Pandora:

The myth of Pandora can be read as a warning against artificial intelligence or AI. As the first AI being created (by Hephaestus) she did define the chaos of what AI can bring.

In Hesiod’s Theogony Pandora is made as a response to Prometheus giving the human’s fire. Zeus seemed to think that was just a step too far in the human power direction and not enough in the all-mighty Zeus and God power line up.

So Zeus goes to his brilliant design and crafting god, Hephaestus, and asks him to create a woman. Depending on what you read she is made of earth or breathed into existence using fire.

The other Gods and Goddesses circle round giving her intelligence, beauty, and of course curiosity. Her name means “all gifted or all giving”. She is also given a box and told NOT TO OPEN IT.

The box contained the entirety of ills that can befall a civilization. Even if you have never heard the myth I bet you can guess what happens. After all of the horrible exits the box (or jar again depending on the reading) there is a tinkering sound. Pandora, I am guessing has a what else could go wrong attitude opens the box again. The tinkering sound is a ball of light which is hope.

So much to unpack here but I think this myth is an important one. Artificial intelligence offers us incredible convenience, progress, and for many in the disabled community's quality of life and communication. But do you think can go wrong? As we invent do we also have a responsibility to see what pitfalls our progress might hold? If we know a cliff is coming perhaps we can create some safety protocols. From our last chapter, you were supposed to think up a robot to do a task. You were going to think of what the task would be and what you would need to program the robot to do and how its’ design would help it in its’ task. Now I would like you to think about what would you do with your robot to make sure it does what you want it to do but does not do what it is not programmed to?

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Pandora The World's First AI A History Podcast for Kids and Curious Adults