Frankenstein

Terms from Artificial Intelligence: humans at the heart of algorithms

Frankenstein is a book written by Mary Shelly in 1818. The name is often used to refer to the Hammer Movies monster, but strictly it is the name of the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein. It is story of scientific hubris. Frankenstein used a combination of body parts animated by electricty to create a new living being. Frankenstein's initial excitement turns to disgust and fear. It is often used as a warning as to the dangers of robotics and AI. While the monster had no mechanical or electronic parts, so not even a cyborg, the idea of creating an artificial lifeform has many parallels with strong AI in particular.

Used on pages 5, 344

Frankenstein 1818 edition title page. Author Mary Shelley; publisher Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons