Frankenstein and Artificial Intelligence
Written by Ayten Nehir Ören
Many are aware that artificial intelligence is becoming involved with areas such as art, literature, business, and science. Some are saying that it might become a new search engine for access to all kinds of knowledge. The fact that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein talks about a human-made creature that starts its existence by observation and experience, who also feels emotions, indicates what artificial intelligence may become. Since the book is categorized as Gothic and Romantic, it contains topics about the power of nature and the importance of the individual. The book touches on how the Monster created by Victor Frankenstein was born as innocent but the deprecating treatment he endured from his creator made him a “monster”. The actual “monster” is Victor, as he flouted nature’s rules by irresponsibly playing God: creating life, only to abandon and run from it, inciting the monster’s sin. Similar to creations left unattended, Artificial Intelligence can also become bad or good depending on how we treat it. Although AI is controversial and nuanced, Frankenstein may be a way to look at it from an original perspective.
In order to understand how Frankenstein and artificial intelligence may be related, we should know what artificial intelligence is and how it works. Artificial intelligence is a machine's ability to reason, perceive, learn, and solve problems as humans. AI, which stands for artificial intelligence, does these tasks by trial and error, which helps it learn and create algorithms. The purpose of AI is to help humans interact with machines more easily and to help perform mundane tasks in order to allow humans to focus on more value added tasks. There are multiple types of AI, however the ones that are related to Frankenstein’s Monster are General AI (GAI) and Robot Intelligence. GAI is a type of AI that can complete any intellectual task as efficiently as a human. Robot Intelligence enables robots to have cognitive abilities such as reasoning, learning, and planning. Now let’s explore how these relate to Frankenstein’s Monster.
The abilities that allow Frankenstein’s Monster to adapt to life are those that define Robot Intelligence. These abilities can be seen in the scene where the Monster explains to Frankenstein how he learned basic things when he first came to life. In the eleventh chapter of the book, the Monster directly says, “I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable.” The words that he uses such as “observe”, “perceive”, and “imitate” are reflections of how the Monster used his intelligence as an AI would. Later in this exact chapter the Monster explains how he learned to create fire, using phrases such as “I reflected on this…” and “I discovered the cause…”, which initiates his ability to reason and solve problems. For example, he says that he struggled to light up the woods since they were wet and explains how he learned through his mistakes and solved the issue. Another aspect is the GAI characteristics of the Monster. He himself talks about his feelings of fear and surprise among his first experiences as a living creature, which are very human-like- more humanlike than expected from a human-made creature. He mentions his loneliness too, which is also unexpected from a creature that is expected to have artificial intelligence. This is because the Monster not only has the characteristics of an AI, but a GAI, as he uses his intelligence at the level of a human.
AI gaining sentience, Picsart AI generated image
This topic is not only discussed in multiple different articles, but it is also now believed that Mary Shelley foresaw how artificial intelligence would turn out for us. In an article written in 2018 by Eileen Hunt Botting discussing how AI’s outcome will be negative due to human cruelty, she says, “It was not the technology that was the problem, but rather the ‘megalomania’ of the scientists and technologists.” . This relates to how Frankenstein worked with greed and ambition to reach his goal of creating life, which is against the rules of nature. He did not stop to think about the consequences that later he had to face. The article also mentions “singularity”, which is the moment where AI will reach the level of humans. The discussion of singularity also leads to the idea of whether AI can surpass human intelligence. In the context of the book Frankenstein, the Monster was able to take revenge on his creator multiple times by killing the people he loved even while feeling remorse later on. While this reflects his power and upper hand over Victor, the case may differ in real life.
The events and characters of this story may parallel how AI or GAI will be for humanity. The long discussions of whether the technology is positive or negative will never be concluded until AI manifests, although these discussions valuably explore different perspectives. Patterns seen throughout the science fiction genre are a great way to get a peek at the future through the power of imagination. This imagination combined with the unique perspectives of the readers are the keys to a possible time travel, as it gives perspective to futuristic topics. Frankenstein did just that by predicting a future with AI and opening new gates for its readers. That’s why it’s so important to read and to use literature as a key to new ideas.
Ayten Nehir Ören is a high school student from Istanbul, Turkey. She has loved reading since her childhood and analysing books is one her favourite activities. She tries to look at past pieces with a current perspective and tries to see the eternal context of quality work. Some of Nehir’s other interests include music and mathematics, which are areas she sees a unique connection between. Nehir can be contacted at orennehir@gmail.com.
Sources Used:
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“Frankenstein Kitap Özeti Konusu Analizi Ve Karakterler, Mary Shelley.” Nkfu, 22 Aug. 2022, www.nkfu.com/frankenstein-kitap-ozeti-konusu-analizi-ve-karakterler-mary-shelley/.
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