Question

Pygmalion in the Modern Era
Georgiana fancied herself a sculptor despite the fact that her creations were entirely digital. Sure, she didn’t chisel or etch her creations into existence, but she did use strict parameters to design printable models capable of artificial intelligence. For Georgiana, an orphan with few relationships in the real world, her designs became surrogate friends and family. Still, she longed for a real connection.

“My designs are more perfect than any human could be,” she snapped when co-workers questioned her dedication to digital creation.

Her latest project, dubbed Pygmalion after the ancient Greek sculptor who famously fell in love with his greatest creation, was to create a perfectly symmetrical, life-sized android that would be fitted with cutting edge programming. The goal? Georgiana was to help her team assess whether or not true symmetry was as aesthetically pleasing as theorists believed.

To say that Georgiana was obsessed would be an understatement. She barely slept and ate only once most days. But she was making exceptional progress on her design, so much so that she decided today was the day for a trial printing. As she queued the 3D printer, her body buzzed with electricity. She anxiously watched as the silicone based material morphed from a shapeless block into her vision of perfection.

“Oh, wow,” she gasped as the model took shape. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Georgiana touched the model gingerly, studying each curvature and detail for any changes she might need to make. One of the most difficult aspects of the design had been a brain that resembled the human brain, one capable of processing code the same way humans process information. She was eager to test whether or not her design would function as expected. If it didn’t, she’d have to begin again and her team would miss their deadline.

She decided to upload the code herself and perform a series of tests to determine if the “brain” was functional. The process was slow, and Georgiana drifted to sleep while she waited. She woke to a warm hand softly pulling a blanket over her frame, then brushing the hair from her face. When she opened her eyes, the model was standing over her, eyes more lifelike than she expected. She felt her words catch in her throat.

“Well, I guess that worked,” she whispered. Georgiana knew the model wasn’t real, but she found herself feeling nervous butterflies anyway. “That’s just great,” she said to herself. “I went and created the only person in the world I actually like. And it isn’t real.”




What patterns of moral decision-making in this modern work reflect ethical dilemmas presented in texts from another era?
A Georgiana knows that artificial intelligence is dangerous, but pursues it anyway.
B Georgiana has been tasked with a project that she knows she shouldn't complete, but feels pressured to follow through.
C Georgiana lets curiosity cloud her judgment and proceeds without the help of her team.
D Georgiana is worried about the outcome of the Pygmalion project and actively works to alter results so that she looks better.

Answer 1

C

Georgiana bypasses her team and uploads the code herself out of obsessive curiosity, mirroring older ethical dilemmas (e.g., Frankenstein/Pygmalion) where a lone creator’s ambition and curiosity lead them to act without caution or collaboration.