AI and Plato: The Allegory of the Cave

As we walk into the age of AI, the warnings contained in this allegory should be heeded. There's a real danger of training AI with shadows on the wall, rather than reality.

2400 years ago. Nothing new. We don't teach it.

Quoting:

"Socrates was tried, found guilty and executed in Athens"..."for upsetting people by challenging their conventional opinions"

"Whatever they hold-up <people in power> determines the opinions, belief and attitudes of everyone else"

Or read it here:.

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/seyer/files/plato_republic...

Socrates: "Then, undoubtedly, such captives would consider the truth to be nothing but the shadows of the carved objects."

Think.

Don't be chained in a cave looking at shadows made by those who want to control what you see, how you think and how you act.

So many questions.

Has our system of education done enough to ensure our AI practitioners are operating outside the cave?

How do we test, evaluate, regulate and control AI to exist outside bias, mischaracterization and, yes, lies?

Can we?

Etc.