In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote the monumental novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.” In the now well-known story, a scientist named Victor Frankenstein creates a humanoid by assembling stolen body parts in an unorthodox scientific experiment. However, faced by the grotesque monster he has created, Victor is horrified and flees.
After Victor abandons his creature, humans treat it as a horrible monster. Disillusioned with humans, the creature wanders, trying to find the creator responsible for his existence. Since the creature does not have a name, readers often call him “Frankenstein.” Metaphorically, this implies that Victor Frankenstein has created a dark version of himself, or that he himself is a monster.
The novel explores the problem of man invading the creator’s realm, as its title implies. In Greek myth, Prometheus challenges Zeus by stealing fire and providing it to humans. As a result, he is punished by Zeus. Victor, too, invades God’s territory by creating a pseudo-human creature. However, Victor is not responsible for his creature and flees from it out of fear and abomination.
In 2025, Guillermo del Toro directed and produced his Gothic science fiction film version of “Frankenstein.” Del Toro had long dreamed of making an authentic but unique adaptation in his own imagination and interpretation. His dream work, “Frankenstein,” won three Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards in March.
Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” comprises two parts: “Victor’s Tale” and “The Creature’s Tale.” Viewers of the movie can listen to not only the creator’s telling, but also that of the creature, offering a dual perspective. At the end of the movie, Victor dies on a ship of the Royal Danish Navy while listening to his creature’s story. Before he passes away, Victor becomes remorseful and reconciles with his creature. The creator and the creature can trust and understand each other at last.
After that, Victor’s monster becomes a benefit to society. With its incredible strength, the creature pushes the big, heavy ship trapped in ice at the North Pole into the open sea so it can sail back home safely. This moving scene is a superb symbol of the creature’s relationship with humans. In the past, Victor’s creature was icy cold and hostile when he encountered people. However, after reconciling with his creator, the ice has melted, and now he can be a warm-hearted, reliable friend to humans.
Victor’s creature strongly resembles today’s artificial intelligence.
Just like Victor, today’s scientists are fascinated by creating a highly intelligent pseudo-life form that has the capability of thinking, evolving and self-learning. AI also never dies, like Victor’s creature in del Toro’s film. As we see in Victor and his creature, if modern-day scientists, too, shun responsibility for their creation and do not supervise it, AI may prove to be a horrible monster that can be harmful to humans.
Yet if humans treat AI simply as a monster and are hostile and antagonistic toward it, AI may become a serious threat to humans in self-defense. In the novel and the movie as well, Victor’s creature tries to be helpful to humans initially. However, as people instinctively treat it as if it were a vicious monster, it eventually fills that role. Victor’s creature might just have been a benefit to humanity from the beginning if they had been kind and friendly to it without prejudice.
AI resembles the fire that Prometheus brought to humans. As fire did for primitive human society, AI, too, could bring revolutionary changes to our modern society by improving our lives. Although it is very useful, fire can destroy everything if we misuse it or handle it carelessly. AI may, too, already be indispensable, but it could also be extremely dangerous if misused or abused.
Some of us worry about AI’s invasion of our world with heavy hearts, while others are simply fascinated by its amazing capabilities. Both attitudes are not desirable. We should prepare for the radical changes that AI will bring to our society. We should also learn to embrace AI as part of our lives and reconcile with it instead of antagonizing it.
AI will constantly evolve due to its deep-learning capability. Someday, it may overcome its limits and outsmart humans. Such a phenomenon will inevitably change the whole terrain of our society.
Will AI be the blissful gift from Prometheus or the hideous monster Victor Frankenstein created? If we use AI for evil schemes such as the surveillance of people and manipulation of their behavior, it will become Frankenstein’s monster. But if we use it to help humans and enhance our society, it will surely become Prometheus’s precious gift.
It all depends on our perception and attitude toward AI and on how we choose to use it.
Kim Seong-kon– – –
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed
khnews@heraldcorp.com
