The first robot to walk the earth was a bronze giant called Talos. This wondrous machine was
created not by MIT Robotics Lab but by Hephaestus the Greek god of invention. More than 2 500
years ago Greek mythology was exploring ideas about creating artificial life--and grappling
with still-unresolved ethical concerns about biotechne life through craft. In this compelling
richly illustrated book Adrienne Mayor tells the fascinating story of how ancient Greek Roman
Indian and Chinese myths envisioned artificial life automata self-moving devices and human
enhancements--and how these visions relate to and reflect the ancient invention of real
animated machines. Revealing how science has always been driven by imagination and how some of
today's most advanced tech innovations were foreshadowed in ancient myth Gods and Robots is a
gripping new story of mythology for the age of AI.
