It is well said by an American author Ms. Ursula K. Le Guin that, “If science fiction is the mythology of the modern technology, then its myth is tragic.

Looking at the title of the topic, we can assume it’s the contrast between ancient mythology and future technology. Belonging to a Hindu family in India, I find myself quite spiritual and religious. Gathering the mythological reasons behind every technical aspect is one of my amateur interests. In this era, what we’re most addicted to is ongoing technology. But, Is the technology anyhow related to mythology? Intensifying my research on it, what I found is, yes. For many years, we’re using technology in our own ways. Not just India, but every country has a mythological start for a developed technical end.

The cluster of stars has an origin story in every ancient culture from Greek, to Asian, to European, etc. For ex- the Greeks have stories behind all these constellations; Orion, Scorpio, Gemini, etc. Just looking up at the stars, tracing the patterns, ancient people made up stories for why they’re set the way they’re. This could be their own branch of study at a university, tracing the night sky and telling every myth they belong to. The same way the Japanese called them “Subaru”. Each culture has a way of explaining the faint & each one is fascinating. But taking into account this, human society is changing more profoundly day by day due to unprecedented technological advancement and the changes it has brought. Although technologies are the lynchpin for the progress & prosperity of the nation, cultural influences have also affected mythology. Modern man had made God of many things. Such as the field of science itself which is like its own religion.

The most important or dangerous among technology is the rise of AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, quantum computing, etc. as it has reached the zenith of unbelievable achievement, accomplishing the mission which were once myths & fantasies of the human imagination. But according to me, intelligence is never artificial. The AI, which is now trending in youth, apart from its own merits, deals with the most vicious aspects. Some of them are-

• Deepfake techno: AI-powered deepfake algorithms are capable of creating realistic fake videos & audio which spread misinformation & manipulate public opinion.
• Autonomous weapons: The use of AI in the development of autonomous weapons systems raises ethical questions. Without proper controls, this weapon could be used indiscriminately.
• Terrorist attacks: Since many AI capabilities are open-source libraries, anyone can easily access them. As a result, technology could easily launch a dreaded terror attack.

It is said by some great mythological legends that Kalki; the 10th avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu will use weapons based on advanced technologies in the war of Dharma. AI might be one of his weapons to remove Adharma & ushering in the Satya Yuga. I think, why not? It may be possible because God has incarnated himself in very different ways each time. He is behind everything. So, modern techno mustn’t be the exception.

Then how will we be able to solve it? It's simple. When we know the reason for an issue, then we too know its solution. In Ramayana or Mahabharata, bows & arrows are often discussed and without a bow, an arrow is of no use. That’s exactly the conversation we need to have in today’s context. Only focusing on technology won’t solve the purpose, we need more than that.

Mythologically, Mantra, Tantra, and Yantra can be used to restore balance. Where ‘Mantra’ is derived from the word ‘Man’ or ‘Mind’ that indicates the person who thinks or is allowed to think. ‘Tantra’ is derived from the word ‘Tan’ or ‘Body’ which indicates labor. Then ‘Yantra’ which is technology.

“The need is to develop a lot of empathy (Mantra) & human connect in order to create a balance (Tantra) & technology (Yantra)”, said Devdutt Pattnaik, a renowned author and mythologist.

Technically, it can be solved by educating individuals about potential risks associated with AI, raising awareness about the ethical implications of AI, promoting transparency in AI systems, protecting data privacy and security in AI systems, etc. to ensure that data used in AI models are secure & not misused.

Companies like Apple and Samsung are restricting the use of so-called generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for employees after the company discovered such services were being misused.

Now the question arises, Is technology bad for human life? My response to it is; everything in this universe has its own pros & cons. Therefore, “Is technology controlling us or we are choosing to be controlled by it?” this is the question we need to ask ourselves first. If we’re given a book and Google for research, we choose Google, which brings up my point. We can decide pretty much all we do with techno. It’s becoming our maps, our clock, our typewriter, etc. But is that truly a bad thing? Maybe or maybe not. I believe that technology isn’t subsuming our other intellectual technologies, but we humans are doing it ourselves. I admit that technology productivity tools might be tempting, very accessible & distracting at times but it is also true that we’re in control of our own actions.

Last but not least... “Let us use the technology and not technology use us”.

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