Unless Covey is stopped, humanity will lose its soul. Book III of the Bot Trilogy is a cautionary tale of the dangers of using technology that we don't understand. The risk of delegating decisions to a machine and social relationships to a computer that is programmed to produce a profit at the expense of our privacy, values, and individuality. The sentient machines, enabled by the Bots, want only to serve mankind; by controlling everyone. Covey, the name that Gordon Carillons' team has given to the Quantum creature, which they strive to destroy, is fighting back. The battle will determine the fate of humankind.
The story is set in the near future though many of the dire events have already happened. Algorithms embedded in the most popular 'apps' have seized our attention and destroyed it. They are programmed to be addictive. This story is true, at least in the parts that have already happened. The rest, I'm a prophesier. The worse events just haven't happened - yet.