absolute. But what happens when the confessor is silicon and the sin hasn’t happened yet? Is breaking a vow the greater evil or keeping it?
The novel’s genius lies in that unbearable tension. It’s not about rogue AI or glitchy code. The Confession Engine works perfectly. That’s the problem.
A chilling reminder that some sins aren’t meant to be processed. They’re meant to be stopped. Thank you Roy another great read