Image: OpenAI DALL-E 2
Traditionally, fables are short stories with moral lessons featuring humanised animals and/or other non-humans, and they seem to be rapidly evolving in the age of AI. A new type of talking non-human, in the form of virtual assistants, chatbots, etc., is becoming an integral part of our lives, influencing personal decisions, various aspects of society, and our ways of being. Unlike traditional fable creatures, these AI characters do not just simulate and embody human values, but actively co-create stories and morals for us. This is not only changing our definition of what it means to be human, but also our thinking and creative processes.
In the ‘Rethinking Fables’ project, one of our key themes was the concept of AI/Cyber fables, through which we aimed to explore the ethical, social, and personal impacts of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies on our lives. We were incredibly lucky to join forces with Professor Chris Danta, whose Australian Research Council-funded project ‘Future Fables: Literature, Evolution and Artificial Intelligence’ (2021-24) coincided with our project, and Chris’s symposium, ‘AI and Other Scientific Fables’ (July 25-26, 2024) at the School of Cybernetics, Australian National University, was one of our highlights. Chris is also the author of Animal Fables after Darwin (2018) and his Future Fables project highlights uncanny yet fascinating affinities between traditional animal fables and newly emerging AI fables.
And the most delightful surprise of all was discovering that computer and cybersecurity experts are taking fables and storytelling seriously! Two such experts we had the fortune to network with were Shujun Li, Professor of Cyber Security and Director of the Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS) at the University of Kent, and Luca Viganò, Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Informatics at King’s College London, where he leads the Cybersecurity (CYS) group. It is encouraging to know that they share our belief that fable-style storytelling is crucial to keeping us safe and helping us navigate the new age of AI technologies. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Oscar Zhou, Deputy Director of the iCSS and Blaine Espley and Prof Jeremy Scott of the iCCi (Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries) research goup for facilitating some of our activities and being part of our conversation.
Below are some of our collaborative activities and the fables that have emerged from our work together as well as their fable-themed work.
