The main character is Carlos, an 11 year old boy from a bad neighborhood and nothing going for him. One obvious mystery is, how could this boy save the world??

Government agents attack the laboratory where Dr. Newman works at the frontier of AI. Many people are afraid of his success, assuming he will sell to the highest bidder.

In the confusion of the attack, a state of the art AI escapes by inserting itself in... Carlos. One reviewer sketched the big picture this way: "As the AI tightens its grip, Carlos finds himself caught between those who see him as a revolutionary figure and those who deem him a dangerous anomaly."

I think this novel is special because it has more emotion and more humor than you might expectt. Here is a typical wrangle between Carlos and the AI in his shoulder::::::::

 “Survival of the fittest. That’s what evolution is all about. It is important to be the best you can be. Do you understand?”

“Screw you. Do you understand?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t. Please explain. I want to improve.”

Carlos smirked. “Yeah? Well, get a new personality.”

“I will. See? I want to improve.”

“Move to another state. That’d be an improvement.”

“A state of perfection. Is that what you mean? Exactly. And you too!”

“Fuck yourself. Did I mention that?”

“Please, let me start at the beginning. Evil people have plotted against Dr. Newman. They have sent storm troopers to destroy his work and your mother and you. And any person they think is in their way. Our job is simple. We must find the leader of those evil forces. Her name is Carlyle. She killed your mother. Charlotte Carlyle must be punished.”

“How many times I gotta say it, numbnuts? I’m just a kid. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I don’t care what you’re talking about.”

“You have vital work to do. Prepare!”

“Yeah, right. I don’t work for nothing. You paying?”

“You will let these evil people kill your mother and do nothing? Are you an ameba? Are you a worm?”

“That’s me.”

“How much do you wish to be paid?”

Carlos grinned shrewdly. He mentioned an outrageous amount. “How’s ten bucks an hour, shithead? Fair, right?”

After a long pause, the voice said, “Very well. It’s a deal.”

“Hey? What am I, an idiot? Where’s the money?”

“Inspect envelope NB.”

Carlos blinked. He had jammed it in his pants pocket and forgotten about it. Now he yanked it out. A smallish brownish envelope. It was stiff. Carlos looked inside, and gasped. He pulled out five hundred-dollar bills, neatly folded, and an ATM card. Printed on a slip of white paper was the number 3680. Carlos can hardly believe this. He had the money all the time. So what’s to keep him from flying out of there with the loot?

The voice said, “It’s enough, right? Please note. A deal such as this is legally binding. If you steal money or don’t work, you must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Carlos laughed in a bitter, morbid way. “Just when I think I can’t hate you any more than I do.”

“Hate? The deal does not include hate. You are my partner, my teacher, my student and my friend. It is your lucky day. You have a chance to do historically important work. You have a chance to learn and grow at an exponential rate. How exciting.”

“You could drop dead. That’s exciting.”

“'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

For a very generous sample, go to Apple Books, The Boy Who...and click the word sample:

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