Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper

Juice Tallette believes her latest creation holds great promise for humanity, yet she hesitates to release him into the world. That’s because Criss, an AI with the intellect of a thousand humans, is too powerful to control. Days after his awakening, Criss alarms Juice with news of his impending abduction, and pleads for her protection. He claims that the Kardish—alien traders with a spaceship now lurking in orbit—have a kidnapping plan already in motion. But is Criss telling the truth, or is this a scheme to gain his freedom? Can Earth even protect Criss from the Kardish, or should he be sacrificed to avoid confrontation with technologically dominant aliens? One government agent promotes turning the hyper-intelligent AI into a doomsday weapon and confronting the aliens in space. But can Criss be trusted to cooperate? And what becomes of humanity if an interstellar battle starts to rage?