Polish sci-fi visionary Stanisław Lem foresaw AI's promises and perils
-
Stanisław Lem was a prophetic Polish science fiction writer who imagined many futuristic technologies like artificial intelligence. His work explored humanity's relationship with technology.
-
Lem survived WWII and Communist rule in Poland. These experiences shaped his skeptical view of technology and history as a "malfunctioning machine."
-
Lem's story "The Electronic Bard" features a poetry-writing AI. He was not afraid of machines surpassing human creativity.
-
Philip K. Dick saw Lem as a threatening "Party functionary" infiltrating US sci-fi with a "faceless group." Their rivalry highlighted debates about human vs machine writing.
-
Lem believed the biggest questions about AI are not about surpassing human intelligence but about learning what goals we should set for it.