The Greek Gods of AI
I asked ChatGPT which Greek Gods would govern over it.
One of the most prominent features of Greek religion is the sphere of influence Gods have dominion over. All the different areas of life have one or more divinities associated with it. For example, Zeus is the king of the Gods and has control over the sky and weather, Poseidon the God of the sea and earthquakes, and Hades the God of the underworld. Similarly, Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and warfare, Apollo the God of music, poetry, and prophecy, and Aphrodite the Goddess of love and beauty.
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) I wondered, which Gods would have governance over it? So, I asked ChatGPT to see what it would say. Asking “which Greek God or group of Gods would have governance over AI,” ChatGPT replied with:
As an AI language model, I don't have personal beliefs or preferences, but I can provide an answer based on Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, there is no specific god or group of gods that would govern over artificial intelligence as it is a modern concept that did not exist in ancient times. However, if we were to draw some parallels between the attributes of AI and the traits of Greek gods, we could associate certain deities with different aspects of AI.
For instance, Apollo is the god of knowledge and could been seen as a symbol of modern artificial intelligence. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and strategy, could be seen as a symbol of the intelligence and problem-solving abilities that AI can possess. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, could represent the communication and interconnectedness of AI systems. Hephaestus, the god of metalworking and craftsmanship, could be associated with the engineering and technical skills required to build AI.
It's worth noting that these associations are not explicit in Greek mythology and are purely speculative. Ultimately, the governance of AI is a matter for humans to decide based on ethical, legal, and societal considerations.
I find the selection of Apollo, Athena, Hermes, and Hephaestus to be very fitting. I am also impressed with how the AI was able to understand the well known roles of the Gods and apply them to AI. Personally, I think the pairing of Hephaestus and Athena makes a lot of sense here. In myth, Prometheus forms mankind from clay and Athena gives it life. In this situation, with AI, Athena brings to life (figuratively) AI, a machine-like form of human intelligence that no doubt would be in the realm of Hephaestus the craftsman of the Gods.
Apollo and Hermes also make a lot of sense when thinking about which Gods would been involved with AI as Apollo is associated with reason while Hermes with language itself. The interesting aspect of Apollo and Hermes concerning AI is both these Gods are associated with divination and prophecy. Apollo had the famous oracle of Delphi, while Hermes is associated with mechanical divination such as lots. This has me thinking, can/will AI be a tool for divination? Is this the dawn of the AI Oracle?
What do you think? Do you agree with Apollo, Athena, Hermes, and Hephaestus being the four Gods governing AI?