Humanity is facing its worst threat ever! Beware the machines, for they can destroy the human race! No, this is not some fiery evangelist preaching from the pulpit, or a doomsday prophet gathering his flock, but a fear increasingly voiced by some respected scientists and technocrats of our century. Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and others have warned against the dangers of artificial intelligence. Drones, robots, algorithms that run almost every modern-day programme can turn against the people who create them, Hollywood and its clones tell us.
It is not for this column to debate the merits or perils of such fears, but to explore the familiar mythical dimensions to which they lead: the fear of another set of beings, supremely intelligent and powerful, gaining control over our world.
In Indian mythology, the devas were always in confrontation with the asuras. An asura, no matter how good or benevolent, was always a threat. Bali, the asura king was loved by his people, but the gods feared his growing clout. And when he launched the Ashwamedha Yajna to establish world dominion, they panicked. Vishnu in his vamana avatar landed up at Bali's court and sought a gift, a plot of land that he could cover in three paces. Bali, who was a devotee of Vishnu, readily agreed. But in three paces, Vishnu covered the three worlds and his third foot was still raised in the air and so Bali offered his head as its resting place. Bali died, or sacrificed himself for the greater good. To nip an alternative power centre in the bud because it could abuse its status - Google should know how that feels. More seriously, this is the dilemma that most societies face today as smart computing knocks down the privacy in every home and office.
The asuras were not as clever, but they were serious competition. That is why the gods kept the nectar of immortality drawn from the ocean during its churning (samudra manthan) from the asuras. Also, some cultures believed, the demons controlled the riches of the world and were denying people their benefits and had to be destroyed. Some demons, however, worked towards the destruction of their own race, like Vibhishana in Ramayana. As we teach machines to think like humans, it is entirely possible that we sow the seeds of our destruction. But it is equally probable that the race of machines will throw up the next superhero or help a human hero save the world. Let the myths begin.
It is not for this column to debate the merits or perils of such fears, but to explore the familiar mythical dimensions to which they lead: the fear of another set of beings, supremely intelligent and powerful, gaining control over our world.
In Indian mythology, the devas were always in confrontation with the asuras. An asura, no matter how good or benevolent, was always a threat. Bali, the asura king was loved by his people, but the gods feared his growing clout. And when he launched the Ashwamedha Yajna to establish world dominion, they panicked. Vishnu in his vamana avatar landed up at Bali's court and sought a gift, a plot of land that he could cover in three paces. Bali, who was a devotee of Vishnu, readily agreed. But in three paces, Vishnu covered the three worlds and his third foot was still raised in the air and so Bali offered his head as its resting place. Bali died, or sacrificed himself for the greater good. To nip an alternative power centre in the bud because it could abuse its status - Google should know how that feels. More seriously, this is the dilemma that most societies face today as smart computing knocks down the privacy in every home and office.
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Asuras were like the devas in many ways, except for their aggression, arrogance and un-godlike appearance. They were brothers, born of the same father but bitter rivals, the Ramayana tells us. According to one myth, the demons were one up on the gods because they held the secret of immortality. Their guru, Shukracharya, knew the mantra; the devas didn't and so they sent Kacha, son of their guru, Brihaspati, to be his disciple. Kacha hid his identity but the asuras found out and then had him killed and mixed his remains in a drink and gave it to Shukracharya. But Devyani, Shukracharya's daughter, had fallen in love with Kacha. She was inconsolable and Shukracharya had to bring Kacha back to life but to do that he had to kill himself first. That posed a dilemma: Shukracharya could stay dead or teach Kacha how to revive him and thereby hand over the secret mantra to him. Shukracharya chose the latter and as soon Kacha learnt what he had come for, he left for home. He refused to wed Devyani because having emerged from her father's womb (after being ingested) she was like a sister, he said. The asuras may have been more powerful but the gods were trickier. Like the demons of myth, clever computers today can do much of what humans do but they can't mimic the treacherous human mind, at least not yet.
The asuras were not as clever, but they were serious competition. That is why the gods kept the nectar of immortality drawn from the ocean during its churning (samudra manthan) from the asuras. Also, some cultures believed, the demons controlled the riches of the world and were denying people their benefits and had to be destroyed. Some demons, however, worked towards the destruction of their own race, like Vibhishana in Ramayana. As we teach machines to think like humans, it is entirely possible that we sow the seeds of our destruction. But it is equally probable that the race of machines will throw up the next superhero or help a human hero save the world. Let the myths begin.