Q&A: author Helen Fields

Your new novel, Profile K, tells the story of a profiler who realises she is a murderer's next target. What inspired this novel?

The world can't stop talking about AI right now. Technology and how it affects our everyday life is something we're all vaguely aware of but we rarely pause to consider its impact. Profile K is based on existing, real technology, and imagines using profiling for everything from job applications to policing, and from childcare to dating apps. But the technology can see more than most of us would like it to see. This book explores what could happen if an analyst found something deeply disturbing in a profile before the subject even commits a crime. It's a cat and mouse game with high stakes, and researching it was a real eye-opener.