ADRIENNE MAYOR
Those who warn most the potential dangers in addition to unintended consequences of artificial tidings in addition to machine learning are correct to invoke Pandora in addition to her jounce of miseries. In fact, the myth of Pandora is genuinely to a greater extent than appropriate than many realize, non for what it says most naive curiosity, but for what it tells us most humankind's human relationship with technology. STANFORD – In discussions most the implications of artificial tidings (AI), someone almost ever evokes the ancient Greek myth of Pandora’s box. In the modern fairytale version of the story, Pandora is depicted every bit a tragically curious immature adult woman who opens a sealed urn in addition to inadvertently releases eternal misery on humankind. Like the genie that has escaped the bottle, the Equus caballus that has fled the barn, in addition to the prepare that has left the station, the myth has acquire a cliché. And yet the actual storey of Pandora is far to a greater extent than apropos to debates most AI in addition to machine learning than many realize. What it shows is that it is amend to ask heed to “Prometheans” who are concerned most humanity’s hereafter than “Epimetheans” who are easily dazzled past times the prospect of short-term gains.
One of the oldest Greek myths, the storey of Pandora was outset recorded to a greater extent than than 2,500 years ago, inwards the fourth dimension of Homer. In the master copy telling, Pandora was non unopen to innocent daughter who succumbed to the temptation to opened upwards a forbidden jar. Rather, every bit the poet Hesiod tells us, Pandora was “made, non born.” Having been commissioned past times all-powerful Zeus in addition to designed to his brutal specifications past times Hephaestus, the god of invention, Pandora was a lifelike android created to human face similar a bewitching maiden. Her role was to entrap mortals every bit a manifestation of kalos kakon: “evil hidden inwards beauty.”
Pandora’s yell agency “all gifts,” in addition to reflects the fact that all of the gods contributed to her composition. After her creation inwards Hephaestus’s forge, Hermes escorted the ravishing immature “woman” downward to world in addition to presented her every bit a bride to Epimetheus. Her dowry was the fateful sealed jounce containing to a greater extent than “gifts.”
Epimetheus was blood brother to Prometheus, the rebel titan who championed – and, past times unopen to accounts, created – humankind. Prometheus was concerned with humans’ obvious vulnerability, so he taught men in addition to women how to job burn in addition to other tools responsibly. But this enraged Zeus, a merciless tyrant who jealously guarded his exclusive access to awesome technologies. As punishment, Zeus leap Prometheus to a stone in addition to sent his drone-like eagle – also forged past times Hephaestus – to feed on his liver.
For her part, Pandora was deliberately devised to punish humankind for accepting the gift of burn from Prometheus. Essentially a seductive AI fembot, she had no parents, childhood memories, or emotions of whatsoever kind, nor would she ever historic catamenia or die. She was programmed to acquit out 1 malevolent mission: to insinuate herself inwards an earthly setting in addition to and then unseal the jar.
But that is notwithstanding non the whole story. As Plato tells us, Prometheus’s yell agency “foresight,” because he was ever looking ahead, dissimilar his carefree brother, Epimetheus, whose yell agency “hindsight.” As the to a greater extent than rational in addition to justifiably paranoid of the two, Prometheus tried to warn his blood brother non to conduct Zeus’s unsafe gift. But Epimetheus was charmed past times Pandora in addition to heedlessly welcomed her into his life. Only after did he come upwards to realize his terrible error.
The pop icon of Pandora reeling dorsum inwards horror every bit a cloud of evil swarms out of the jounce is hence a modern invention. So, too, is the cloying icon of Hope emerging from the vessel final to soothe men’s souls. In classical Greek renditions, Pandora is depicted every bit a cunning automaton: the most famous vase painting of her shows a immature adult woman standing stiffly with an uncanny smile.
Moreover, inwards antiquity, Hope was personified every bit a immature adult woman named Elpis, in addition to normally stood for a lack of foresight. Rather than a boon, Hope signified an inability to human face ahead or pick out sensibly with possible outcomes; she represented wishful thinking, non life-sustaining optimism. And for the Greeks, she was but unopen to other manifestation of kalos kakon: a beautiful evil that had been unleashed upon humans. Hence, at to the lowest degree 1 ancient creative mortal depicted Elpis/Hope, much similar Pandora, with a smirking grin.
With AI/machine learning chop-chop evolving into a “black box” technology, the symbol of Pandora’s sealed jounce has taken on novel meaning. Soon, the operational logic of AI decision-making systems volition live inscrutable non but to their users, but also to their creators. Among other threats, the possibility that AI systems volition live hacked past times malign actors, or deployed past times terrorists in addition to tyrants, straightaway looms large.
When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, MIT’s Andrew McAfee, Lili Cheng of Microsoft, in addition to other AI optimists assure us that AI volition bring nifty benefits, 1 cannot assist but recollect of Epimetheus in addition to Elpis. Should nosotros genuinely trust humanity to conform in addition to troubleshoot the problems posed past times AI every bit they arise?
It seems wiser to head modern-day Promethean thinkers such every bit the belatedly Stephen Hawking, Microsoft founder polls propose that optimism most the potential benefits of AI has dropped significantly with those who are genuinely developing AI systems. An agreement of how AI industrial plant would seem to correlate with to a greater extent than realistic expectations. Rather than blind hope, foresight based on cognition in addition to sense should principle how nosotros cope the hereafter of this engineering scientific discipline in addition to our human relationship with it.
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