ABSTRACT

Public debate about AI is dominated by Frankenstein Syndrome, the fear that AI will become superhuman and escape human control. Though superintelligence is theoretically possible, it distracts from a more pressing problem: the rise of Artificial Stupidity (AS). This article discusses the cultural roots of Frankenstein Syndrome, and provides a conceptual framework for evaluating the stupidity of artificial agents. It then identifies an alternative literary tradition that exposes the perils and benefits of AS. In the writings of Edmund Spenser, Jonathan Swift and E.T.A. Hoffmann, ASs replace, enslave or delude their human users. More optimistically, Joseph Furphy and Laurence Sterne imagine ASs that can augment human intelligence by serving as maps or as pipes. These writers provide a strong counternarrative to the myths that currently drive the AI debate. They identify ways even stupid agents can thwart human aims, and demonstrate the social and scientific value of literary texts.

摘要

关于AI的公开辩论主要由科学怪人综合症（Frankenstein Syndrome）主导，人们担心AI会成为超人类并逃脱人类的控制。尽管从理论上讲超级智能是可能的，但它分散了一个更加紧迫的问题：人工愚蠢（AS）的兴起。本文讨论了科学怪人综合症的文化根源，并为评估人工制剂的愚蠢性提供了概念框架。然后，它确定了另一种文学传统，该传统暴露了AS的风险和收益。在埃德蒙·斯宾塞（Edmund Spenser），乔纳森·斯威夫特（Jonathan Swift）和埃塔·霍夫曼（ETA Hoffmann）的著作中，自治系统取代，奴役或欺骗了人类使用者。更乐观的是，约瑟夫·弗菲（Joseph Furphy）和劳伦斯·斯特恩（Laurence Sterne）设想了可以通过充当地图或管道。这些作者对当前引发AI辩论的神话提供了强烈的反叙述。他们确定甚至愚蠢的行为人也可以破坏人类目标的方式，并证明文学作品的社会和科学价值。