Frankenstein

October 30,2024: The science behind Artificial Intelligence has been compared to Victor Frankenstein’s desire to transcend human limitations and achieve greatness. The doctor’s brilliance as a scientist led him on a quest to conquer death by constructing and reanimating a “creature” from human remains. He did not anticipate the unintended consequences.

Thus, “Frankenstein” might be an apt metaphor for unchecked scientific hubris in the development of AI, as well as the ethical responsibilities of its creators toward their creations. One of the primary goals of AI, for example, is to create true human-like superintelligence beyond the natural limits of human capability.

An AI system is not the Creature but there could be an analogy. Could a sufficiently advanced AI system someday have all the same attributes of a human being? Could it pass the Turing Test? Could it exhibit human-like behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human being? Could it possibly become self-aware? Some sci-fi films have explored these themes, such as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Ex Machina,” and “Her.”

The Industrial Revolution, and specifically  electricity, dramatically altered the employment and economic structure of the world. Along the way there was a dehumanizing effect on millions of people. The creation and impact of advanced AI in nearly every aspect of our world may have an even greater effect. How this will turn out is unknown.

In the story, the Creature could think, learn, and had emotional depth. It felt the rejection of its creator and alienation by society. Victor was initially horrified by what he had created and abandoned it. Eventually, guilt leads him to acknowledge the creature’s suffering and the human tragedies it has caused. Instead of trying to understand or help his creation, Victor intends to destroy it. He dies of exhaustion pursuing it, and the creature, who feels remorse for his creator’s death, disappears into the Arctic wilderness. Its fate is unknown.

Mary Shelley was the precocious daughter of philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Raised in an intellectually stimulating and unconventional family, she began writing her masterpiece of Gothic horror and science fiction when she was 18 years old and published it in 1818 when she was 20.

On the heels of the Scientific Revolution, Shelley likely knew of recent scientific experiments applying electric current to the bodies of deceased humans and animals. These early crude experiments demonstrated how the nervous system transmits electrical impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles, causing them to contract. This eventually led to an understanding of bioelectricity and laid the foundation for the development of electrophysiology and medical technologies, including electrocardiograms (ECGs) and electroencephalograms (EEGs), among others. There is, however, the novel’s dark message that not all science and knowledge produce progress.

For a scary Halloween treat I  recommend reading or listening to “Frankenstein”. For a fascinating book on the life and times of its author there is “The Lady and Her Monsters”  by Rosanne Motillo.