Robert Peston on The Kill Switch, AI, Democracy & the Biscuit He Discovered Too Late

Philippa sits down with Robert Peston — ITV political editor, bestselling author, and reluctant biscuit convert — to talk about The Kill Switch, 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.

🎙️ Robert Peston on The Kill Switch

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?

Robert and Philippa discuss:

• 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
• 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."
• How the trilogy was always planned as three eras: New Labour 1997, the financial crisis of 2007-08, and the AI revolution now
• Why writing fiction is joyful and writing nonfiction feels like work — and why he may never go back
• How COVID gave him the time and space to finally finish a novel he'd been putting off for decades
• 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
• 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
• Why he doesn't have a current auto-buy author but is devoted to Dorothy L. Sayers, John Buchan, and Isaac Bashevis Singer
• The endless agony of book titles — including the battle to keep WTF on the cover of a Waterstones-stocked book
• What he hopes readers feel at the end: hope, and curiosity about what comes next
• What he's reading: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe and Mariana Mazzucato's The Common Good Economy

Biscuit answer: A chocolate man first and foremost — his go-to is the Choco Leibniz. Introduced mid-conversation to the M&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.

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