The Greek myth of Talos, the first robot - Adrienne Mayor

Prevodilac: Milan Ležaja Lektor: Milenka Okuka

Hephaestus, god of technology, was hard at work on his most ingenious invention yet.

Hefest, bog tehnologije, vredno je radio na svom najgenijalnijem izumu do sada.

He was creating a new defense system for King Minos,

Stvarao je novi odbrambeni sistem za kralja Minoja,

who wanted fewer intruders on his island kingdom of Crete.

koji je želeo manje uljeza na svom ostrvskom kraljevstvu Kritu.

But mortal guards and ordinary weapons wouldn’t suffice,

Međutim, stražari smrtnici i obična oružja ne bi bili dovoljni,

so the visionary god devised an indomitable new defender.

tako da je vizionarski bog osmislio novog nesavladivog zaštitnika.

In the fires of his forge,

U vatrama svoje kovačnice,

Hephaestus cast his invention in the shape of a giant man.

Hefest je izlio svoj izum u obliku džinovskog čoveka.

Made of gleaming bronze; endowed with superhuman strength,

Stvoren od blistave bronze, opremljen nadljudskom snagom,

and powered by ichor, the life fluid of the gods,

i kojim teče ikor, životna tečnost bogova,

this automaton was unlike anything Hephaestus had forged before.

ovaj automaton nije bio nalik ni na šta što je Hefest ranije skovao.

The god named his creation Talos: the first robot.

Bog je svojoj kreaciji dao ime Tal: prvi robot.

Three times a day, the bronze guardian marched around the island's perimeter

Tri puta dnevno, bronzani zaštitnik marširao je ukrug ostrvom

searching for interlopers.

u potrazi za uljezima.

When he identified ships approaching the coast,

Kada bi prepoznao brodove koji prilaze obali,

he hurled massive boulders into their path.

bacao bi ogromne stene pred njihov put.

If any survivors made it ashore,

Ako bi neki od preživelih stigli do obale,

he would heat his metal body red-hot and crush victims to his chest.

zagrejao bi svoje metalno telo do usijanja i zdrobio žrtve svojim grudima.

Talos was intended to fulfill his duties day after day, with no variation.

Tal je trebalo da ispunjava svoje dužnosti dan za danom, bez imalo promena.

But despite his robotic behavior,

Ali uprkos njegovom robotskom ponašanju,

he possessed an internal life his victims could scarcely imagine.

posedovao je unutrašnji život kakav njegove žrtve ne bi mogle zamisliti.

And soon,

Ubrzo, gorostas se susreo sa brodom osvajača koji će mu testirati odlučnost.

the behemoth would encounter a ship of invaders that would test his mettle.

The bedraggled crew of Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts

Povređena posada koju su činili Jason, Medeja i argonauti

were returning from their hard-won quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

vraćala se sa teško izvršenog zadatka da povrate zlatno runo.

Their adventure had taken many dark turns,

Njihovu avanturu zadesilo je puno mračnih obrta

and the weary sailors were desperate to rest in a safe harbor.

i umorni moreplovci očajnički su želeli da se odmore na sigurnom pristaništu.

They’d heard tales of Crete’s invulnerable bronze colossus,

Čuli su priče o neranjivom bronzanom kolosu sa Krita

and made for a sheltered cove.

i uputili se ka zaklonjenoj uvali.

But before they could even drop anchor, Talos spotted them.

Međutim, Tal ih je uočio pre nego što su mogli spustiti sidro.

While the Argonauts cowered at the approach of the awesome automaton,

Dok su se argonauti plašili čudesnog automatona koji im je prilazio,

the sorceress Medea spotted a glinting bolt on the robot’s ankle—

čarobnica Medeja je spazila svetlucavi klin na robotovom gležnju

and devised a clever gambit.

i smislila je mudar potez.

Medea offered Talos a bargain:

Medeja je ponudila Talu pogodbu:

she claimed that she could make Talos immortal

tvrdila je da može da učini Tala besmrtnim,

in exchange for removing the bolt.

ako zauzvrat skine klin.

Medea's promise resonated deep within his core.

Medejino obećanje duboko ga je dirnulo u jezgro.

Unaware of his own mechanical nature,

Nesvestan svoje mehaničke prirode

and human enough to long for eternal life, Talos agreed.

i bivajući dovoljno nalik čoveku da žudi za večnim životom, Tal je pristao.

While Medea muttered incantations, Jason removed the bolt.

Dok je Medeja mrmljala čarobne reči, Jason je uklonio klin.

As Medea suspected, the bolt was a weak point in Hephaestus’ design.

Kao što je Medeja i sumnjala, klin je bio slaba tačka u Hefestovom dizajnu.

The ichor flowed out like molten lead, draining Talos of his power source.

Ikor je krenuo da se izliva poput rastopljenog olova, crpeći Talovu snagu.

The robot collapsed with a thunderous crash,

Robot se srušio uz gromoglasan pad,

and the Argonauts were free to travel home.

i argonauti su mogli slobodno da otputuju nazad.

This story, first recorded in roughly 700 BCE,

Ova priča, prvobitno zabeležena otprilike 700 godina pre nove ere,

raises some familiar anxieties about artificial intelligence—

poteže neke poznate strepnje u vezi sa veštačkom inteligencijom

and even provides an ancient blueprint for science fiction.

i čak pruža drevne osnove za žanr naučne fantastike.

But according to historians, ancient robots were more than just myths.

Međutim, po rečima istoričara, drevni roboti su više od samo mitova.

By the 4th century BCE,

Do četvrtog veka pre nove ere,

Greek engineers began making actual automatons

grčki inženjeri počeli su da prave stvarne automatone

including robotic servants and flying models of birds.

uključujući robotske sluge i leteće modele ptica.

None of these creations were as famous as Talos,

Nijedna od ovih kreacija nije bila poznata koliko i Tal,

who appeared on Greek coins, vase paintings, public frescoes,

koji se pojavljivao na grčkim novčićima, slikama na vazama, javnim freskama

and in theatrical performances.

i u pozorišnim predstavama.

Even 2,500 years ago,

Čak i pre 2 500 godina,

Greeks had already begun to investigate the uncertain line

Grci su već počeli da istražuju koliko je tanka granica

between human and machine.

između čoveka i mašine.

And like many modern myths about artificial intelligence,

I poput mnogih savremenih mitova o veštačkoj inteligenciji,

Talos’ tale is as much about his robotic heart as it is about his robotic brain.

Talova priča se tiče njegovog robotskog srca koliko i mozga.

Illustrating the demise of Talos on a vase of the fifth century BCE,

Ilustrujući Talovu propast na vazi pet vekova pre nove ere,

one painter captured the dying automaton’s despair

jedan slikar predstavio je očajanje umirućeg automatona

with a tear rolling down his bronze cheek.

suzom koja mu se sliva niz bronzani obraz.