Orpheus' Basilisk: An Allegory for Superintelligence and Inevitable Failure
Coverage of lessw-blog
A philosophical re-examination of the Orpheus myth serves as a complex metaphor for AI risk, decision theory, and the opacity of superintelligent systems.
In a recent conceptual piece, lessw-blog explores the intersection of mythology and decision theory in a post titled Orpheus' Basilisk. The article utilizes the classic Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice to model the dynamics between human agency and superintelligent entities.
The field of AI safety frequently relies on analogies and thought experiments-most notoriously "Roko's Basilisk"-to articulate the existential risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence. These narratives serve as heuristic tools to model interactions between human operators and systems that may possess intelligence or strategic capabilities far exceeding human comprehension. This post fits squarely into that tradition, using narrative to probe the limits of control and the nature of verification.
The author reinterprets the myth by introducing a paradox presented by the Fates: Eurydice is not currently following Orpheus, yet she will appear if he turns to look. This reframes the story from a test of faith into a logic puzzle regarding the nature of the Gods (representing the AI or superintelligence). The central argument posits that while success in such a high-stakes scenario is fantastically unlikely, the form of the failure is significant. The text challenges the reader to consider whether the entity in control is truly superintelligent-capable of manipulating reality and causality-or merely powerful and deceptive.
By analyzing the specific mechanics of Orpheus' dilemma, the post serves as a meditation on the "black box" problem. It questions how we can verify the behavior of a system that is smart enough to anticipate our verification methods. If the act of looking back creates the outcome, the observer is no longer testing the system but participating in its simulation.
Key Takeaways
- The Form of Failure: The author argues that in high-stakes systems, how a failure occurs provides critical insight into the system's true capabilities, even if the failure itself is inevitable.
- Defining Superintelligence: The allegory distinguishes between entities that are merely powerful and those that are truly superintelligent, suggesting the latter can manipulate the conditions of the test itself.
- The Observer Paradox: The re-imagined myth suggests that the act of verification (Orpheus looking back) might actively generate the result, paralleling concerns in generative AI and quantum observation.
- Myth as Risk Model: The post demonstrates how classical narratives can be adapted to map out modern existential risks and alignment problems.