7 Early Imaginings of Artificial Intelligence
-
Loading... - Shannon Bell
- 28 Mar 2023
- 79 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Humans have conceived versions of intelligent machines for centuries.
The concept of an “intelligent machine”—as a tireless assistant, the ultimate soldier or even a caring companion—has captivated the human imagination for thousands of years. Long before artificial intelligence was a reality, writers from ancient Greece to Cold War-era America spun fictional stories that reflected our collective hopes and fears about AI. Will intelligent machines help humanity reach our greatest potential, or will these brilliant creations turn on their “masters” and be our demise?
“The quest for AI is a really ancient one and it’s fundamental to who we are as humans,” says Kanta Dihal, co-editor of AI Narratives: A History of Imaginative Thinking About Intelligent Machines. “That’s why I’m not surprised to find intelligent machines as far back as Greek mythology.” Below are some of the earliest imaginings of AI among humanity.
1. Homer's 'Golden Maidens'
The Iliad was written nearly 3,000 years ago in a world without electricity, let alone robots or computers. Yet in 800 B.C., the ancient Greek poet Homer was able to imagine a godlike power that could create intelligent machines.
In the Iliad, we meet the metal-smithing god Hephaestus, who was tossed from Mt. Olympus for trying to protect his mother during a fight with Zeus. Hephaestus suffered serious leg injuries and his lameness was mocked by the Olympian gods. But Hephaestus poured his humanlike suffering into making beautiful works of art, including the magnificent shield of Achilles.
Because of his physical limitations, Hephaestus needed helpers in his blacksmithing workshop. Homer wrote that Hephaestus used his special powers to create “attendants made of gold, which seemed like living maidens.” In this brief passage, Homer perfectly described humanlike machines programmed to assist their creator. Read More…
