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The title of this post is the same, as I’m sure you know, as the subtitle to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”.  I thought it would be an idea to use this as a cue to look at the myth of Prometheus

Before we get to the myth, let’s deal with the word ‘modern’.  For Shelley modern was the early nineteenth century.  We’ve had a lot more modern times since then and would probably see her world as old-fashioned.  But Shelley in making the contrast, was looking back to the time of the Ancient Greeks and the origin of the myth.

Her hero is, unlike Prometheus, human.  Prometheus is a titan who steals fire from the Gods for the benefit of humanity.  As a result, the Gods take vengeance by chaining him to a rock and persuading an eagle to peck out his liver every day.  As he is immortal, it grows back again each day and so the eagle (presumably plus its offspring for generations) gets an all-time meal ticket.  The Modern Prometheus has his friends and family pecked away by his creation and that is his punishment.

It is interesting to note that the first Prometheus is seen as a benefactor to humanity (by everyone but the gods).  The modern Prometheus is unlikely to be seen as a benefactor to anyone although he arguably suffers most from his creation.  Also, his punishment involves the death of others whereas the original bears his own punishment.

The gods are angry because Prometheus defies them by stealing from them.  So, the consequences of introducing fire to the world seem to take second place.  In contrast, Minerva reckons the subtitle highlights “the theme of overreaching ambition and the dangers of playing god. The subtitle also serves to emphasize the novel's focus on the human cost of scientific progress and the consequences of unchecked ambition.”

I suppose the idea of “playing God” is common to both stories.  So, what’s wrong with playing God?  Some would argue, nothing at all.  Fire brought many benefits to humanity, eg cheese toasties.  If Prometheus had not played God, humanity would have not created great civilisations.  Others would point to the consequences of civilisation for the planet.   

We can consider this in two ways.  The obvious issue is whether the introduction of fire (or indeed AI) is overall positive.  The consequences of such activity are ambiguous.  You can point to advantages and disadvantages of both. 

The other way to think about it is more subtle and something we often miss.  The gods are immortal.  Whether they exist is immaterial to this argument.  It is possible to play God, even if you don’t believe God or gods exist.  It is possible to live as if you are immortal.  That is, given enough money and power.  The result of this belief, conscious or subconscious, is a loss of humility and a sense of superiority.  This is often accompanied by fear of loss of these advantages, inevitable given that death is inevitable.

This delusional state of immortality is more common than you might think.  It is common at all levels of society.  Whilst the one playing god may be able to exercise power over others, this results in impaired judgement.

This should give us pause when considering AI.  It is created and promoted by human beings and some of them will do so on the assumption of their infallibility.  This may result in an overzealous desire to hand power to AI on the assumption that it is ready to take control.  Or at a deeper level, it may mean their distorted view of humanity informs the intelligence of AI.

Were the gods right to punish Prometheus?  At least, their reaction should inform our approach to taking advantage of his contribution.

This is the tenth in a series of posts about AI and Folklore.  I define Folklore as inclusive of religious stories and some from modern popular culture.  Minerva assists in all the posts, sometimes without attribution! 

The first post in the series is Life with Minerva.  The last post was Where There is No Achilles Heel and the next is Aladdin.  If you press the button marked "Follow", you'll receive notice of new posts.

As always, please comment.  As well as your insights into AI and Folklore, I'd appreciate suggestions of stories I might cover.  These could be from folktales, myths, religious stories as well as general literature. 

I wish I hadn't mentioned the toasted cheese sandwich!  I asked Minerva what this image has to do with Prometheus.  Then she told me what the purple stuff in the sandwich is meant to be.  I wish I hadn't asked ...